To standardize something is to make all the examples of it the same, by choosing one way and making everybody follow it.

To standardize something把某樣東西標準化 is就是 to make all the examples of it the same讓它所有的例子都變成一樣，by choosing one way做法是選定一種方式 and making everybody follow it然後讓每個人都照著做。

A company standardizes its packaging so every box is the same size. A country standardizes its school tests so every student sits the same paper.

A company一家公司 standardizes its packaging把包裝標準化，so好讓 every box每個箱子 is the same size尺寸都一樣。A country一個國家 standardizes its school tests把學校考試標準化，so好讓 every student每個學生 sits the same paper考的是同一份考卷。

The thing you standardize is usually a group of things that grew up separately and ended up different from each other — different sizes, different spellings, different steps — and the work is deciding on one version and pushing the rest into it.

The thing you standardize被標準化的那個東西 is usually通常是 a group of things一群東西 that grew up separately各自發展、and ended up different from each other結果變得彼此不同——different sizes, different spellings, different steps尺寸不同、拼法不同、步驟不同——and而 the work要做的事 is deciding on one version就是決定用哪一個版本，and pushing the rest into it然後把其他版本都推向這一個。

There is a second, quieter use: you can standardize a single thing against a fixed measure, the way a lab standardizes a machine so its readings match everyone else's.

There is a second, quieter use還有第二種比較不明顯的用法：you can standardize a single thing你可以把單一一樣東西標準化 against a fixed measure對照一個固定的標準，the way a lab standardizes a machine就像實驗室把一台機器校準，so好讓 its readings它讀出來的數值 match everyone else's跟大家的一致。

The word carries a feeling of large organizations doing the deciding — factories, governments, schools, industries — so it sounds official rather than personal. You would not usually say you standardized your own breakfast, though people do say it as a joke, and that joke works precisely because the word is normally so institutional.

The word這個字 carries a feeling of帶有一種感覺，large organizations doing the deciding是大型組織在做決定——factories, governments, schools, industries工廠、政府、學校、產業——so所以 it sounds official rather than personal聽起來比較官方而不是個人。You would not usually say你通常不會說 you standardized your own breakfast你把自己的早餐標準化了，though不過 people do say it as a joke人們確實會開玩笑這樣講，and而 that joke works這個玩笑之所以成立，precisely because正是因為 the word is normally so institutional這個字平常聽起來這麼制度化。

British writing often spells it standardise; the two are the same word.

British writing英式寫法 often spells it常常拼成 standardise standardise；the two這兩個字 are the same word是同一個字。

Note also that standardizing is not automatically praise: people say a system has been standardized when they mean it is efficient, and they say the same when they mean it has lost all its local character. Which one they mean is in their tone, not in the word.

Note also還要注意 that standardizing標準化這件事 is not automatically praise不代表一定是讚美：people say人們會說 a system has been standardized一個系統被標準化了，when they mean it is efficient有時候意思是它變得有效率，and而 they say the same他們也會說同一句話，when they mean意思卻是 it has lost all its local character它失去了原本的地方特色。Which one they mean他們指的是哪一種，is in their tone要看語氣，not in the word而不是看這個字本身。