Internationalization. What does it mean?

Hint: It's about using technology and digital infrastructure to go global while looking like a local.

Building a blueprint for entering international markets starts with your tech. Designing your organization’s digital architecture to enable location-based services allows seamless language, currency and tax table translations. This technology is what it takes to scale your products and services globally.

Definitions: Localization Vs. Internationalization

Localization – “the adaptation of a product, application or document content to meet the language, cultural and other requirements of a specific target market (a locale).” - W3.org
Internationalization – “the design and development of a product, application or document content that enables easy localization for target audiences that vary in culture, region, or language.”- W3.org

Technology has made it relatively easy to expand to new markets. Online marketplaces are growing exponentially, opening new markets to organizations once confined to local regions. This growth in the market signals that now is the time for companies to start building plans for worldwide expansion.

Internationalization begins with a focus on location.

At the heart of internationalization is localization. The key is custom-built, tailor-made experiences that speak directly and seamlessly to your customers in different countries, in their languages and cultures. It means coming across like a local, and accounting for context and meaning is a key to delivering content that speaks to your customers in the way they know and understand. That connection needs to be an integral part of the design process when thinking about building new digital properties for global markets.

Grow your presence in international markets through localized site content, marketplaces, currency options, payment gateways and sales channels. Displaying local currencies and payment options gives your users the confidence to purchase. Refine your content by region while maintaining your brand, voice and unique experience across all properties. Global expansion, new digital channels, multi-language, multi-currency, and multi-domain offer opportunities where existing markets may have become saturated.