A broad term used to describe the modification, preparation and/or translation of products, services, media or advertising for use or sale in a local market. Localization can include changes to product or service specifications, additions of content that are more appropriate for a local market, deletion of content deemed insensitive or not applicable to a local market, checking content for cultural insensitivity and the translation of books, operational manuals and advertising into a local language or dialect. Examples include converting a U.S.-made, left-hand drive automobile to right-hand drive for the Japanese market; changing the cutting patterns for clothing to reflect different body shapes (not just sizes) for another culture; making sure that translations of marketing materials are not incorrect, insensitive or contrary to the goals of the advertiser; adding coverage of local issues to Web sites; and deleting or changing references that imply that the reader or user is from a country or culture other than the “target” country or culture.
