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The Thai video game domain has witnessed substantial growth in recent years. However, many games enjoyed by Thai players are in foreign languages, with only a handful of titles translated/localized into the Thai locale. Some Thai video game enthusiasts have taken on the role of unofficial translators/localizers, contributing to a localization domain that accommodates both official and unofficial translation/localization efforts. This general review paper aims to outline the author's experiences in collecting data within the domain of video game translation/localization in Thailand.

Using a descriptive approach, this general review paper employs the netnography method. It sheds light on the complexities of video game translation/localization in Thailand and incorporates semi-structured interviews with a snowball sampling technique for the selection of participants and in-game data collection methods.

The netnography method has proved instrumental in navigating the intricacies of this evolving landscape. Adopting the netnography method for data collection in this research contributes to establishing more robust connections with the research sites. “Inside” professionals and individuals play a significant role in data gathering by recommending additional sources of information for the research.

While netnography is conventionally applied in the market and consumer research, this paper demonstrates its efficacy in unraveling the dynamics of video game translation/localization in Thailand.

In structural health monitoring, localization of multiple slight damage without baseline data is significant and difficult. The purpose of this paper is to discuss these issues.

Damage in the structure causes singularities of displacement modes, which in turn reveals damage. Methods based on the displacement modes may fail to accurately locate the slight damage because the slight damage in engineering structure results in a relatively small variation of the displacement modes. In comparison with the displacement modes, the strain modes are more sensitive to the slight damage because the strain is the derivative of the displacement. As a result, the slight variation in displacement data will be magnified by the derivative, leading to a significant variation of the strain modes. A novel method based on strain modes is proposed for the purpose of accurately locating the multiple slight damage.

In the two bay beam and steel fixed-fixed beams, the numerical simulations and the experimental cases, respectively, illustrate that the proposed method can achieve more accurate localization in comparison with the one based on the displacement modes.

The paper offers a practical approach for more accurate localization of multiple slight damage without baseline data. And the robustness to measurement noise of the proposed method is evaluated for increasing levels of artificially added white Gaussian noise until its limit is reached, defining its range of practical applicability.

Free Open Source Softwares (FOSS) witnessed the development of many very good alternatives to proprietary softwares. These free softwares can be localized in several local languages. This paper aims to illustrate a very interesting empirical investigation on FOSS. Several significant benefits of localization are described in introduction and subsequent sections.

Although the localization process is standard and well documented for most of the FOSS, it is a more complex task as it involves coordination among developers, linguists and domain experts. Hence, a very few open source softwares are successfully localized in Indian languages. In this paper, the authors present an approach that they have used for GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) software Marathikaran (localization in Marathi language) project of by Rajya Marathi Vikas Sanstha of Maharashtra Government (RMVS), India.

This localization project has been described by RMVS as a pilot project that would guide such similar localizations in many other Indian languages for other popular open source softwares.

The localization work overcomes the general misconception that regional languages are good only for communication (Boli Bhasha) but cannot be used for dissemination of knowledge (Gyan Bhasha). This work is notably contributing to language preservation, language revitalization and Digital India Initiative.

This work is the pioneering work in this domain for Marathi language with respect to GIMP. The authors presented systematic steps used to localize the GIMP software in Marathi language (from 2% to 100%).

The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to understand Emirati nationals’ perceptions of the role of workforce localisation policies in their professional aspirations and growth and, second, to determine the role of higher education and job attributes in the achievement of their goals. The study uses a hierarchy-based model/road map to improve localisation efforts by attempting to aid understanding of the relationships and barriers hindering these processes.

The study follows a two-stage process. In the first stage, a questionnaire-based survey was administered to 207 Emirati postgraduate students from public and private universities based in two major Emirates: Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The sample data were analysed by basic descriptive statistics in the form of cross-relationships and rank correlation tests. In the second stage, an interpretive structural modelling approach was used to develop a hierarchy-based structural model of the barriers to localisation.

Emiratis younger than 30 years old consider localisation as an enabling factor in their professional success in contrast to those older than 30 years old. The results also indicate that working female Emiratis have significantly more positive attitudes regarding the contribution of localisation towards their professional success than that of their male counterparts. However, both genders see a mismatch in efforts being made to better equip themselves for the workplace. The hierarchy-based model delineates variables that could contribute to making localisation a successful employment programme in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The findings of this study relate to the UAE. However, there are similar localisation programmes that have been implemented in other Gulf Cooperation Council states. Hence, while the results of this study are relevant to the UAE, they may not be generalisable to the entire Gulf region.

It is proposed that the research findings and the structural model of relationships may help policy makers develop suitable strategies to strengthen the Emirati localisation programme.

This study makes a contribution to the literature and can serve as a guide to policy makers for localisation programmes. This is achieved by analysing the attitude of UAE nationals studying at higher education institutions. Furthermore, the study presents a hierarchy-based model of the barriers to localisation that explains the root causes of the problem.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a Biblical basis for localization as against globalization. This paper argues that the normative direction of Biblical thought is toward the localization of socio‐economic activity. A case study is made for the developing world today relevant to localization.

An evaluation is made of normative Biblical teaching that might have bearing on the localization of socio‐economic activity. How this teaching could apply to the contemporary developing world is assessed.

