I18n and calendars - Can the calendar system remain as the Gregorian Calendar?

Question

This is a follow up question (and possibly should have been asked before it) to this question: Subclasses of java.util.Calendar.

I'm internationalising a large Java app that uses dates fairly regularly since a lot of the data has dates associated with it. One of the first languages that it will be translated into is Arabic.

Currently I'm having trouble contacting an Arabic speaking person so am asking you; will business users understand and be familiar with the Gregorian calendar?

I guess that the answer could depend on the data which is only supported in one locale (chosen at time of setup), despite being stored as a timestamp.

If data is localised for a locale that commonly uses the Gregorian calendar, but the user is Arabic, do I display the data dates using the Hijri calendar system or will they be familiar with the Gregorian calendar system? And vice-versa?

Answer 1

First, concerning dates use Joda time if you can.

Second, I believe the Gregorian calendar is used for international business and the Islamic calendar is used for purposes of religious holidays & ceremonies; depending on the country, the Islamic calendar may also be the "official" calendar.

For example, in Saudi Arabia the official calendar is indeed the Islamic calendar but by law they do maintain dual calendars for purposes of international business.

Answer 2

It depends on how "interationalized" the context of your application is.

If it is some international business application, i.e. for handling imports and exports your customers most likely would expect a Gregorian calendar. Before the Euro (€) many European businesses used the Dollar ($) as default currency, because it simplified many things. The same could apply to the calendar.

On the other hand a highly localized application, like a TV schedule or birthday reminder, you should most certainly use the local calendar.

In other words: Ask you customer or make it user-defineable.

One other thing: Even if most of your users would know the Gregorian calendar, you should think of whether a localized calendar would be an improvement. A few years ago when the whole IT marked was undisputably dominated by the US I was thrilled whenever I used an application which supported Umlauts (äöü). The same concept might give you an edge over your competitors. Delight your customers :)

And as always: Use Joda time.