Do you know the difference?
The two terms “localization” and “internationalization” are oftentimes used interchangeably in international business settings. However, the two terms, albeit closely linked are not interchangeable. In fact, they are like two sides of a coin-each having separate characteristics but part of the same whole.
Localization is the adaptation of a product or message to meet the specific cultural expectations of an audience in a foreign locale. To put it simply, it is tailoring your messages to appear as if they were created specifically for your target market (ie. foreign country, foreign language demographic). You can think of it as translation+, meaning that it includes translation but goes far beyond words and concepts. Localization includes adapting styles, formats, metrics, dates, graphics, currencies, phone numbers etc. The term localization can be applied to a document (although usually the term translation is more appropriate), but is more often used when referencing software localization or localization of a product or website. This is due to the more technical nature of these kinds of projects.
Internationalization is effectively the opposite; it is the removal of localized features of a product or message so that it can be more readily adapted for multiple markets. Internationalization involves making content as simple (and concise) as possible, eliminating ambiguity, idioms or slang, and removing any features that are specific to the source market or language- All so that it can be more efficiently localized for other languages and markets. It is a pre-step to localization. Internationalization applies to documents, products, websites and software.
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