Normative Biblical teaching is oriented toward localization. This emphasis is capable of being applied in the developing world.

The case that normative Biblical teaching is in favour of localization rather then dispersal (and thereby globalization) has not been made previously. For those who believe that normative Biblical teaching has relevance today, the localization bias challenges the widespread acceptance of globalization.

Wireless network localization technology is very popular in recent years and has attracted worldwide attention. The purpose of this paper is to improve the localization accuracy of ultra-wideband (UWB) with lower localization error taking into consideration the special real environment with the closed long and narrow space.

The principle of multidimensional scaling (MDS), particle swarm optimization (PSO) and Taylor series expansion algorithm (Taylor-D) were introduced. A novel positioning algorithm, MDS-PSO-Taylor was proposed to minimize the localization error. MDS-PSO algorithm provided a more accurate preliminary coordinate by applying the PSO algorithm so that the Taylor-D was used for further enhancing the localization accuracy.

Experimental results manifested that the proposed algorithm, providing small localization error value and higher positioning accuracy, can effectively reduce errors and achieve better performance in terms of the considerable improvement of localization accuracy.

The presented study with the real environment test attempts to demonstrate the proposed algorithm is hopeful to be applied to the underground environment for in the future.

To meet the rising global needs, the humanitarian community has signed off on making a strategic change toward more localisation, which commonly refers to the empowerment of national and local actors in humanitarian assistance. However, to this date, actual initiatives for localisation are rare. To enhance understanding of the phenomenon, the authors explore localisation of logistics preparedness capacities and obstacles to its implementation. The authors particularly take the perspective of the international humanitarian organisation (IHO) community as they are expected to implement the localisation strategy.

A phenomenon-driven, exploratory and qualitative study was conducted. Data collection included in-depth interviews with 28 experienced humanitarian professionals.

The findings showed the ambiguity inherent in the localisation strategy with largely different views on four important dimensions. Particularly, the interviewees differ about strengthening external actors or internal national/local offices. The resulting framework visualises the gap between strategy formulation and implementation, which forms major obstacles to the localisation aims.

Further research is required to support the advancement of localisation of logistics preparedness capacities. Important aspects for future research include triangulation of results, other stakeholder perspectives and the influence of context.

The authors add to the important debate surrounding localisation by offering remedies to overcoming obstacles to strategy implementation. Further, the authors’ proposed framework offers a language to precisely describe the ways in which IHOs (should) view localisation of logistics preparedness capacities and its operationalisation.

To the best of authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first academic article on localisation within the humanitarian logistics context.

Robot localization technology has been widely studied for decades and a lot of remarkable approaches have been developed. However, in practice, this technology has hardly been applied to common day-to-day deployment scenarios. The purpose of this paper is to present a novel approach that focuses on improving the localization robustness in complicated environment.

The localization robustness is improved by dynamically switching the localization components (such as the environmental camera, the laser range finder and the depth camera). As the components are highly heterogeneous, they are developed under the robotic technology component (RTC) framework. This simplifies the developing process by increasing the potential for reusability and future expansion. To realize this switching, the localization reliability for each component is modeled, and a configuration method for dynamically selecting dependable components at run-time is presented.

The experimental results show that this approach significantly decreases robot lost situation in the complicated environment. The robustness is further enhanced through the cooperation of heterogeneous localization components.

A multi-component automatic switching approach for robot localization system is developed and described in this paper. The reliability of this system is proved to be a substantial improvement over single-component localization techniques.

Through an empirical inquiry into manufacturing joint ventures companies in Vietnam setting, this paper aims to examine the relationships among knowledge sharing and its antecedents such as organisational culture, ethics, and human resources localization.

An analysis of data returned from a questionnaire survey among middle level managers in these manufacturing joint ventures companies was conducted via analysis of variance and structural equation modelling.

The study findings display the correspondence between control culture and ethics of justice. Flexibility culture, on the other hand, tends to nurture ethics of care, which in turn positively impact localization of intellectual capital. The influence of intellectual capital localization on knowledge sharing is also discerned.

The study offers insight into the linkage pattern of knowledge sharing and its antecedents, organisational culture, ethics, and human resources localization, in manufacturing joint venture companies in a Vietnam business context.

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between localization (Omanization) practices and financial performance in Oman.

Firms listed in the Muscat Securities Market were surveyed. Data were obtained from 73 firms. Financial performance data (average ratio of market value to book value) were obtained from published records.

Results indicated that localization practices were related to financial performance after controlling for size, type of firm, average price earnings ratio of the industry and Omanization levels.

The measure of localization did not specify the level at which Omanization practices are focused on. This is a limitation of this study, and future research must measure localization practices for different levels in the organization.

From a practical perspective, the results of this study suggest that organizations in the Arabian Gulf can enhance their performance by implementing systematic localization human resource management practices. The authors believe that this study makes a significant preliminary contribution to the understanding of localization practices and financial performance in the Arabian Gulf region.

These results are encouraging for managers who argue for integrating locals into the workforce rather than engaging in localization practices for public relations purposes. Sincere localization efforts develop local human capital.

Study was conducted in the Sultanate of Oman, an Arabian Gulf country. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study of localization practices and financial performance in the Arabian Gulf. This study therefore contributes to and extends the growing literature on localization practices in the Arabian Gulf in general and Oman in particular.