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Language localisation〔The spelling "localization", a variant of "localisation", is the preferred spelling in the United States.〕 is the process of adapting a product that has been previously translated into multiple languages to a specific country or region (from Latin ''locus'' (place) and the English term ''locale'', "a place where something happens or is set"). It is the second phase of a larger process of product translation and cultural adaptation (for specific countries, regions or groups) to account for differences in distinct markets, a process known as internationalization and localization. Language localization differs from translation activity because it involves a comprehensive study of the target culture in order to correctly adapt the product to local needs. Localization can be referred to by the numeronym L10N (as in: "L", followed by ten more letters, and then "N"). The localization process is most generally related to the cultural adaptation and translation of software, video games and websites, as well as audio/voiceover, video or other multimedia content, and less frequently to any written translation (which may also involve cultural adaptation processes). Localization can be done for regions or countries where people speak different languages or where the same language is spoken: for instance, different dialects of Spanish, with different idioms, are spoken in Spain and in Latin America. == The overall process: internationalization, globalization and localization == As the former Localization Industry Standards Association (LISA) explained, globalization "can best be thought of as a cycle rather than a single process". To ''globalize'' is to plan the design and development methods for a product in advance, keeping in mind a multicultural audience, in order to avoid increased costs and quality problems, save time, and smooth the localizing effort for each region or country. Localization is an integral part of the overall process called globalization. There are two primary technical processes that comprise globalization: internationalization and localization. The first phase, internationalization, encompasses the planning and preparation stages for a product that is built by design to support global markets. This process removes all cultural assumptions, and any country- or language-specific content is stored so that it can be easily adapted. If this content is not separated during this phase, it must be fixed during localization, adding time and expense to the project. In extreme cases, products that were not internationalized may not be localizable. The second phase, localization, refers to the actual adaptation of the product for a specific market. The localization phase involves, among other things, the four issues LISA describes as ''linguistic'', ''physical'', ''business and cultural'', and ''technical'' issues. At the end of each phase, testing (including quality assurance) is performed to ensure that the product works properly and meets the client's quality expectations. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「language localisation」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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