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Internationalization and localization

Software internationalization (or i18n) and localization (or l10n) are different but complementary disciplines.

Whereas internationalization is about making software and content accessible to users from many countries and languages, localization is about making software and content intuitive and relevant to users from a specific country, language, or even region.

A good internationalization approach makes localization easier and less prone to errors. Because internationalization supports scaling, its benefits increase when content is localized for specific countries and languages.

Below are tips for creating content that is accessible to users globally (internationalization) and ready for adaptation for specific groups of users (localization).

Best practices for internationalization​

  • Use familiar words. Avoid academic or specialized words unless you’re confident that your whole audience knows them.
  • Be concise. Remove unnecessary words.
  • Keep sentences short and finish them with periods.
  • Don’t use all the space available. Some languages require more words or longer words to express the same message. This is especially important for UI copy, such as buttons, labels, menus, and tooltips.
  • Add a paragraph break after every one or two sentences.
  • Write in the active voice so it’s obvious who (subject) does (verb) what (object).
  • Don’t use gendered nouns and pronouns (his, hers, he, she) unless referring to a specific person.
  • Be cautious about including jokes or idioms. They’re often misunderstood outside the culture that created them.

Considerations for localization​

  • Are numbers and currencies shown in the local style?
  • Are dates and times expressed in the local style?
  • Are the words and spellings those that the local audience uses?
  • Is the information laid out logically for the direction of reading? For example, Arabic and Hebrew are read from right to left.
  • Do the images depict local (or relatable) scenes and people?
  • Are the links and references relevant and accessible to the intended audience?
  • If metaphors or idioms are used, are they local ones?
  • If abbreviations are used, are they local ones?

Elements that should not be translated​

  • App names

    • Don’t translate app names. The names of Dynatrace® Apps are written in title case, meaning each word is capitalized.

  • Branded or trademarked names

    • Any capitalized word that isn’t the first word of a sentence is likely to be a trademarked term or a named feature. Don’t translate such terms.
    • If you see the ® or ™ symbol following a term, the term is trademarked and shouldn’t be translated.

  • Don't translate industry terms that are universally recognizable.