Globalization vs Internationalization
Globalization and internationalization are terms that have become very commonplace these days because of increasing pace of communication and exponential growth of means of transport leading to very high levels of cooperation and trade between countries. Many people tend to use these terms interchangeably thinking them to be synonymous. However, there are differences that will be highlighted in this article.
What is Globalization?
Globalization is a term that is used to refer to a process of assimilation of a country’s policies with the policies that are accepted universally across the world. Worldview is a phrase that is commonly applied to the way of thinking and practice that is seen cutting across cultures and civilizations. It is natural for different cultures to have different viewpoints and practices. However, increasing levels of interactions with new and fast modes of transportation created conditions where peoples and countries started to have similarities in their ways of thinking and behaving. This meant that the world started to shrink in terms of easy reach and transport. The emergence of internet hastened the process of globalization during the 90’s and the dawn of the 21st century has brought about a level of uniformity, which was unthinkable even half a century ago. Setting up of world bodies devising rules and regulations for member states has also given pace to the process of globalization. Today we tend to think of global warming, global economy, and global issues that affect more and less entire population of the world rather than specific locations and countries.
What is Internationalization?
Internationalization is a word that is used more in terms of creating software and other products so as to make them amenable to local cultures and languages than anything else. Internationalization also refers to conducting economic activities that involve more than one’s own country. Raking up an issue or a dispute to take it to an international forum is another way to internationalize an issue. Internationalization has nothing to do with economic reforms in a country that lead to integration with the policies of the rest of the world. Taking one’s business outside the boundaries of one’s country is another instance of internationalization.
What is the difference between Globalization and Internationalization?
• Globalization is a process that is a result of shrinking of the world because of faster and more efficient modes of transportation and communication.
• Integration of one country’s culture with the rest of the world is considered globalization. The same applies to modification of economic policies to make them more universal in nature.
• Internationalization is taking one country’s business across other nations.
• Internationalization is also the process that makes software or other gadgets according to the cultures and languages of different countries where it is going to be sold.
• Globalization increases interdependence, whereas internationalization retains one country’s identity.
• Globalization is inevitable with fast modes of transport and communication, whereas internationalization is involuntary and need based.