2. Agenda
What is Internationalization
What it offers
Sample Application
How to use it
Best Practices
Questions
3. What is Internationalization
Internationalization (i18n)
the process of changing your software so that it
isn't hardwired to one language/locale/culture.
Localization (l10n)
the process of adding the appropriate resources to
your software so that a particular language/locale is
supported.
4. What is Internationalization
The terms are frequently abbreviated to
the numeronyms i18n (where 18 stands for the number of
letters between the first i and last n in internationalization, a
usage coined at DEC in the 1970s or
80s) and L10n respectively, due to the length of the words.
Some companies, like IBM and Sun Microsystems, use the
term "globalization" for the combination of
internationalization and localization.
Microsoft defines Internationalization as a combination of
World-Readiness and localization. World-Readiness is a
developer task, which enables a product to be used with
multiple scripts and cultures (globalization) and separating
user interface resources in a localizable format
(localizability, abbreviated to L12y).
5. What it offers
Build once, sell anywhere
Modularity demands it!
Ease of translation
“With the addition of localization data, the same
executable can be run worldwide.”
6. Characteristics
Textual elements such as status messages and
the GUI component labels are not hardcoded in
the program. Instead, they are stored outside the
source code and retrieved dynamically.
Support for new languages does not require
recompilation.
Other culturally-dependent data, such as dates
and currencies, appear in formats that conform to
the end-user's region and language.
9. After Internationalization
% java I18NSample fr FR
Bonjour.
Comment allez-vous?
Au revoir.
% java I18NSample en US
Hello.
How are you?
Goodbye.
10. How does it work
1) Create Properties Files
2) Define the Locale
3) Create Resource Bundle
4) Fetch Text from Resource Bundle
11. Properties file
A properties file stores information about the
characteristics of a program or environment. A
properties file is in plain-text format.
E.g.
greetings = Hello
farewell = Goodbye
inquiry = How are you?
12. Locale
The Locale object identifies a particular language
and country.
has the form xx_YY
xx is two-character language code (ISO-639)
YY is two-character country code (ISO-3166)
Examples:
en_US - United States English
en_GB - Great Britain English
es_MX - Mexico Spanish (Espanol)
17. What may need
Internationalization
Just a few thing
And some more
messages
• numbers
labels on GUI
• currencies
components
online help
sounds
colors
graphics
icons
dates
times
• measurements
• phone numbers
• honorifics and personal
titles
• postal addresses
• page layouts
19. What’s NOT (easily translatable)?
“At 1:15 PM on April 13, 1998, we attack the 7 ships on Mars.”
MessageBundle_en_US.properties
template = At {2,time,short} on {2,date,long}, we attack
the {1,number,integer} ships on planet {0}.
planet = Mars
The time portion of a
Date object. The "short"
style specifies the
DateFormat.SHORT
formatting style.
The date portion of a Date
object. The same Date object
is used for both the date and
time variables. In the Object
array of arguments the index
of the element holding the
Date object is 2.
A Number
object, further
qualified with the
"integer" number
style.
The String in the
ResourceBundle
that corresponds
to the "planet"
key.
22. 3. Compound Messages:
Get the template we
defined earlier…
Then pass in our
arguments!
And finally RUN...
23. Sample Run…
currentLocale = en_US
At 1:15 PM on April 13, 1998, we attack the 7 ships on the
planet Mars.
currentLocale = de_DE
Um 13.15 Uhr am 13. April 1998 haben wir 7 Raumschiffe auf dem
Planeten Mars entdeckt.
24. What’s NOT (easily translatable)?
Plurals!
There
There
There
are no files
is one file
are 2 files
on XDisk.
on XDisk.
on XDisk.
Also variable...
3 possibilities
for output
templates.
Possible integer value in
one of the templates.
25. Plurals
ChoiceBundle_en_US.properties
pattern = There {0} on {1}.
noFiles = are no files
oneFile = is one file
multipleFiles = are {2} files
noFiles = are no files
oneFile = is one file
multipleFiles = are {2} files
There are 2 files on XDisk.
26. Plurals
What’s different?
Now we even
index our
templates… see
fileStrings, indexe
d with fileLimits.
First create the
array of templates.
27. Sample Run
currentLocale = en_US
There
There
There
There
are no files on XDisk.
is one file on XDisk.
are 2 files on XDisk.
are 3 files on XDisk.
currentLocale = fr_FR
Il
Il
Il
Il
n' y a pas des
y a un fichier
y a 2 fichiers
y a 3 fichiers
fichiers sur XDisk.
sur XDisk.
sur XDisk.
sur XDisk.
28. Numbers
Supported through NumberFormat!
o Shows what locales are available. Note, you can also
Locale[] create custom formats if needed.
locales = NumberFormat.getAvailableLocales();
345 987,246
345.987,246
345,987.246
fr_FR
de_DE
en_US
30. A Date and Time
Supported with:
DateFormat.getDateInstance
DateFormat dateFormatter =
DateFormat.getDateInstance(DateFormat.DEFAULT, currentLocale);
DateFormat.getTimeInstance
DateFormat timeFormatter =
DateFormat.getTimeInstance(DateFormat.DEFAULT, currentLocale);
DateFormat.getDateTimeInstance
DateFormat dateTimeFormatter = DateFormat.getDateTimeInstance(
DateFormat.LONG, DateFormat.LONG, currentLocale);
31. Date example
Supported with: DateFormat.getDateInstance
9 avr 98
9.4.1998
09-Apr-98
fr_FR
de_DE
en_US
32. Unicode Characters
16 bit!
