Interview with an i18n Engineer asking alllll of your questions
Tech, localization, and global strategy - decoded.
I’m beyond excited to share with you my recent interview with an Internationalization engineer asking him all of your questions! Looking forward to hearing what you think!
Special Shoutout: If you enjoy this interview, want to learn more, AND will be at LocWorld Malmö, then I highly recommend joining the Global Toolbox session: A Friendly Introduction to Software Internationalization (i18n) and Unicode Technologies. You have to register in advance so go ahead and reserve your spot!
Sharing links to all of the resources Eric referenced during the interview, as well as his LinkedIn so you can connect with him directly:
CLDR (Common Locale Data Repository): The world’s largest repository of locale-specific data, powering ICU and used by most modern systems.
ICU4C : ICU for C and C++
ICU4J : ICU for Java
ICU4X : ICU for Rust (and GitHub repository)
ICU MessageFormat for Javascript (GitHub)
Timestamps:
Eric Fjøsne's Background (00:01:15)
How did you first get into internationalization engineering?
(00:02:42) What do you find most exciting or cool about i18n? (00:03:55)
The Importance of Unicode (00:05:13)
What did it take for you to switch mentally from English-based syntax/logic to a i18n/l10n-friendly one? (00:09:59)
What actually breaks when a product isn’t internationalized? (00:13:37)
What does a “good” i18n system look like under the hood? (00:19:17)
Assessing an Internationalization System (00:23:05)
What are the most common i18n mistakes you see engineers make? (00:25:57)
Addressing Internationalization Issues in Startups (00:35:01)
Finding Existing Internationalization Solutions (00:39:57)
How do you usually test if something is properly internationalized? (00:42:27)
What’s a funny or weird i18n bug you’ve dealt with? (00:45:14)
Hilary’s question about ICU Message Format (00:47:21)