核心畫面

You can think of localize as pinning a thing to one place. The parts say it : local, of a place, plus -ize, make it so. Once you have that picture, the different uses are different ways of pinning. You can pin a problem down to the exact spot it is coming from. You can pin a fire or an illness inside one area so it cannot travel. Something can pin itself, settling in one joint and staying there. And you can pin a product to a country, remaking it in that country's money, dates and language until it belongs there.

「localize」可以想成「把一件事釘在一個地方上」。它的組成很直接:local 是「在地的」,-ize 是「使它更多收起「localize」可以想成「把一件事釘在一個地方上」。它的組成很直接:local 是「在地的」,-ize 是「使它變成…」。所以字面就是「使它變成屬於某個地方的」。有了這個畫面,各種用法就只是釘的方式不同。可以是釘出位置:本來只知道有問題,一路縮小到那個點。可以是釘住範圍:火、水、疫情都不准跑出這一區。也可以是它自己停下來:感染在一個關節住下不走了。還可以是把一個產品釘到一個國家:換成那裡的錢、日期和語言,直到它像那裡做的。

From the word’s history

The word is built from local plus -ize, and French localiser is the same build. Every modern use still shows the two parts working: a place, and something being made to belong to it.

這個字是 local 加上 -ize 造出來的,法文的 localiser 也是同樣的組法。今天每一個用法裡都還看得到這兩塊:一個地方,加上「讓某樣東西變成屬於它的」。

packet evidence: Wiktionary etymology_text for localize, 'From local + -ize. Compare French localiser.' (source_ref kaikki:3f6f69a190036ae4:278767486:27895)

Three branches

釘出位置

這一支釘的是「哪裡」。事情本來浮在空中,找到位置以後它就有了自己的地點。

verb · B2

To find the exact place where something is, or where it is coming from: a fault in a machine, a pain in the body, a sound, a leak.

找出確切位置

釘住範圍,不讓它跑

這一支釘的是「界線」。位置已經知道了,現在的問題是不要讓它越過那條線。

verb · B2

To stop something from spreading, so that its effect stays inside one small area.

把…限制在小範圍

改成屬於這個地方

這一支釘的是「歸屬」。前兩支是把事情關在一個地方,這一支是把事情改造成那個地方的東西。

verb · C1

To move something down to a local level, or to treat it as belonging to one particular place rather than to everywhere.

拉到地方層級

原始詞典資料6 筆記錄

以下是外部詞典記錄的用法,原文照列,我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的;有些用法可能上面已經講過了。

localizeverb/ˈləʊkəlaɪz/

  • 1

    To make local; to fix in, or assign to, a definite place.

    • The intent of the aphorism "think globally, act locally" was to spur action by localizing the challenge.
    • Out of her early struggles well inspired To localize heroic acts
  • 2

    businesscomputingengineeringTo adapt (a product or service) for use in a particular country or region, typically by translating text into the language of that country and modifying currencies, date formats, etc.

    • We need to localize our software for the Japanese market.
  • 3

    businesscomputingengineeringTo adapt translated text to fit a local culture; to domesticate.

    • the ethical dilemma faced when to localize is to self-censor
  • 4

    To be located in or confined to; to fix upon or sequester in a locality.

    • After a brief systemic phase defeated by the immune system, the infection localized to certain areas where it went dormant.
  • 5

    To determine where something takes place or is to be found.

    • After exploratory surgery, the extent of the problem was localized to the left lower quadrant.
  • 6

    algebramathematicssciencesTo produce (from a ring and an ideal in that ring) the ring of fractions, where the set of allowed denominators is the compliment of the given ideal.

資料來源:英文維基詞典 English WiktionaryCC BY-SA 4.0)。 原文照列,未經改寫。