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Here is how Wikipedia defines the term: “Glocalization (a portmanteau of globalization and localization) is business jargon for the adaptation of a product or service specifically to each locality or culture in which it is sold. It is similar to internationalization.”
The term first appeared in the late 1980s in articles by Japanese economists in the Harvard Business Review. According to the sociologist Roland Robertson, who is credited with popularizing the term, glocalization describes the tempering effects of local conditions on global pressures. At a 1997 conference on “Globalization and Indigenous Culture,” Robertson said that glocalization “means the simultaneity — the co-presence — of both universalizing and particularizing tendencies.”
The increasing presence of McDonald’s restaurants worldwide is an example of globalization, while the fast food giant’s attempt to appeal to local palates by adapting its menu is an example of glocalization. An even better example of glocalization by McDonald’s was a recent decision to replace its familiar Ronald McDonald mascot with Asterix the Gaul, a popular French cartoon character, for promotions in France. For more on glocalization, follow the link to read the entire Wikipedia article.
With the outsourced language services market worth over $33 billion and growing at an annual rate of more than 12 percent, it is important for global businesses to obtain the knowledge necessary to maximize their investment on the “globalization and localization” of technical documents, marketing materials, software and more. Companies spend considerable dollars every year on establishing a presence in markets outside the U.S. and without detailed processes in place, they can spend significantly more than necessary to rework or edit inaccurate translations.
Sections of this publication are adapted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glocalization
