Localization Lingo 101
As in any industry, localization professionals use their own jargon. And like any jargon, words and their meanings come in and out of vogue, mutate continually to serve the needs of the industry. To understand the industry, a grasp of the jargon is essential.
Let's start with the word "localization." LISA (Localisation Industry Standards Association) defines localization this way: "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."
As I mentioned in my first article, software and localization are closely linked. Often, you will hear the two spoken in the same breath: software localization. In fact, International Translations Solutions' asserts that "[t] hough the term ”localization” may refer to anything that is translated for use in a local market (including printed materials) [sic] . In the industry, the term is more commonly used to describe the translation of software products, online help and Web sites. While localization does target software, other products may be localized.
For example, a car built in the U.S. must be localized to operate outside the U.S. if the manufacturer plans to export its product. Think about it. In some places (notably England and Australia) the driver's seat is on the left, not the right. Regulations governing safety devices as well as fuel requirements may vary depending on locale. In the States, distances are measured in miles. When you fill 'er up in the States, and buy coolants and oil, you think in gallons and pints. Not so elsewhere. Instrumentation in cars for export need to be calibrated for metric measures: kilometers for distance, liters and milliliters for fluid volumes.
In an owner's manual for a Korean automobile import destined for the Québec market, text referring to weather conditions were rewritten. The English-language manual offered tips for driving if it snows in the consumer's region. In the Québec version, there's no "if" about it. It snows in Québec. The manuals for Québec replaced "if it snows" for "when it snows", a subtle change perhaps but culturally significant.
Two other car makers learned the merits of culturally-sensitive localization far less subtly. General Motors discovered that their "Nova" wouldn't inspire confidence in Spanish-language markets (translated, "no va" means "won't go"). The Ford Pinto failed to excite in Brazil where the word refers to male genitals as small as, well, beans. Car makers are not alone. Coca Cola and Pepsi both had to re-work the transliteration of their brands in Asia.
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