digitalize
digitalize — verb
- digitalizepresent simple I / you / we / they
- digitalizeshe / she / it
- digitalizedpast simple
- digitalizing-ing form
1. to take information stored in a non-computer form — such as printed pages, film
to take information stored in a non-computer form — such as printed pages, film negatives, or audio tapes — and change it into a digital format that a computer can store, read, and process.
Cole spent the summer digitalizing his grandfather's collection of old family photographs.
digitalize + object (photographs)
The local library plans to digitalize every issue of the town newspaper from the 1920s.
Before the archive was digitalized, each fragile page was handled by a trained conservator.
Ritu's team was hired to digitalize the hospital's paper-based patient records.
- digitize
far more common than 'digitalize' in everyday technical writing; the two words mean the same thing.
- scan
refers specifically to capturing an image of a physical page; scanning is one method of digitalizing a document.
- convert
a broader word that can apply to any format change, not just to digital formats.
- print
to produce a physical copy of a digital file, reversing the digitalization process.
文法句型
digitalize + object (data, document, image)
用法筆記
Frequently used in the passive voice (be/get digitalized) when the focus is on the material being converted rather than the person doing the work.
常見錯誤
2. to change the way an organization works by introducing computers, the internet,
to change the way an organization works by introducing computers, the internet, and modern software systems, so that tasks that were done with paper or in person become electronic.
The small family grocery store digitalized its payment system so customers could pay by phone.
digitalize + object (payment system)
Many traditional banks have digitalized their services, allowing customers to open accounts online.
After digitalizing the entire ordering process, Yasmin's company saw faster delivery times.
The school has been digitalizing slowly, starting with online homework submissions and digital report cards.
Hamza believes that small shops must digitalize soon or they will struggle to compete.
- digitize
sometimes used for organizational digital transformation, though more commonly refers to data conversion.
- automate
a narrower concept — making a process run without human intervention, which is one goal of digitalizing.
- modernize
a broader concept that can involve digital tools but also other kinds of updates.
文法句型
digitalize + object (business, service, process)
digitalize (no object)
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 describes converting specific items (documents, data) to digital form, whereas sense 2 describes transforming an entire organization or process by adopting digital technology. The object of sense 2 is typically an abstract noun (service, workflow, operation) rather than a concrete document.