Internationalization &

Localization
SWEN-444
The Basics
•  Locale – set of linguistic and cultural parameters
associated with a geographic region
•  E.g., language, text orientation, date/time format, currency, accented
and double-byte characters, sorting, etc.
•  Localization - the process whereby the software,
documentation, and user interface are adapted to suit
the needs of different world markets and users
segments – a locale
•  A single country may have multiple locales –example?

Why bother? – everyone speaks English

English
Internationalization
•  Internationalization - the process of developing a software product
whose core design does not make assumptions based on a locale
•  Software design techniques:
•  Abstraction – separate code needed to support a locale
•  Message files – separate localizable text from source code; one file for
each locale
•  16 bit Unicode to support all languages
•  Formatting libraries – numbers, dates, …
•  Replaceable UI elements - fonts, colors, images, icons
Vision for Internationalization
A single global code base that …
•  Meets language, cultural and market specific users
needs
•  Reduces development effort and cost
•  No separate source code
•  Eases support and maintenance pain
•  Unified support fixes
•  Language neutral administration and deployment
•  Enables the ability to simultaneously ship or add pluggable language
packs
Software Engineer Internationalization
Responsibilities
•  Discover international (cultural) requirements
•  Identify and understand locales
•  Different markets may require slight but important variations in product
functionality
•  Validate suitability of the localized application for the targeted markets
•  Verify correctness and consistency in translations
•  Ensure translation neutrality to accommodate varying
cultures within individual markets
•  Extend usability testing to global population
Let’s Explore Various Localization Facets
•  Calendars •  Religion conventions
•  Time and date •  Numbers
formats •  Symbols
•  Numeric superstitions •  Text and language
•  Interpersonal •  Color
interaction and
gestures
Calendars
•  There are many different calendars in use
throughout the world
•  Some based on the relative movements of the moon
•  Some based on the relative movements of the sun
•  The Gregorian calendar, also known as the
Western or Christian calendar, is the
internationally accepted civil calendar
A Sampling of Calendars
Japan Japanese •  The Gregorian calendar written in Japanese characters
Solar •  Includes an era name in addition to a numeric year
•  The era name of a date is derived from the reigning
emperor
China Chinese •  A luni-solar calendar, elements from lunar and solar
calendar
•  The year starts on the second new moon after the winter
solstice
•  The counting of years and year cycles is complex

Buddhist Buddhist •  Differs from one country to another along with the
Countries Era recognized birth date of the Buddha
•  Thailand's calendar counts its years from January 1st,
543 B.C
Korea Tangun •  Tangun was the legendary founder of the first Korean
Era kingdom
•  Counts years from 2333 BC

Arabic Islamic •  Counts its years from the Gregorian year AD 622
Countries •  Uses 12 lunar months
•  Has a year of 353, 354, or 355 days
Time and Date Formats
•  There are many variations on how dates and time are formatted
•  In the United States the date format is mm/dd/yy
•  In Europe the date format is dd/mm/yy
•  In Japan the date format is yy/mm/dd
§  date format of 2/3/10 is not untypical
§  relates to the year of the current emperor's reign
•  Calculations of date and time need to consider that the first two
digits of a date value may not be the month
•  USA - time format is predominantly 12 hour
•  Punctuated by AM or PM for before and after midday
•  Europe - time format is predominantly 24 hour (military time)
•  In some European Countries AM and PM are not understood
Worldwide Long Date
Formats
Worldwide Short Date
Formats
Label Date and Time Fields
In the United States, a date like 5/2/41 means May 2, 1941; in much of
the rest of the world it means February 5, 1941. Globalization cannot
work with such ambiguity. Make clear what is meant, as below.

•  Use a 24-hour clock instead of A.M. and P.M.

•  Identify time zone, e.g., GMT (Greenwich Mean Time (default)).
Differing Requirements - Numeric Superstitions
• Lucky numbers
- 3, 8, 168, 518, 888 in traditional Chinese belief
- 7 in most countries in the world
- 8 in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea
- 9 in Thailand
• Unlucky numbers
-  2, 514 in traditional Chinese belief
-  4 is an unlucky number in Hong Kong, Korea and Taiwan
-  4 in China and Japan (suggests death)
-  7 in East and West Africa
-  13 in most countries in the world
-  6 in Thailand
• Others
-  666 symbolizes evil to many Christians
Interpersonal Interaction
•  The "OK" sign in the USA is an obscene gesture in Brazil.
•  Waving the entire hand means
•  "Goodbye" in the UK
•  "No" in Japan
•  "Come here" in Peru
•  In Asia and some African countries one gives gifts with both hands
•  In many Islamic cultures, giving a gift with the left hand is improper
•  Direct eye contact means honesty and candor in Western Europe
•  In some Asian and African cultures direct eye contact suggests
rudeness
Differing Requirements - Problematic Gestures
•  Blinking the eye Hong Kong, Taiwan
•  Backslapping India, some European countries
•  Prolonged eye contact Asian cultures
•  Sticking the tongue out Many cultures
•  Touching someone's head Fiji, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore
•  Folded arms Fiji, Finland
•  Slapping arm, fist raised Most European countries
•  Closed fist salute Many countries
•  "Stop" gesture Greece, Nigeria
•  Hands on the hips Argentina
•  Slapping fist Chile, Italy
•  Using left hand to point Islamic cultures
•  Crossed fingers Paraguay
•  1st and 4th fingers extended Many countries
•  Pointing with the index finger Belgium, most of Asia
Differing Requirements - Religious References
•  The Christian Cross Christianity
•  The Menorah Judaism
•  Star of David Judaism
•  The Crescent Islam
•  Buddha Buddhism
•  Pagoda, Dagoba, Stupa Buddhism
•  Wheel Buddhism
•  Lingam Hinduism
•  Pentacle Paganism
•  Torii Shintoism
Differing Requirements - Sacred Animals and
Plants

