Globalization vs. Localization: What are its advantages?

An application that is available in the user’s language is considered to provide accessibility to the user and represents a huge competitive advantage. Therefore, it makes sense to address the market needs by developing a product that is global. Using a globalized approach while developing an application might deliver some challenges to the users. 

The users might face issues such as certain functionalities might not work when you select a different language. Date formats and time zones are different in every part of the world. Your application should be able to display the native time zone and date format.

Globalization helps in designing and developing the applications that function for multiple cultures. It makes the product multi-lingual. Whereas, localization is the process of customization of the application for a given culture, locale, and dates, format, and parse numbers. In order to make globalization and localization work uniformly, thorough testing of the products is mandatory. 

Globalization and localization testing will not only test the functionality of the products, but will also include realizing the repercussions of globalization, and verifying that those requirements are throughout the design and development processes. Let us identify the differences between globalization and localization.

Globalization	Localization
It is the process of making a product multi-lingual. The language-related aspects of the program are separated from the code, and all aspects that differ with target country, are handled independently.	It is the process of adapting a global product for a specific country and language. It includes other conversions and translations and takes into account local culture and practices, which is comfortable to use in the target country.
It addresses the business issues associated with taking a product globally.	It involves taking a product and making it appropriate culturally and linguistically to the target country, locale, or region.
It is abbreviated as G11n, and 11 is the number of characters between G and N.	It is abbreviated as L10n, and 10 is the number of characters between L and N.
The main goal of globalization testing is to detect potential problems in the application design that hinders the process of globalization.	The main goal of localization testing is to check the product’s localization for a particular locale or region. The test is based on the results of globalization testing.
Globalization testing validates the proper functionality of the product with respect to locale/ culture settings.	Localization testing translates the product UI and sometimes changes few initial settings to make it relevant for another region.