Localizing documents

Localization is the process of translating content and adapting it for use in another language.

The words translate and localize are often used interchangeably, but they are different. Localization is a step beyond translation because it adapts the translated content to a region where the language is spoken. This is more specific than translating the content into another language.

For example, an auto parts guide is written in German and translated to English. The initial translation is to British English, so the guide refers to a "windscreen." A U.S. audience could understand the reference, but the guide would not sound natural to the U.S. audience. The guide has been translated but not localized. To localize the guide to U.S. English, "windscreen" would be translated as "windshield."