Needs of the Chinese Users on German Machines: Localization as One Sales Aspect

Abstract Machine localization for the foreign market in relation to cultural specifics is required by the globalization trend. For an effective machine application the localization design issues within user interface and beyond user interface should be well addressed. This paper distinguishes the localization issues into three localization levels, i.e. surface level, interaction level and function level, according to their differences in localization cost and efficiency. One approach to handle the issues in different levels was proposed and implemented in an on-the-spot investigation in China. Some requirements of the Chinese users on machine localization are presented.