Skip the typical software localization beginner's traps

Author: Renate Reinartz

Localized software opens new markets and creates more revenue. This concept sounds great; however, what does it mean for you, as a software developer? How can you write software that you can easily localize? And what does localization mean for your day-to-day work?

You might consider the following: What is different in other cultures? The differences include many areas, here a few in alphabetic order:

character sets, code pages, currency, date, language, list separator, measurements, numbers, paper format, phone number, sort order, states, time, tax, other traps, conclusion

Let us begin with the most obvious.

Languages

Your first consideration is most likely the language. At the very least, you must think about how to translate all strings in the application user interface. Usually, these are strings for menu entries, dialog boxes, message boxes, the status bar, and error messages.

If you want to send all strings to a translator, you must consistently separate strings from source code. Don't hard-code strings! If you did, convert these strings to string resources. Start this process now. Don't wait until you are under pressure to meet a deadline.

All major development languages for Windows support resource files. You have no excuse! You can easily read strings from resources, such as in classic Visual Basic with LoadResString or LoadStr in a VCL application.

More software localization traps

1. Languages
2. Character sets
3. Code pages
4. Numbers
5. Currencies
6. Dates
7. Time
8. List separator
9. Measurements
10. Paper format
11. Phone number
12. Sort order
13. Tax
14. States
15. Other traps
16. Conclusion