Internationalization (I18n), Localization (L10n), Globalization (G11n), Guidelines, Checklists, and Resources

Here are checklists for proper internationalization (i18n), localization (l10n), globalization (g11n), etc. I prefer a prescriptive collection of bullets citing "do this", "don't do that", but I received several recommendations of sites that had general guidelines or other kinds of helpful resources.

If an entry is shown as white on black, it recently became a dead link. I keep them here for a little while, in case someone can point me at their new homes. If they do not turn up after a reasonable time, I delete them.

Please inform me if you find bad links, or discover new links to good guidelines.

I18n Guy XenCraft

Web Sites With Internationalization And Localization Guidelines and Resources

XenCraft MultiLingual Computing Localization Research Centre
I18n Book list Global Reach Unicode Consortium
I18nGurus Everson Typography Unicode Consortium's Useful Resources
W3C I18n GEO Web Internationalization FAQ Resources for Locales

Software Globalization Sites

Terminology and Glossary Pages

Internationalization and Localization Guidelines and Checklists

Author/Vendor Document type Document Location
Tex Texin and Yves Savourel Tutorial Web Internationalization Tutorial (ppt, pdf, 2.6Mb)
Sun Microsystems I18n Taxonomy Software I18n Taxonomy (Adobe V6 .pdf)
(Great document! Nice matrix for assessing I18n requirements for software products.)
Microsoft Win32 Checklist Win32 Checklist
EURESCOM Report (Multivolume) Multilingual Web sites: Best Practice, Guidelines And Architectures
Graphical Report (.pdf)
Main Report (.doc, .pdf, .zip)
Annex A Web site technologies (.doc, .pdf, .zip)
Annex B Overview of Language Processing Tools and Techniques (.doc, .pdf, .zip)
Annex C Applications of speech technology (.doc, .pdf, .zip)
Annex D Define possible architectures for the pre-selected services (.doc, .pdf, .zip)
Tiziana Perinotti
TGP Consulting
International Software Checklist International Software Checklist
A.Flavell Checklist For HTML Character Coding Checklist For HTML Character Coding
I18nGuy Unicode Win32 C/C++ Checklist Cheat Sheet: Unicode-enabling Microsoft C/C++ Source Code
Microsoft Testing Checklist
(from Nadine Kano's book)
Kano's Testing Checklist
Multilingual WebMaster Checklist for Writing Writing Checklist
GNOME Guidelines for Writing How to Write for Translation
Microsoft Guidelines Globalization Step By Step
Microsoft Localization Process Localization Process
Graham Rhind
GRC Database Information
Postal Address Formats Postal Addresses
Kermit Project, Columbia U. Frank Da Cruz's Guide To Postal Addresses
Universal Postal Union Postal Addresses And Formats
Also available in French and German
The Cover Pages International Address Standard UPU S42-1
BitBoost Systems ™ International Mailing Address Formats
OASIS Universal Business Language UBL Address Package Drawing
OASIS Universal Business Language XML Format For Business Documents UBL 1.0
OASIS CIQ Formats in XML standards
names, addresses formats, customer information and relationships
XML standard for Customer Information Quality
(name, address formats and relationship info.)
World Telephone Numbering Guides Formats Telephone Codes And Formats
Markus Kuhn Formats Paper Sizes
Microsoft Nadine Kano's book "Developing International Software for Windows 95 and Windows NT"
Tomohiro KUBOTA Resources for developers Debian Developer's Introduction to I18n
Translation Reference Center Resources Translation Reference Center
Translation, Theory & Technology Resources Translation, Theory & Technology
OpenI18N.org I18n Guidelines The Free Standards Group I18n Initiative
I18n Guidelines for OpenSource Developers
Opentag XML Guides XML Internationalization and Localization FAQ
Opentag Examples "Problematic XML Documents And Workarounds"
Rubric Resources Handbooks
Sapient Paper Translation is Not Enough: Considerations for Global Internet Development (A4 Paper)     Letter Paper
Frank Tang Resources Frank Tang's Iñtërnâtiônàlizætiøn Secrets
Penn State Resources Internationalization Course
Computing with Accents, Symbols & Foreign Scripts
Pango Globalization site Pango is an offshoot of the GTK+ and GNOME projects.
Open-Source Framework For Layout And Rendering Of Internationalized Text
Web of Culture Resources Web of Culture
(Numerous resources for website globalization, on a subscription basis.)
Idiom Technology WorldWise Resources Globalization Process
(requires registration)
SBC Technologies Whitepaper Cultural Dimensions and Global Web User-Interface Design: What? So What? Now What?
Maribyrnong Library Services (Andrew Cunningham) Whitepaper Multilingual Unicode Web Page Development
(Nice guide! Wish it was longer.)
Markus Kuhn FAQ UTF-8 and Unicode FAQ for Unix/Linux
LocalVersion Short List Localization FAQ
Human-Computer Interaction Resources Resources Intercultural Issues (list of resources)
Alan Wood’s Unicode Resources I18n Resources Unicode and Multilingual Support in HTML, Fonts, Web Browsers and Other Applications
Microsoft Web Bidi Authoring HTML for Middle Eastern Content
Microsoft Web I18n Resources Developing an International Site
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This page was last updated 2006-02-03

Internationalisation (I18n), Localisation (L10n), Globalisation (G11n), Guidelines, Checklists, and Resources