65,536 characters
Encodes all major languages
In Java Char is a Unicode character
See unicode.org/
Future Use
ASCII
0x0000
Greek
Kana
Symbols
Internal
0xFFFF
33. Java support for the Unicode
Char
Character API:
isDigit
isLetter
isLetterOrDigit
isLowerCase
isUpperCase
isSpaceChar
isDefined
Unicode Char values accessed with:
String eWithCircumflex = new String("u00EA");
34. Java support for the Unicode
Char
Example of some repair…
BAD!
if ((ch
GOOD!>=
'a' && ch <= 'z') || (ch >= 'A' && ch <= 'Z'))
// ch is a letter
if (Character.isLetter(ch))
// ch is a letter
35. Java support for the Unicode
Char
Get the Unicode category for a Char:
LOWERCASE_LETTER
UPPERCASE_LETTER
MATH_SYMBOL
CONNECTOR_PUNCTUATION
etc...
if (Character.getType('_') == Character.CONNECTOR_PUNCTUATION)
// ch is a “connector”
36. Next Steps - Internationalization
Expedite and make necessary business decisions
Identify the scope and timelines for
internationalization
Implement design and code changes
37. Localization
Identify the specific localization need
Country / Culture
Language(s) to be supported
Pages / Interfaces / data elements to be localized
Translation
Language experts for translation
Localize content (text, graphics, etc)
Build a translation database, if required
Implement design & code changes that may arise
Internationalization (i18n) is the process of designing an application so that it can be adapted to different languages and regions, without requiring engineering changes.Localization (l10n) is the process of adapting software for a specific region or language by adding locale-specific components and translating text.According to Apple:Internationalization is the process of designing and building an application to facilitate localization. Localization, in turn, is the cultural and linguistic adaptation of an internationalized application to two or more culturally-distinct markets.
You've decided that this program needs to display these same messages for people living in France and Germany. Unfortunately your programming staff is not multilingual, so you'll need help translating the messages into French and German. Since the translators aren't programmers, you'll have to move the messages out of the source code and into text files that the translators can edit. Also, the program must be flexible enough so that it can display the messages in other languages, but right now no one knows what those languages will be.It looks like the program needs to be internationalized.
There are several steps involved in the processCreate properties files (externalized locale-specific UI messages)Create the localeCreate a resource bundle (using the locale)Retrieve UI messages from the resource bundle
In the example the properties files store the translatable text of the messages to be displayed. Before the program was internationalized, the English version of this text was hardcoded in the System.out.printlnstatements. The default properties file, which is called MessagesBundle.properties, contains the following lines:greetings = Hello farewell = Goodbye inquiry = How are you? Now that the messages are in a properties file, they can be translated into various languages. No changes to the source code are required.
The French translator has created a properties file calledMessagesBundle_fr_FR.properties, which contains these lines:greetings = Bonjour. farewell = Au revoir. inquiry = Comment allez-vous? Notice that the values to the right side of the equal sign have been translated but that the keys on the left side have not been changed. These keys must not change, because they will be referenced when your program fetches the translated text.The name of the properties file is important. For example, the name of the MessagesBundle_fr_FR.properties file contains the fr language code and the FR country code. These codes are also used when creating a Locale object.To compile and run this program, you need these source files:I18NSample.javaMessagesBundle.propertiesMessagesBundle_de_DE.propertiesMessagesBundle_en_US.propertiesMessagesBundle_fr_FR.properties
To compile and run this program, you need these source files:I18NSample.javaMessagesBundle.propertiesMessagesBundle_de_DE.propertiesMessagesBundle_en_US.propertiesMessagesBundle_fr_FR.properties
To compile and run this program, you need these source files:I18NSample.javaMessagesBundle.propertiesMessagesBundle_de_DE.propertiesMessagesBundle_en_US.propertiesMessagesBundle_fr_FR.properties
To compile and run this program, you need these source files:I18NSample.javaMessagesBundle.propertiesMessagesBundle_de_DE.propertiesMessagesBundle_en_US.propertiesMessagesBundle_fr_FR.properties
What do you consider will require internationalization from your website ?Explain thru various examples from slides like , Text Lengths, Images, Language Direction, Fonts, Address Formats, Currency, Date Formats etcLength of text may varyIn terms of number of characters In terms of pixelsImpacts UIUnexpected text wrapsHidden / overlapping UI elementsWidth extending beyond page width / or getting croppedBitmaps & ImagesSymbolic images may at time be understood differently in different countriesSome images may have adverse political / cultural impact in some countriesImages containing text may not represent the user’s language of choice.Some images / colors may lead to legal conflicts
