Skip the typical software localization beginner's traps

Author: Renate Reinartz

Time

If you use time, you must consider the twelve and twenty-four hour models over the world. Twelve-hour systems, as used in the United Kingdom or USA, use am and pm to define whether the time is before or after lunch.

You must ensure that time zones are reflected in your application. Which time coding do you need? Local times, like Eastern Standard Time (EST) in New York, Mountain Standard Time (MST) in Colorado, or Pacific Standard Time (PST) in California, USA?

Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) is international time and is the basis for the world time clock. GMT is the preferred time if you exchange data in other countries. This time system is based on the local time in the English city Greenwich (GMT+0). All time differences are given in GMT+x or GMT-x. For example, France, Germany, and the Netherlands show GMT+1, PST is GMT-8, EST is GMT-5, and Japan is GMT+9.

Differences may also occur in summer and winter. Most countries have summer time savings, although Japan and at least one Canadian province do not.

There is another time system, Zulu or UTC. If you need to code time, such as in e-mail or Internet formats, you can check the related RFCs to store time.

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