GILT by OKDesign - Bootcamp

3/15/24, 12:30 PM GILT is the acronym for globalization, internationalization, localization, and translation.
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Published in Bootcamp · 4 min read · Oct 18, 2023
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GILT is the acronym for globalization, internationalization, localization, and

translation. These are the steps a company must walk through to gain
traction around the world.
One way of differentiating these concepts is to picture them as rings on a

base.
At the bottom is the big-picture ring of globalization. That’s the procedures to

follow and policies to adopt and adapt to so that your company can expand to
the rest of the world.
Next, we have internationalization–the practice of designing products,

services, and branding to facilitate expansion into international markets.
Finally, there’s localization — the adaptation of a particular product or service

to a particular market.
https://bootcamp.uxdesign.cc/gilt-globalization-internationalization-localization-and-translation-0e27333e915f 1/11
3/15/24, 12:30 PM GILT is the acronym for globalization, internationalization, localization, and translation. | by OKDesign | Bootcamp
Globalization (G11N)
Globalization refers to a plenary process implying the growing

interdependence of the world’s cultures, economies, and social frameworks,
generated by cross-border trade and the exchange and flow of goods,
services, technologies, investments, people, and information.
In the context of the Translation and Localization industry, it describes the

‘going global’ business practice of adapting content services and products to
global, foreign markets from the standpoints of cultural, linguistic, and
stylistic adaptation.
· An example of successful globalization:
IKEA, with its carefully polished brand lens, appeals to international

audiences through the right balance between global, culturally adapted
messaging and localized strategies.
Through globalization, business organizations manage to tighten their grasp

on their clientele in the form of international operations, establishing
streamlined, mutually beneficial, and enduring connections and partnerships.
Ikea’s manuals have got rid of words almost altogether. The wordless
instructions make the assembly of its furniture as easy as it can be, avoiding
multi-language translations. As Paul Mijksenaar, the visual design expert, put
it: “Ikea has managed to create an almost unparalleled, consistent and
beautifully executed oeuvre. An oeuvre that, rather than being merely
recognizable, has proven to be effective for more than 30 years”.
Internationalization (I18N)
Also known as i18n, this involves designing and developing your website,
product, service, game, or application, so they can be easily adapted for
targeted markets that may vary in terms of culture, language, or region.
Internationalization is therefore a preliminary or preparatory stage that

greatly helps the process of translation and localization. Making the effort at
the design and development stage contributes to simplifying the localization
process.
· A great example is the Starbucks logo update:
By removing the text from the logo, Starbucks moved to a logo design that
can travel easily. It remains instantly recognizable around the world, but
without the limiting English text that doesn’t cross borders as easily.
Localization (L10N)
Localization can be defined as the linguistic and stylistic adaptation of

content for the target region, its languages, and cultural particularities in
order to make it appropriate, easily understandable, and comfortable to use
for a local native target audience.
Localization requires in-depth knowledge of terminology and the specifics of

the region and culture the localized content is intended for. Also, localization
requires modification of various aspects, such as the interface layout,
numerical styles, local currencies, local time and date preferences, colors,
units of measure, content, graphics, and art style.
· Time localization:
Most European and Asian locales use the 24-hour clock instead of the 12-
hour A.M./P.M. model used in the United States. Also, A.M./P.M. can be
rendered in the language of the country, and in some languages comes
before the time and not after it.
· AI-powered virtual assistants:
Another relevant example would be the AI-powered virtual assistants such as

Alexa or Siri, widely employed by a significant percentage of the global
population for simple operations such as value forecasts, location estimates,
or generic answers to questions.
Virtual assistant interfaces represent neural breakthroughs in Localization, as

they display a wide range of linguistic renditions and variables (language
choices or specific accents: for example, American, British, Australian
English) or other cultural or behavioral settings of choice.
Translation (T9N)
The terms ‘Translation’ and ‘Localization’ are often mistakenly interchanged

and misused when referring to the cross-linguistic interpretation and
rendition of content. However, even though they share the same purpose, at
their core, their meaning and approach toward their achievement are
different.
Translation can be defined as the literal word-for-word transformation of a

source text into the target language, the first stepping stone on any content’s
road towards a new audience, as it provides this new audience with the ability
to understand the source text in their native language.
A typical application scenario for translation is exact texts. Examples include

technical and medical documentation, where the focus is on specific
terminology that has to be converted from language A to language B.
However, translation alone is not sufficient due to its word-for-word
approach, in cases where the main focus is to deliver a message from
language A to language B, hence the inextricable correlation with localization.
Globalization Ux Writing Writing Tips Design Society

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3/15/24, 12:30 PM GILT is the acronym for globalization, internationalization, localization, and translation.

GILT is the acronym for globalization, internationalization, localization, and

One way of differentiating these concepts is to picture them as rings on a

At the bottom is the big-picture ring of globalization. That’s the procedures to

Next, we have internationalization–the practice of designing products,

Finally, there’s localization — the adaptation of a particular product or service

Globalization refers to a plenary process implying the growing

In the context of the Translation and Localization industry, it describes the

· An example of successful globalization:

IKEA, with its carefully polished brand lens, appeals to international

Through globalization, business organizations manage to tighten their grasp

Internationalization is therefore a preliminary or preparatory stage that

· A great example is the Starbucks logo update:

Localization can be defined as the linguistic and stylistic adaptation of

Localization requires in-depth knowledge of terminology and the specifics of

· AI-powered virtual assistants:

Another relevant example would be the AI-powered virtual assistants such as

Virtual assistant interfaces represent neural breakthroughs in Localization, as

The terms ‘Translation’ and ‘Localization’ are often mistakenly interchanged

Translation can be defined as the literal word-for-word transformation of a

A typical application scenario for translation is exact texts. Examples include

Globalization Ux Writing Writing Tips Design Society

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