Before you can expect to localize software, it must be internationalized, or I18N compliant. While we provide an explanation of how to write I18N compliant software, those responsible for localizing software products often find that it is not a simple organizational task to bring the development teams on board and to change the way they work, if they have not written I18N compliant software before. Eventually it will be done, but you will have to ensure you have the backing of management to ensure that I18N compliance is high up on the developers priority lists, higher than whatever cute feature they were going to add next.

Not all organizations have this difficulty and you may be fortunate enough to work with people who are aware of the potential revenue of publishing localized products (or rather, the potential loss of revenue if the software cannot compete effectively in the overseas markets). If you are, count your blessings and move on. If not, well, management has asked you to localize. Now you can ask management to provide the necessary backing that localization entails.