6 ms·

I’m pretty sure this is the first time I’ve seen the word “localize” used to refer to spatial location and not cultural/linguistic locale. Totally makes sense b

I’m pretty sure this is the first time I’ve seen the word “localize” used to refer to spatial location and not cultural/linguistic locale. Totally makes sense but definitely threw me off when first reading the headline. :)

leetcrew 6y ago
not technically wrong, but "locate" would be more idiomatic here. I don't think english is the author's first language.
- puzzlingcaptcha 6y ago
  It's a calque from Polish, where "to locate" is "lokalizować"
  - gota 6y ago
    I think all Latin languages as well. From "locus" meaning place.
- theschwa 6y ago
  Localization is actually the common term, frequently used in robotics and autonomous vehicles. There's a really interesting field of research here [0]. [0] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simultaneous_localization_and_mapping https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simultaneous_localization_and_...
  - mhh__ 6y ago
    It might be a common term but I don't think it's the common term here.
    - theschwa 6y ago
      I totally hear that. Especially if people are commenting that they were thrown off. I just wanted to make sure people knew to use this term if you're looking to learn more about the topic of this project. If anyone is looking to implement this or another method to do indoor mapping, you'll probably want to familiarize yourself with the research field of Simultaneous Localization and Mapping or SLAM.
    - mikepurvis 6y ago
      I work at a robotics company, so we've had a perception team that manages robot localization since forever, and now that we're also internationalizing our product, there's a separate frontend team dealing with third-party localization firms to create the needed translations. :)
      - singlow 6y ago
        Yeah, _localize_ has always meant to adapt something to its location, when I've seen it used. _Locate_ means to determine the location. Edit to add: But I can see how in a specialized field, where methods for locating an object are frequently discussed, using localization over location would be useful for describing the process of finding something, since location is also a noun referring to the place itself.
        mikepurvis 6y ago
        Well and in the specific context of SLAM, the business of localizing is itself an adaptive and constructive process. "Locating" is what the user does when they simply tell the robot where it is on the map. Localization is building a continuous graph of your immediate surroundings and past movement history and fitting that to what is known about the environment.
- mattkrause 6y ago
  There also shades of different meanings. 'Locate' implies that you're predominately interested in the object being sought but 'localize' suggests you're more interested in the place where it is/was. I think localize can also be less-than-exact if it rules out some plausible locations, but it seems odd to partially 'locate' something. It's used a lot in neurology/neuroscience for the process of identifying where (e.g.) a tumor is or the brain structures on which a particular behavior or process depend.
- w0mbat 6y ago
  I'm pretty sure it's actually wrong usage, and should be replaced with "Locate" in this context. "Localize" has various meanings, but in a physical location sense is to restrict something to a particular area, e.g. "We successfully localized the fire to the Johnson farm so no other farms were damaged.". I can't see a definition that is equivalent to "locate" or "find".
  - mywittyname 6y ago
    A better title would be either: Locate your cat at home using... Or Domestic Feline location using... Depending on the level of techno-mumbo-jumbo the author is looking for.
  - didymospl 6y ago
    I don't know what's idiomatic here as English is not my first language, but according to my dictionary "localize" can also mean "to find the position of something" https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/localize https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/localize Maybe it's British vs American English?
    - w0mbat 6y ago
      I looked at Merriam-Webster online, the snippet Google pulls from the OED and the Mac dictionary app which uses the New American Oxford. "Locate" would lead to less confusion among readers. It unanimously has the right definition, and is a simpler word.
      - MauranKilom 6y ago
        I think one of the reasons that one is not used because usages like "Simultaneous Location And Mapping" (instead of the "Simultaneous Localization And Mapping" that SLAM stands for) would read a bit strange... "location" is more commonly used to mean "the place" and not "the act of finding the place".
        deleted 6y ago
Lvl999Noob 6y ago
I was thinking that it would localize cat (unix command) somehow.
- schoen 6y ago
  That's already been done to a great extent: $ LANG=ca_ES.UTF-8 cat asldkj cat: asldkj: El fitxer o directori no existeix $ LANG=ca_ES.UTF-8 cat --help Forma d’ús: cat [OPCIÓ]… [FITXER]… Escriu la concatenació de tots els FITXERs a la sortida estàndard. Sense cap FITXER, o quan FITXER és «-», llegeix l’entrada estàndard. [...]
wpearse 6y ago
Aircraft guidance systems have localizers, too. It’s not wrong, and I would encourage the author to leave it as it is.
- danaliv 6y ago
  ...which, funnily enough, don't tell you where you are. :)
isbvhodnvemrwvn 6y ago
In Polish locating something is "lokalizowanie", I guess that's why the word "localize" was used.

