Software engineering globalization and localization

The development of software under the constraints of different natural languages and local customs and cultures is addressed. Three questions are examined: how to make the core of the software program capable of handling data given in a different natural language without any loss of functionality, how to adapt the user interface so that it becomes a natural vehicle of communicating information with the user of a given language, taking into account the user´s local customs and culture, and how to provide the user with the software capability of effectively working in a multilingual environment where two or more natural languages are simultaneously used. An example that shows what language conventions need to be considered and how to use these conventions at the implementation level is given