Localization

English – U.S. versus the U.K. versus Australia

KBR has employees working all over the world but has a particularly robust presence in the U.S., the U.K. and Australia — all of which write in their own particular form of English, though the U.K. and Australia are more closely related.

For local and regional communications and deliverables, English should be localized to suit the primary audience. However, for events, communications, deliverables, etc., that will be more widely disseminated globally, U.S. English is preferred.

You see this most evidently in the endings of certain words. The following chart shows typical word endings that vary between U.S. and Australian/U.K. English.

The most common grammar differences involve group nouns (e.g., team, class) and verb tenses.

Some common examples are as follows: