Rethinking the Scope of Localization

Abstract

Over the last three decades the scope of localization has extended from software localization to other digital products and is increasingly related to audiovisual and news translation and the translation of comics translation. The last decade has revealed a tendency to expand the concept of 'localization' to non-digital products and a range of business processes in cross-cultural management and marketing. Conceptual potential of the term 'localization' seems to exceed all other variants of naming linguistic, cultural, social, economic, political, legal, etc. aspects of product adaptation and is favored in industry, related research, academia and Translation Studies as a generic concept for all types of complex content modifications. This is indicative of the attempts to consolidate a highly diversified field of research referred to as Localization Studies.