Globalization, internationalization and localization (GIL) are prominent areas in which knowledge management is gaining crucial exposure for international business excellence. LISA Members represent the business professionals, customers and global solutions providers who play a leading role in this rapidly expanding industry.
Globalization (G11n)
Globalization addresses all of the enterprise issues associated with making a company truly global. For the globalization of products and services this involves integrating all of the internal and external business functions with marketing, sales, and customer support in the world market.
Internationalization (I18n)
Internationalization is the process of generalizing a product so that it can handle multiple languages and cultural conventions without the need for redesign. Internationalization takes place at the level of program design and document development.
Localization (L10n)
Localization involves taking a product and making it linguistically and culturally appropriate to the target locale (country/region and language) where it will be used and sold.
In scope. It is certainly true that localization involves translation (e.g. of manuals and other documentations, screens, help texts, and error messages). Equally, product names may have to be changed to avoid unfortunate associations in the target language. However, the process also requires other non-linguistic skills.
On the software programming side, screen dialog boxes and field lengths may have to be altered; date, time and currency formats changed; delimiters for figures replaced; and icons and colors adapted; to give only a few examples. What is more, in the case of bi-directional languages (such as Arabic and Hebrew) and double-byte character sets (such as those for Chinese, Japanese and Korean), more extensive reprogramming may be required to ensure that localized text and numerals are displayed correctly on the target platforms.
On the content side, programs often have to be changed to conform to national and cultural norms. In multimedia applications the color, size, and shape of objects such as coins and notes, taxis, telephones and mailboxes, and buses and ambulances, traditionally vary from country to country. Vehicles may suddenly have to drive on the other side of the road, while dress codes will vary, and symbols take on a new significance. Similarly, mainstream business applications such as address databases and financial accounting packages, have to be adapted to the procedures and conventions applicable in their new environments.
Multiple-language Web content and e-Business sites increase the complexity of enterprise globalization as well as the products and services localization process.
WHAT ABOUT
INTERNATIONALIZATION?
In this context, internationalization is the "opposite" or forerunner of localization. In other words, it is the process of designing and implementing a product which is as culturally and technically "neutral" as possible, and which can therefore easily be localized for a specific culture or cultures. This reduces the time and resources required for the localization process, thus saving producers money and improving their time-to-market abroad. As with localization, language, technical and contents issues are involved, with project management and coordination also playing a significant role. Internationalization has now reached the point where major software publishers can release 30 or more different localized versions within a month or two of the original version, a process known as "sim-ship" (short for "simultaneous shipment").
Shorthand for "globalization," "internationalization," and "localization" respectively. These abbreviations are used in the industry to avoid repetitive strain injury (and to add some technical mystique to activities). The "11", the "18", and the "10" indicate the number of letters abbreviated in each case.
HOW BIG IS THE
LOCALIZATION INDUSTRY?
Estimates vary depending on how you define it. LISA estimates that the localization sector is currently generating sales of between USD 3 billion and USD 15 billion a year. This brings results: the 20 largest IT companies now annually leverage a localization spend of around USD 1.5 billion to generate sales in excess of USD 50 billion. What is more, investment by LISA members alone is thought to amount to around USD 3.1 billion since 1997. However, all too many companies still do not know what they are spending or making on localization, largely due to the invisibility and lack of transparency of the localization process within organizations. Additionally, these figures do not take into account the localization of websites into multiple languages, which is increasing exponentially as the number of non-English speaking Internet users increases.
WHO ARE THE KEY PLAYERS?
Traditionally, the localization industry has historically been divided into two categories - supply and demand. The latter has been primarily comprised of hardware and software manufacturers, but now includes any company with multi-lingual web content, international products or services activity. Globalization Solutions Providers make up the other half of the equation and include any company offering GIL services or technologies coupled usually with the support of translation, internationalization, engineering, and localization activities. These currently make up the bulk of LISA membership. However, the industry as a whole and LISA in particular, are now experiencing considerable growth outside these areas, with language tools vendors, communications companies, consultants, universities and enterprises from other vertical markets like automotive, pharmaceutical, and medical joining the association. This expansion is set to continue over the next few years as the globalization of business, the internet, and hence, localization issues, become more and more important.
Founded in 1990, LISA (the Localisation Standards Industry Association) provides professional support for the development of enterprise globalization guidelines, best practices, and business standards, ensuring that multiple language business processes, services, software, documentation, and other products can be implemented worldwide to the highest possible standards. Traditionally focused on the (IT) information technology sector, LISA has broadened its scope in response to the spread of GIL requirements to other market sectors.
Services offered to members include: the LISA Global Strategies Summits, Forums, Workshops, and other Training Programs held in venues throughout the world, an interactive Web site, job postings, and a quarterly Newsletter. Special Interest Groups (SIGs) allow member-driven topics to be developed, often culminating in the production of best practice guidelines such as the LISA Software Localization Quality Assurance Model, The LISA Outsourcing OSCAR, TMX/TBX standards for translation memory and knowledge database products, etc. For more information on LISA SIGs visit here.
WHY IS
LOCALIZATION SPELT WITH AN "S" IN THE NAME OF THE
ASSOCIATION?
Because we try to practice what we preach. When LISA was registered in Geneva, Switzerland the European spelling was adopted for its name. However, for general publicity materials, which are distributed worldwide, LISA uses International English - and hence "z"s.