DEVELOPING INTERNATIONAL SOFTWARE

Erin McCafferty Computer Science / Software Engineering University of Wisconsin-Platteville mccaffertye@uwplatt.edu

OUTLINE
Introduction Internationalization

Process Specification Team Organization

Localization
Process Different levels User Interface

Conclusion
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INTRODUCTION
Global economy International Software Process is underestimated Common Terms

Internationalization (I18N) Localization (L10N) Globalization (G11N)

Much of the current focus is on user interfaces

INTERNATIONALIZATION

Variants
Mono-lingual Multi-localization Multi-lingualization

Major Goal: Decouple culture-dependent and culture-independent portions

Generally user-interface is the culture-dependent part

INTERNATIONALIZATION PROCESS

Two timelines for beginning development

After the domestic version is mostly complete or complete Create the international product with several language editions at the same time
Recommended approach Microsoft develops Japanese and German editions simultaneously

Goal is to minimize release delta (less than 30 days)

Publicity Customers waiting and frustration

INTERNATIONAL SPECIFICATION
Begin early Globalization Customizing features Designing a user interface Legal issues Accessibility of features Team Organization

LOCALIZATION PROCESS

Internationalizing Source Code Pre-processing and preparation of Localization Package Localization Merging Post-processing Quality Confirmation

LEVELS OF LOCALIZATION

Deciding on the amount necessary

Try marketing the domestic product Ship quickly partial translation Competitive markets

LOCALIZING BEYOND THE USER INTERFACE

Currently: Focus on UI Changes Technology is rooted in culture

Some applications may need deeper changes

Object Oriented Programming works well to separate UI features from the core code

Aspect Oriented Programming appears to work better for deeper localization

CONCLUSION
Internationalization is necessary for software to be competitive The process is more complex than many developers realize There are different levels of localization The current standards for internationalization may need changes.

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REFERENCES

International, Dr. (2002). Developing International Software. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Press. Suodenjoki, M. (2001, October). Introduction to Internationalization and Localization. Retrieved from http://www.suodenjoki.dk/us/productions/articles/localization.htm Sun Microsystems (2001). Sun Software Product Internationalization Taxonomy. Retrieved from http://developers.sun.com/dev/gadc/des_dev/i18ntaxonomy/i18n_taxono my.pdf "Lingoport Releases Results of Industry-Wide Study on Software Localization and Internationalization Readiness." PR Newswire. 2007. Retrieved October 26, 2009 from accessmylibrary: http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-33305778_ITM Kersten, Gregory E.; Mik Kersten,; Wojciech Rakowski,. "Software and culture: beyond the internationalization of the interface. (Research Note)." Journal of Global Information Management. 2002. Retrieved October 26, 2009 from accessmylibrary: http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-90925388/software-andculture-beyond.html
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QUESTIONS?

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