# How to achieve internationalization in ROR?

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-achieve-internationalization-in-ror/127562>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [January 30, 2008, 12:34pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-achieve-internationalization-in-ror/127562 "2008-01-30T12:34:49Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ayyanar](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/82dd89/32.png) [@ayyanar](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/ayyanar)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 12:34pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-achieve-internationalization-in-ror/127562/1 "2008-01-30T12:34:49Z")

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Anybody worked on internationalization in ROR project?

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**Author:** ![ayyanar](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/82dd89/32.png) [@ayyanar](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/ayyanar)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2008, 12:46pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-achieve-internationalization-in-ror/127562/2 "2008-01-30T12:46:31Z")

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Hi,

If you are asking if Rails supports Unicode then the short answer is  
yes. There are some getting started guides available but the key point  
is that Rails extends Ruby’s string class so that it doesn’t destroy  
multi-byte characters, That’s only the first step though, depending on  
the nature of your application and it’s audience there is a fuzzy line  
between Internationalisation and localisation. My current Rails app  
correctly handles multi-byte languages but I wouldn’t say that it is  
internationalised.

I’ve gone through the adaption of an existing C++ code base to unicode  
not an experience to be repeated - though I do feel stronger for  
it 🙂

On Jan 30, 11:34 am, Ayyanar from Aspire Systems \<rails-mailing-
