An internationalized application's executable image is portable between languages and regions. To internationalize software, you should:
Use the interfaces described in this book to create software whose environment can be modified dynamically without the necessity of recompiling the software.
Separate software into executable and messages. The messages include all printable and displayable messages that the user sees. Keep the message strings in a message catalog.
Message strings are translated for a language and a region. A locale includes the message strings and methods to specify sorting.
Locales are not the same as a language. A language may contain various regions. For example, French is spoken in France and Canada, but each country has different ways of displaying monetary and time information.
To use a localized version of a product, the user sets the environment variables (described in "Locale Categories "). The product then displays the user messages in their translated form. , , Date, time, currency and other information is formatted and displayed according to locale-specific conventions.