leetcrew 6y ago

not technically wrong, but "locate" would be more idiomatic here. I don't think english is the author's first language.

puzzlingcaptcha 6y ago
It's a calque from Polish, where "to locate" is "lokalizować"
- gota 6y ago
  I think all Latin languages as well. From "locus" meaning place.
theschwa 6y ago
Localization is actually the common term, frequently used in robotics and autonomous vehicles. There's a really interesting field of research here [0]. [0] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simultaneous_localization_and_mapping https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simultaneous_localization_and_...
- mhh__ 6y ago
  It might be a common term but I don't think it's the common term here.
  - theschwa 6y ago
    I totally hear that. Especially if people are commenting that they were thrown off. I just wanted to make sure people knew to use this term if you're looking to learn more about the topic of this project. If anyone is looking to implement this or another method to do indoor mapping, you'll probably want to familiarize yourself with the research field of Simultaneous Localization and Mapping or SLAM.
  - mikepurvis 6y ago
    I work at a robotics company, so we've had a perception team that manages robot localization since forever, and now that we're also internationalizing our product, there's a separate frontend team dealing with third-party localization firms to create the needed translations. :)
    - singlow 6y ago
      Yeah, _localize_ has always meant to adapt something to its location, when I've seen it used. _Locate_ means to determine the location. Edit to add: But I can see how in a specialized field, where methods for locating an object are frequently discussed, using localization over location would be useful for describing the process of finding something, since location is also a noun referring to the place itself.
      - mikepurvis 6y ago
        Well and in the specific context of SLAM, the business of localizing is itself an adaptive and constructive process. "Locating" is what the user does when they simply tell the robot where it is on the map. Localization is building a continuous graph of your immediate surroundings and past movement history and fitting that to what is known about the environment.
mattkrause 6y ago
There also shades of different meanings. 'Locate' implies that you're predominately interested in the object being sought but 'localize' suggests you're more interested in the place where it is/was. I think localize can also be less-than-exact if it rules out some plausible locations, but it seems odd to partially 'locate' something. It's used a lot in neurology/neuroscience for the process of identifying where (e.g.) a tumor is or the brain structures on which a particular behavior or process depend.
w0mbat 6y ago
I'm pretty sure it's actually wrong usage, and should be replaced with "Locate" in this context. "Localize" has various meanings, but in a physical location sense is to restrict something to a particular area, e.g. "We successfully localized the fire to the Johnson farm so no other farms were damaged.". I can't see a definition that is equivalent to "locate" or "find".
- mywittyname 6y ago
  A better title would be either: Locate your cat at home using... Or Domestic Feline location using... Depending on the level of techno-mumbo-jumbo the author is looking for.
- didymospl 6y ago
  I don't know what's idiomatic here as English is not my first language, but according to my dictionary "localize" can also mean "to find the position of something" https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/localize https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/localize Maybe it's British vs American English?
  - w0mbat 6y ago
    I looked at Merriam-Webster online, the snippet Google pulls from the OED and the Mac dictionary app which uses the New American Oxford. "Locate" would lead to less confusion among readers. It unanimously has the right definition, and is a simpler word.
    - MauranKilom 6y ago
      I think one of the reasons that one is not used because usages like "Simultaneous Location And Mapping" (instead of the "Simultaneous Localization And Mapping" that SLAM stands for) would read a bit strange... "location" is more commonly used to mean "the place" and not "the act of finding the place".
      - deleted 6y ago

Lvl999Noob 6y ago

I was thinking that it would localize cat (unix command) somehow.

schoen 6y ago
That's already been done to a great extent: $ LANG=ca_ES.UTF-8 cat asldkj cat: asldkj: El fitxer o directori no existeix $ LANG=ca_ES.UTF-8 cat --help Forma d’ús: cat [OPCIÓ]… [FITXER]… Escriu la concatenació de tots els FITXERs a la sortida estàndard. Sense cap FITXER, o quan FITXER és «-», llegeix l’entrada estàndard. [...]

wpearse 6y ago

Aircraft guidance systems have localizers, too. It’s not wrong, and I would encourage the author to leave it as it is.

danaliv 6y ago
...which, funnily enough, don't tell you where you are. :)

isbvhodnvemrwvn 6y ago

In Polish locating something is "lokalizowanie", I guess that's why the word "localize" was used.