•  Cows Hinduism, Buddhism

•  Monkeys Hinduism
•  Serpents Hinduism
•  Lotus flowers Buddhism
•  Chrysanthemum flowers Japanese belief
Numbers
•  Punctuation
•  In France: 1.234,56
•  In the United States: 1,234.56
•  In expressing currency, include:
•  The country
•  The numeric amount
•  The appropriate currency symbol
•  In giving sizes, state units:
•  Inches, feet, pounds, quarts, etc.—the English system (which is not used in England)
•  Meters, centimeters, grams, liters, etc.—the metric system (which is used in England)
•  Addresses
•  Forcing international users to supply a state and ZIP code is confusing and/or insulting
•  Phone numbers
•  Regional and country conventions for country code – area/zone code – subscriber number
Other International Symbols [Standards]
•  Orientation – direction,
coordinate system
•  Communication – e.g., traffic
signs
•  Science and mathematics
•  Accessibility
•  Emoticons, Emoji
International Signs 5 Germany – no public urination
6 France – no unleashed dogs
7 Ireland – sudden drop off
8 Australia – speeding
endangers cassowaries
9 US – beware of RV mirror
10 France – ski lift how-to
11 Canada – don’t eat shellfish
12 Jamaica – speed bump
13 Canada – log in water may
shift in a storm
14 Brazil – some bus seats
reserved for obese riders
15 Austria – no sledding
16 Switzerland – skiers beware
17 South Africa – unauthorized
vendors can’t sell food
2
18 Canada – avalanche danger
0 19 U.K – elderly crossing
Doug Lansky Exhibition 20 Cambodia – toilet etiquette
Language Dependent Text Considerations
•  Direction
•  Top to bottom characters, right to left lines (Korean, Japanese, Chinese
ideograms)
•  Right to left characters, top to bottom lines (Arabic, Hebrew)
•  Left to right characters, top to bottom lines ( Western style)
•  Space, word delimiters, and alignment – word size
(German especially)
•  Diacriticals provide meaning; E versus Ȅ
•  Collating sequences – different alphabets impact sorting
Text Considerations
•  Translation
•  Recommendation: use human translators exclusively if possible
•  Use semiautomatic translation with human oversight
•  Avoid parochial references that may mean little to a
person who is not familiar with the subject
•  Jargon and slang, puns, which translate poorly
•  Be wary of metaphors, such as sports
•  Machine translation may work better for technical topics,
such as medical reports, that have a standard
vocabulary that can be built into the translation
dictionary
Cultural Differences and Use of Language
•  Americans, as a rule, prefer direct statements: “Buy
Now!”
•  That would be quite rude in some cultures, such as Japan
•  Therefore the translator must be a person who has lived
in the country of the target language, and preferably be
a native speaker
Language Encoding English

English, Arabic, Chinese

Incorrect (below)

Correct (above)
Layout Matches Language Mirror
Right-to-left (below)

Left-to-right (above)
Color
•  Different meaning in different cultures
•  Favorite example:
•  Brides in western countries wear white
•  In China, white is the color of death
•  Get local expert advice
http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/colours-in-cultures/
Evaluate Your Project
•  How well does it meet universal usability needs?
•  How would you need to change the design to improve
it?
References
•  Localization Testing - www.sasqag.org/pastmeetings/
LocalizabilityTesting.ppt
•  Planning a Global Release - download.microsoft.com/download/e/
0/1/e012808f-05e1-45d0-8965-1437a58d3466/ARC303.ppt
•  Material from: Pat O’Sullivan “A Software Model Approach to
Accommodating Cultural Diversity in the Development of Multilingual
Applications”
•  Dr. O. De Troyer, Localization Slides - wise.vub.ac.be/downloads/
courses/useraspects/chapter5.ppt