Why localization

There are so many local singularities to take into account, but common examples in written text include adapting currencies, units of measure, dates and time formats, and even fonts and capitalization.

As well as a variant of translation, localization has become an industry in itself. The omnipresence of tech and IT in business today has led to the recognition of localization as a key component in the development of software , apps , websites , and video games. Software localization is particularly prominent as it addresses the specific challenges of adapting software to different languages and markets. It requires a preliminary step called internationalization and bridges the gap between tech limitations and linguistic requirements by tackling common issues like placeholders , pluralization , gender , and character limitations.

Localizing your products to foreign markets will do wonders for your brand awareness — it will make it easier to enter new markets and strengthen your global presence. At the end of the day, you need to build trust to turn leads into customers. Demand for good, reliable content has drastically increased in the last few years, and the COVID pandemic is only going to accentuate this trend.

Generic, this-was-clearly-written-for-someone-else content no longer works. How many reputable personalities and brands have fallen victim to cancel culture or online shaming in the last few months? For example, Nokia launched its Lumia phone in Spanish-speaking countries but failed miserably. No matter how good your product or service is, your brand will be able to expand globally only when you resonate with the customers in the target market — and the audience understands your message and offered solutions.

Welcome to Humans of Lokalise. Stay tuned to get to know our team, one…. People who work in the localization and translation industry use loads of jargon and abbreviations. This month, we released a new project navigation, made enhancements to the glossary and launched a new Ruby library. Read on to get the updates in…. Think again. NEW: How to choose the right Translation Management System The power of localization No matter how good your product or service is, your brand will be able to expand globally only when you resonate with the customers in the target market — and the audience understands your message and offered solutions.

Related posts Guides Localization. Insights Localization. Vue i18n: Building a multi-lingual app. Laravel localization: A step-by-step guide. React i18n: A step-by-step guide to React-intl. Angular i18n: Performing translations with built-in module. Spring Boot internationalization: Step-by-step.

Get the latest articles on all things data delivered straight to your inbox. Inside Lokalise. Meanwhile, mature markets such as the US continue to see consistent numbers, but growth has slowed in the past few years. Internet usage has been growing at a staggering rate in non-native English-speaking countries.

Search engines have also evolved dramatically over the years to accommodate linguistically diverse audiences who are responsible for over half of all Google queries that are performed in languages other than English. That means their internet population is now larger than the combined populations of the US, Mexico, Russia, and Japan!

If businesses intend to improve sales, translating and localizing content into other languages would make a great start. In the digital era, businesses should realize the potential of translating information in different languages. Businesses that sell products or services in English to non-native English speakers have a better chance of converting the majority online shoppers if their website is localized instead.

Translating and localizing content will help you build trust with your audience. Even Swedes, one of the nations with the highest proficiency in English among non-native speakers, prefer to shop online using Swedish.

To gain the trust and loyalty of your audience, you have to personalize the content based on their preferences, including language preferences. Companies who are looking to engage with new audiences should explore Africa and Asia-Pacific regions, as they are home to many emerging markets. Adapting your product to new markets through localization will not only expand your customer base but will also drive growth and profitability. To get strong results, you should consider employing a strong localization tool.

Phrase enables a streamlined localization process in which engineers, product managers, and translators work with greater efficiency and absolute clarity.