Chapter 15. Internationalization and Localization

Python comes with two modules for preparing an application to work with multiple natural languages and cultural settings. gettext is used to create message catalogs in different languages, so that prompts and error messages can be displayed in a language the user can understand. locale changes the way numbers, currency, dates, and times are formatted to consider cultural differences, such as how negative values are indicated and what the local currency symbol is. Both modules interface with other tools and the operating environment to make the Python application fit in with all the other programs on the system.