- What technical localisation requirements are and why they matter
- Date and time formats: variations that catch teams off guard
- Currency, decimal separators, and thousands separators
- Other technical elements to account for
- How M21Global approaches technical localisation
- Related Services
- Frequently Asked Questions
A technically correct application can fail completely in a foreign market with no code errors whatsoever. The most common cause is overlooked local formatting conventions: a German user reading "1,000.00" sees one thousand times less than intended. These formatting details are not cosmetic. They are functional.
What technical localisation requirements are and why they matter
Localisation is not text translation. It is the adaptation of a product to the cultural, regulatory, and technical context of a specific market. Technical requirements cover how data is presented: dates, times, currencies, numbers, addresses, units of measure, and decimal separators.
Errors in these fields carry real consequences. In an e-commerce context, a wrong decimal separator can trigger an incorrect payment. In a health application, a misread date format can cause clinical confusion. The impact goes well beyond appearance.
The technical reference standard for these conventions is the CLDR (Common Locale Data Repository), maintained by the Unicode Consortium. It is the foundation that operating systems, browsers, and modern frameworks use to format data by locale. Any serious localisation team works from this repository.
Date and time formats: variations that catch teams off guard
Date format is one of the first points of conflict in localisation projects. The table below summarises the most relevant conventions for the markets M21Global serves:
| Market | Date format | Separator | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portugal | DD/MM/YYYY | / | 30/05/2026 |
| Brazil | DD/MM/YYYY | / | 30/05/2026 |
| Angola / Mozambique | DD/MM/YYYY | / | 30/05/2026 |
| Germany | DD.MM.YYYY | . | 30.05.2026 |
| France | DD/MM/YYYY | / | 30/05/2026 |
| United Kingdom | DD/MM/YYYY | / | 30/05/2026 |
| USA | MM/DD/YYYY | / | 05/30/2026 |
The North American MM/DD/YYYY format is the one most frequently missed in European products entering English-speaking markets. A date such as "06/05/2026" is ambiguous: in the UK it is 6 May; in the US it is 5 June. Where a date carries contractual or clinical weight, this ambiguity is unacceptable.
For time format, the distinction between 12-hour (AM/PM) and 24-hour notation is equally important. Portugal, Germany, France, and most African markets use 24-hour notation. The UK uses both depending on context. The US uses 12-hour notation as the default in consumer-facing products.
Currency, decimal separators, and thousands separators
This is the field where errors carry the highest operational cost. Separator conventions vary significantly across markets:
| Market | Decimal sep. | Thousands sep. | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portugal | , | . | 1.250,99 € |
| Germany | , | . | 1.250,99 € |
| France | , | non-breaking space | 1 250,99 € |
| Brazil | , | . | R$ 1.250,99 |
| United Kingdom | . | , | £1,250.99 |
| USA | . | , | $1,250.99 |
| Angola | , | . | 1.250,99 Kz |
The position of the currency symbol also varies. In Portugal and Germany, the symbol typically follows the value (1.250,99 €). In the UK and US, it precedes the value (£1,250.99 / $1,250.99). In interface contexts, this difference affects column alignment and the width of form input fields.
Beyond formatting, using the correct currency symbol for the target market matters. An application targeting Angola must present the kwanza (Kz or AOA), not the euro. For Mozambique, the metical (MT or MZN). Displaying the wrong currency undermines product credibility and can create regulatory problems in financial sectors.
For projects covering Portuguese-speaking African markets, localisation carries specific considerations worth addressing from the outset. The practical issues involved in mobile app localisation for Angola and Mozambique illustrate how quickly these details compound.
Other technical elements to account for
Date and currency are the most visible, but other elements affect the technical quality of a localisation.
Units of measure: The metric system is standard across European and Portuguese-speaking African markets. The UK uses a hybrid system: miles for road distances, pints in certain contexts, kilograms in formal commerce. The US uses imperial units. Applications with geographic, logistics, or health components need to handle these differences explicitly.
Addresses and postal codes: Address format varies considerably. In Portugal, the postal code format is XXXX-XXX and precedes the locality name. In the UK, the postcode follows the street address. In Angola and Mozambique, postal code systems are less standardised. Registration or checkout forms that enforce a rigid format will fail in these regions.
Name ordering: In Portugal and Brazil, two family names are common. Most Western systems assume a single surname. In user accounts, contractual documents, or formal communications, this difference creates inconsistencies that affect both user experience and, in some cases, document validity.
Calendars and public holidays: Scheduling systems, HR platforms, and project management tools must incorporate each market's public holiday calendar. A national holiday in Angola shares no overlap with Portuguese public holidays, and vice versa.
How M21Global approaches technical localisation
The technology and software localisation service at M21Global integrates linguistic adaptation with verification of technical requirements for each target market. The team works with resource file formats including .json, .xml, .po, and .xliff, coordinates with development teams, and validates data formats in interface context rather than in isolated documents.
For SaaS platforms with multiple active locales, this integrated approach is what prevents formatting errors from reaching the end user. Teams with projects in this situation are welcome to contact M21Global for a scope assessment and a proposal aligned with their development calendar.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What date format is used in Portugal and the UK?
Both Portugal and the UK use the DD/MM/YYYY format with a forward slash as the separator. For example, 30 May 2026 is written as 30/05/2026.
How are monetary values formatted in Germany compared to the UK?
In Germany, the comma is the decimal separator and the full stop separates thousands: 1.250,99 €. In the UK, the full stop is the decimal separator and the comma separates thousands: £1,250.99.
Is translating the text of an application enough for localisation?
No. Localisation also requires adapting date formats, currency symbols, numeric separators, units of measure, address structures, and public holiday calendars. Text translation is one part of the process.
What currency should be displayed in an application targeting the Angolan market?
The kwanza (symbol Kz, ISO code AOA) is Angola's official currency. Displaying euros or another foreign currency without proper contextualisation undermines user trust and may create issues in regulated financial contexts.
What file formats does a localisation provider typically work with for software projects?
Most software localisation workflows use resource files in formats such as .json, .xml, .po, and .xliff. A provider experienced in software localisation should be able to work directly with these formats rather than requiring export to Word or PDF.
