A Rhetorical Perspective on Localization and International Outsourcing

Globalization is increasingly integrating the economies and the societies of the world. Now, products created in one nation are often marketed to a wide range of international consumers. Similarly, the rapid diffusion of online media has led to an increase in cross-border interactions on both a social and a professional level. Differing cultural expectations, however, can result in miscommunications within this new paradigm of global discourse. Individuals working within this international framework therefore need to understand the process of localization in order to operate more effectively under such a global paradigm. This paper overviews localization, why it is important, and how it might affect professional activities in the future.