Re: [tlug] l10n and icons: good example?

[Travis Cardwell <travis.cardwell@example.com>]

Hi Christian,

On 2014年03月05日 17:15, Christian Horn wrote:
> l10n also spans things like icons: but while this seems logical
> to me I was not able to come up with good examples of localized
> variants of icons, i.e. to illustrate "save" or the "home" button
> in a browser.
> Any good ideas for localized variants of icons?

One thing that comes to mind is the use of ○ (まる, generally means 
"correct") and × (ばつ, generally means "incorrect").  In some cultures, a 
× or check-mark [icon] may be used to indicate completion of a task, while 
a Japanese-localized application might use a ○ [icon] instead.  Using a × 
[icon] might be confusing, and a check-mark might be acceptable in 
software only because check-marks are common in GUI widgets.

I once saw a localized application that uses 押印 (おういん, the result of 
stamping a seal) icons to indicate approval/progress through a workflow.

Perhaps some applications might have a font icon that uses Japanese text, 
but an image search indicates that "A" or "ABC" is pretty standard even in 
Japan.

In my experience with Japanese software, icons are not localized in the 
vast majority of cases.  Your "save" and "home" button examples are 
generally not localized either--the floppy and house icons are pretty 
standard.

Doing a Google image search for 「ツールバー」 may give you some ideas. 
You could also try image searches for Japanese software (originally in 
Japanese, not localized) such as 一太郎 or 弥生会計.

Cheers,

Travis

PS) Here are some interesting pages on the topic:

* 
http://ux.stackexchange.com/questions/39641/are-there-any-commonly-used-icons-that-dont-internationalize-well

* 
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705370663/International-symbol-icon-blunders-can-be-avoided.html?pg=all