Google shows you a good time

Google translated a shipment-tracking page into English and also changed the time display from 24-hour format to 12-hour format. Fried treats that extra step as a detail that matched his expectations as a US reader and made the translation feel more complete.

Reading notes

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• The page first appeared in French, so Google offered translation because it knew he was an English speaker.
• After translation, the page also showed the time column in 12-hour format.
• Fried says Google understood the US preference for time display.
• He describes this as delightful attention to detail and a thorough definition of translation.