Every technological invention — from the wheel to the printing press, the steam engine, electricity and telephone — has been driven by and in turn, pumped up the volume of production, increased the speed with which goods are delivered and expanded the distances across which commerce is conducted. The volume and velocity, the sheer distances goods travel to get to market, has increased dramatically with the advent of high technology and, in particular, the Internet. The awareness and sensitivity to cultural differences has also increased.
Merchants have always known the perils of cross-cultural communications in the service of commerce. They hired "natives" to translate negotiations or guides to lead them through foreign terrain. And when they brought a new product from the New World, they packaged and promoted it in the context of the Old or exploited the exotic nature of their wares. In short, merchants have always had to define and refine a positive identity and presence when purchasing raw materials, manufacturing, marketing or selling their product.
The emergence of the localization process, whereby products and corporate identity are adapted to diverse world markets, and the localization industry is yet another stage in the continual evolution of human economy. An essential element of the technology-driven globalization of the world economy, localization is the high-tech manifestation and continuation of the ancient tradition of commerce across borders with the same promise and perils.
The Process
Localization involves every aspect of a product or service destined for global markets: engineering, operating systems, display features, instructions and user manuals, packaging, public relations and advertising. The process is complex and complicated. A localized product or service must meet stringent cultural, linguistic, technical and regulatory standards to be successful. This topic will explore the myriad aspects of the localization process. The "nuts and bolts" of the process, technological innovations (e.g., machine translation, writing, graphic design and desktop publishing) in the context of localization as well as the challenges and limits of the process will be included. The Industry
At least three distinct type of companies characterize the localization industry. The first type is the re-invented translation company, e.g., Berlitz International. A highly diversified language service provider founded over 120 years ago, Berlitz continues to re-organize, re-invent its image, and modify the services it offers to keep pace with localization.
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