Web and XML Glossary

I18N is the process of designing an application so that it can be adapted to various languages and regions without engineering changes. The abbreviation is based on the fact that the rather lengthy word 'internationalization' starts with an 'i' followed by 18 characters followed by an 'n'. An internationalized system has the following characteristics: after L10N, the same executable can run worldwide; 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; culturally-dependent data, such as dates and currencies, appear in formats that conform to the end user's region and language; L10N can be done quickly.