Post by habiba123820 on Nov 6, 2024 4:42:43 GMT -5
Localization is a goldilocks business when done right. You need to localize just enough content, but not too much. You need to localize quickly, but not rush the process. When companies find those sweet spots of what, when, and how to localize, they can see real results and reap much greater ROI . If you’re new to the localization industry, it can be hard to visualize what a great localization strategy might look like. We recommend learning from what other companies have done. The following localization strategy examples show how you can introduce chaos into your localization process—or how you can optimize for smooth, rapid globalization.
Examples of Ineffective Localization Strategy
Let’s say your company gets an amazing opportunity to expand into another country. Of course, you want to jump in right away with translation and localization wordpress web design agency and internationalization and really seize the moment. It’s true. You need to get moving. But that doesn’t mean you should rush into localization before you’re ready. Here are some examples of why that’s a bad idea:
Example 1: Running for Translation
Many companies start the localization process before their product, website, or marketing content is actually finished. Imagine this. An e-commerce company called Jump the Gun is excited to launch their site in other markets, so they’re working against a really aggressive deadline. They hire a language services provider to start translating their content. The only problem is that their new international site isn’t fully built yet. Instead of simply exporting a single .xml file and having the entire site translated, they’re now manually copying and pasting text back and forth as new pages are added. Jump the Gun wanted to move quickly—but now their launch has been delayed by a month of backlogs. They could have saved time (and money) by completing the site first, then localizing it using automated export and import routines that preserve the integrity of the finished site’s structure.
Example 2: Waiting until the last second
The opposite situation is also extremely common. Many companies don’t think they’ll need translation services – until, suddenly, they do. Let’s say that the American company Yesterday’s News is developing an Android app . Out of the blue, they discover a bidding opportunity in Canada and suddenly they’re faced with the need to localize their software into French. They want a quick quote to know how much it will cost to localize their app. And they want it done yesterday. The truth is, Yesterday’s News should have thought about going global a long time ago. Their marketing manager didn’t realize that an app needs to be optimized for international markets before it can be translated. Yesterday’s News engineers have to spend hours externalizing strings from their codebase to prepare for multilingual versions. And this has to happen before any localization company can prepare an accurate quote. In the end, the company is stuck at the gate, wasting precious business days and risking losing the opportunity.
Localization Strategy Examples to Inspire You
On the other hand, if you’re willing to take a step back and think strategically about location, you can save yourself time, money, and tears. We’d be willing to bet that you’ll get to market faster than if you tried to rush the process. Here’s what that might look like:
Example 1: Setting Proper Flag Drops
A large technology company is working on a full-scale eLearning suite with a ton of multimedia content, and they want to translate it into 15 different languages. While the developers are working tirelessly to optimize the learning management system, this company called Right the First Time has already secured a partnership with a high-tech localization specialist. They communicate closely with their partner right up until the very moment when development is complete. Because they have been coordinating with their partner the entire time, the CMS integration they need to automate the movement of content into and out of the translation workflow is already in place from day one. This company was successful because they were prepared to begin localization at the right time. But they also had another advantage: their website translation manager knew that translating multimedia (including graphics, videos, and voiceovers) is significantly more complex than translating software or websites. By hiring the right team, they were prepared to meet an international launch date that was both reasonable and achievable.
Examples of Ineffective Localization Strategy
Let’s say your company gets an amazing opportunity to expand into another country. Of course, you want to jump in right away with translation and localization wordpress web design agency and internationalization and really seize the moment. It’s true. You need to get moving. But that doesn’t mean you should rush into localization before you’re ready. Here are some examples of why that’s a bad idea:
Example 1: Running for Translation
Many companies start the localization process before their product, website, or marketing content is actually finished. Imagine this. An e-commerce company called Jump the Gun is excited to launch their site in other markets, so they’re working against a really aggressive deadline. They hire a language services provider to start translating their content. The only problem is that their new international site isn’t fully built yet. Instead of simply exporting a single .xml file and having the entire site translated, they’re now manually copying and pasting text back and forth as new pages are added. Jump the Gun wanted to move quickly—but now their launch has been delayed by a month of backlogs. They could have saved time (and money) by completing the site first, then localizing it using automated export and import routines that preserve the integrity of the finished site’s structure.
Example 2: Waiting until the last second
The opposite situation is also extremely common. Many companies don’t think they’ll need translation services – until, suddenly, they do. Let’s say that the American company Yesterday’s News is developing an Android app . Out of the blue, they discover a bidding opportunity in Canada and suddenly they’re faced with the need to localize their software into French. They want a quick quote to know how much it will cost to localize their app. And they want it done yesterday. The truth is, Yesterday’s News should have thought about going global a long time ago. Their marketing manager didn’t realize that an app needs to be optimized for international markets before it can be translated. Yesterday’s News engineers have to spend hours externalizing strings from their codebase to prepare for multilingual versions. And this has to happen before any localization company can prepare an accurate quote. In the end, the company is stuck at the gate, wasting precious business days and risking losing the opportunity.
Localization Strategy Examples to Inspire You
On the other hand, if you’re willing to take a step back and think strategically about location, you can save yourself time, money, and tears. We’d be willing to bet that you’ll get to market faster than if you tried to rush the process. Here’s what that might look like:
Example 1: Setting Proper Flag Drops
A large technology company is working on a full-scale eLearning suite with a ton of multimedia content, and they want to translate it into 15 different languages. While the developers are working tirelessly to optimize the learning management system, this company called Right the First Time has already secured a partnership with a high-tech localization specialist. They communicate closely with their partner right up until the very moment when development is complete. Because they have been coordinating with their partner the entire time, the CMS integration they need to automate the movement of content into and out of the translation workflow is already in place from day one. This company was successful because they were prepared to begin localization at the right time. But they also had another advantage: their website translation manager knew that translating multimedia (including graphics, videos, and voiceovers) is significantly more complex than translating software or websites. By hiring the right team, they were prepared to meet an international launch date that was both reasonable and achievable.