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Subject:Localization and internationalization From:Betsy Maaks <bmaaks -at- TELLABS -dot- COM> Date:Tue, 26 Jan 1999 10:12:01 -0600
Dear Puff and others on Techwr-l,
Puff writes:
> This is also called "internationalization", often with a funky
>abbreviation involving a numeral 8 for reasons I cannot fathom.
Actually, localization is different from internationalization. And
the funky abbreviation has logic.
Localization is adapting information so it can be uaed by people
of a particular culture, language, locale or area. The abbreviation
is "L10N' (L-ten-N) which derives from the 10 letters between
the first letter L and the last letter N.
A simple example is a rooster who makes a sound like "cock-
a-doodle-doo" in English, and "cocorico" in Spanish.
Internationalization is creating information with ANY culture,
language, locale or area, so that everything is generic, plain
language. This abbreviation is I18N, for the first letter I with
18 letters before the last letter N. Internationalization is used
to easily localize information for export to any country, so that
the internationlized product is then localized.
A simple example is to avoid writing the specific sound a
rooster makes, and just state that the rooster made a loud
cry.
Anybody else with anything to say on this?
Betsy Maaks
reply to: bmaaks -at- tellabs -dot- com
