Software Internationalization

Definition

Software internationalization (a.k.a., globalization, localization) is the implementation task during which software components are implemented to be usable in multiple countries and to conform to multiple languages and cultures.

Objectives

The typical objectives of software internationalization are to:

• Ensure that all software components are internationalized for specific target:
  • Countries.
  • Languages and dialects.
  • Cultures.

Preconditions

Software internationalization typically can begin when the following preconditions hold:

• The construction phase has started.
• The internationalization requirements in the system requirements specification are largely complete and are relatively stable.
• Architectural mechanisms for ensuring internationalization have been documented in the system architecture document.
• The software development teams are adequately staffed with internationalization engineers who are adequately trained in software internationalization.
• One or more software components to be internationalized have been designed.

Completion Criteria

Software internationalization is typically complete when the following postconditions hold:

• All software components have been internationalized in accordance with the associated internationalization:
  • Requirements.
  • Architectural mechanisms.

Steps

Software internationalization involves the following roles performing the following steps in an iterative, incremental, parallel, and time-boxed manner:

• Software Development Team (specifically the internationalization engineer):
  • Read and understand the internationalization requirements in the quality requirements section of the system requirements specification.
  • For each software component, determine all places in the software component that may need to be internationalized including those that involve textual, numerical, audio, graphical, and video data:
    • Input.
    • Storage.
    • Output.
    • Display.
  • Determine how to implement each part of a software component requiring internationalization based on the associated countries, languages, and cultures:
    • Nationality (e.g., currency, time, date, tax laws, and import/export duties).
    • Language and dialect.
    • Culture (e.g., removal of offensive or inappropriate words, images, or colors).
  • Implement the implementation parts of the software components:
    • Implement a multibyte character set (MBCS) for the official languages of the target countries (e.g., using Unicode ISO-10646).
    • Implement software components so that they satisfy target country and language conventions for:
      • Calendars (e.g., Japan, Korea, and Islamic countries), date formatting (e.g., Europe vs. USA), and time formatting (e.g., 12 hour vs. 24 hour clock).
      • Currency formatting (e.g., currency symbol, fractional currency, and number of digits).
      • Currency translation.
      • Cultural norms (e.g., avoidance of specific colors, numbers, graphics, product names, and words).
      • Line breaks and hyphenation.
      • Names (e.g., number, order, honorifics, and suffixes).
      • Numbers:
        • Chinese ideographic characters for numbers in financial documents.
        • National identity numbers (e.g., social security number).
      • Sorting of lists.
      • Legal issues such as:
        • Import/export laws.
        • Tariff and sales tax calculations.
        • Customs documentation.
        • Trademarks.
        • Privacy laws.
      • Text directions (e.g., left to right, right to left, top to bottom).
  • Check to ensure that the internationalization code does not involve making ot require changes to executable software component including user interfaces.
  • Iterate as necessary.

Techniques

Software internationalization can typically be performed using the following techniques:

• Internationalization Mechanisms
• Iteration

Work Products

Software internationalization typically results in the production of the following work products:

• Internationalized Software Components.

Guidelines

• Software internationalization should be driven from internationalization requirements and conform to architectural mechanisms for internationalization.
• There is far more to meeting internationalization requirements then creating international content. Numerous software components must be modified to support internationalization.