根据本地化机构的定义，
本地化（localization）是针对某一本地特性，如语言、文化、习俗和特殊的市场需求制造或改造产品的过程。用户在使用得当地本地化的产品时，可以使用其自己的语言和文化习惯与产品互动。这个概念也表示所有用户可见的信息和所有用户文本（包括印刷版和电子版）都使用用户的语言和文化习惯。最后，正确地本地化的产品符合用户所在国家／地区的法规和其他规定。
国际化（internationalization）是设计和制造容易适应不同区域要求的产品的一种方式。它要求从产品中抽离所有的与语言，国家／地区和文化相关的元素。换言之，应用程序的功能和代码设计考虑在不同地区运行的需要，其代码简化了不同本地版本的生产。开发这样的程序的过程，就称为国际化 [93]。
According to the Localization Institute,
Localization is the process of creating or adapting a product to a specific locale, i.e., to the language, cultural context, conventions and market requirements of a specific target market. With a properly localized product, a user can interact with this product using his/her own language and cultural conventions. It also means that all user-visible messages and all user documentation (printed and electronic) use the language and cultural conventions of the user. Finally, the properly localized product meets all regulatory and other requirements of the user’s country/region.
Internationalization is a way of designing and producing products that can be easily adapted to different locales. This requires extracting all language, country/region and culturally dependent elements from a product. In other words, the process of developing an application whose feature design and code design do not make assumptions based on a single locale, and whose source code simplifies the creation of different local editions of a program, is called internationalization.[93]