[1] It is the process of adapting a website into a different linguistic and cultural context[2]— involving much more than the simple translation of text.
This modification process must reflect specific language and cultural preferences in the content, images and overall design and requirements of the site – all while maintaining the integrity of the website.
[3] Creators take into account the "language, education level, belief and value systems, [and] traditions and habits" of the target culture in order to optimize results.
[10] Second is the actual localization, which includes translation but also involves all other efforts and activities to ensure that the adaptation of textual materials, visual displays, illustrations and graphics are “linguistically and culturally appropriate for the target locale.” [2] Target locale is understood as the “market segment defined by criteria including language, currency, and perhaps educational level or income bracket.” [11] Among the many technical elements which can be localized are: date and time formats, currency formats, number formats, address and telephone number formats, units of measure and connection speed.
[11] In order to ensure effective communication during the localization process, it is important to consider the following items: information architecture, theme and navigation, graphics, photographs, audio, and visual.
For example, the system on which the website is created should automatically produce the correct currency symbol based on the country in which the client is located.
[12] Using website localization to its best advantage is vital to any business seeking to move into international markets.