Release 10.1A: OpenEdge Development:
Internationalizing Applications

> ## The importance of internationalization and localization

> Imagine that you have just bought an imported video cassette recorder (VCR). You open the box, find an instruction booklet written in your language, and begin reading. You soon notice:

> - The language of the booklet sounds stilted.

> - The punctuation and capitalization do not use the rules of your language.

> - In the section on programming the VCR to record in your absence, dates and times are not formatted the way you are used to.

> - Some of the instructions show hand gestures that have no meaning in your country.

> - Some of the illustrations contain text that is not translated. You wonder what this text means.

> You conclude that the VCR was not designed with you in mind, that it might not perform satisfactorily for you, and that it might not be of good quality. You might decide to exchange it for a competing model.

> The same scenario can occur with software. Consider a product that you market internationally and that you have not fully localized. Your international customers, noticing that the product was not designed with them in mind, might conclude that the product will not perform satisfactorily for them, and might exchange it for a product from one of your competitors.

> To avoid this, make sure that any application you market internationally is adapted appropriately for each region’s users.

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