Text internationalization in the paradigm of linguistic and translatological studies: Global and pre-localization directions of internationalization

The research deals with linguistic and extralinguistic features of the internationalization process of multimedia products text materials. The term internationalization is considered in the paper within the framework of the translation activity “GILT processes” (processes of globalization, internationalization, localization and translation). The article describes the current state of linguistic and translatological studies of the internationalization process. The paper presents the definition of the internationalization concept. The range of procedures carried out in the process of internationalization is defined. The paper describes the most significant technical procedures performed on the product during internationalization. The paper provides some characteristic linguistic transformations caused by the tasks of internationalization. The research paper offers several examples of using internationalization in the video game industry, the film industry and in creating multilingual and global versions of websites. As a result of the conducted research, two directions of internationalization were identified: pre-localization and global ones. The pre-localization direction of internationalization is to create an intermediate version of the product (mainly in English), which serves to simplify localization (following internationalization) into other languages. This approach significantly reduces the cost of creating a multilingual version of the product. The global direction of internationalization is to create a global version of this product in English. It is assumed that users of the global version can be not only native English speakers, but also those who speak it as a foreign language. Due to the wide spread of English as a foreign language in the world, the creation of an internationalized English version of the product allows companies to enter the global market with significantly lower financial costs and in a shorter timeframe than in the case of creating a multilingual version of the same product. 

GILT, internationalization, globalization, localization, translation, GILT, translation study, cross-cultural communication, Germanic languages, the English language