Introduction to Localization and GILT Process
Dr. Nermin Al Sharman
• What is Localization?
o Definition: Localization is the process of adapting
digital interactive texts to suit different socio-cultural
and linguistic contexts, making them usable in various
locales.
o Importance: It goes beyond just translation; it involves
addressing cultural, linguistic, and functional needs of a
target locale, such as adapting symbols, formats, and
even user interfaces.
o Examples of Early Localization Projects: Early
localization examples include the Japanese version of
the Multiplan spreadsheet by Microsoft in 1982 and the
localized versions of the Apple Lisa computer in 1983.
• What are “locales”?
• Locales include a language and then a country code, such as English from Australia (en AU). They are
regulated by a number of standards. Other examples: Spanish from Mexico (es_MX), German from
Switzerland (de_CH).
• Localization is also known by its acronym L10n (there are ten letters between the L and the n in
“Localization”). The term itself originates from the industry notion of “locale”, a combination of language,
region, and culture related to the notion of markets, or, in other words, “coinciding linguistic, and cultural
options: not just a language, but usually a particular variety of a language, plus local conventions regarding
currency, date, [etc.]”
• In the early days of localization, developers extracted text strings from programming
code and sent them to translators (also known as linguists). After translation, the text
was reintegrated into the code, but this process posed issues such as misfitting
translations and culture-specific adaptations (e.g., date formats, reading direction).
Separating translation from other localization tasks proved impractical. To address
this, two key solutions emerged: separating localizable text and assets from code, and
planning localization and internationalization from the beginning of development.
This led to the development of the GILT process (Globalization, Internationalization,
Localization, and Translation).
• Question: Translators, localizers, localization
specialists, or linguists? Can you find some job postings
in the localization industry online and identify how they
refer to the profile they are looking for? For example,
companies might refer to the roles as "translator,"
"localization specialist," "linguist," or "localizer." Your
task is to observe and note what job titles or labels
companies use when they post job advertisements for
professionals working in localization.
• Some Twitter (now X) accounts, such as those by
localization specialist (@UweMuegge), regularly post
job advertisements in localization.
• This notion entails the adaptation of
organizations to cope with the demands of
going global, including technical, financial,
managerial, personnel, or marketing
decisions. Globalization is a cyclical
process that occurs both before and after
the localization/translation process. It
includes preliminary stages such as
restructuring organizations and products to
operate globally, and post-localization
stages such as handling distribution or
multilingual customer support after
products or services are delivered.
• Therefore, the goals of this process range from
supporting the localization process to setting up
mechanisms to handle a multiplicity of bilateral or
multilingual interactions. For example, if an app or
website is localized and the Japanese version states
“Please contact us if you have any further questions at
@...”, the organization should have mechanisms set in
place to efficiently respond to this email in Japanese.
• Question: Developers can
only identify cultural issues
that must be considered once
a localizer, as an expert in
cross-cultural communication,
identifies an issue. Do you
think that makes them part of
the “development” team?
• Internationalization (I18n) here refers to a set of
processes used to make sure that the product does not
need to be re-engineered once the localization
process starts. The language industry has defined this
as “the process of enabling a product at a technical
level for localization”
• This is achieved by developing the product
independently of the language and culture of
production. This means, for example, that a software
program or website should be able to properly
display different scripts or right-to-left (RTL)
• Theoretically, after a successful internationalization, the localization process
begins. In the language industry literature, this refers to the preparation,
management, engineering, and quality testing of digital products (Dunne
2014).
• The GILT process distinguishes localization from the translation stage, the
latter referring to the translation or processing of textual elements.
