The process of making something suitable for use in multiple countries or cultures, particularly in business or software development.
From 'international' (from Latin 'inter' meaning between + 'natio' meaning nation) plus the suffix '-ization' indicating a process. The concept gained prominence in the late 20th century with global business expansion and software localization.
Internationalization is often abbreviated as 'i18n' because there are 18 letters between the 'i' and 'n' - a clever shorthand that itself demonstrates the efficiency needed in global communication. The process involves everything from currency symbols to reading direction, making products truly borderless.
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