What is localization?
With regards to software, localization is the process of adapting web or app content for users in a specific market. More than a word-for-word translation, localization is a multi-step process that accounts for technical and cultural differences.
Localization software lets businesses centralize and automate their localization workflows. Businesses use translation management software to adapt text, currencies, media files, and products to various languages and cultures.
Why is localization important?
A comprehensive localization strategy is necessary for sustainable business growth and global success. Localized software builds brand loyalty by showing respect and gaining local customers' trust. Being mindful of cultural affinities and speaking to locals in their language strengthen customer relationships and ensure better business growth.
Proper use of localization allows businesses to swiftly enter new markets and areas to acquire customers and generate profits. It helps build brand awareness by becoming integrated into various cultural landscapes.
Basic elements of localization
When localizing web and app content, the user experience should be top of mind. To satisfy and meet the needs of audience members and users globally, businesses should consider the following elements:
- Content: At a minimum, website content should help users understand the business and product or service offerings. This could include localizing marketing pages, product listings, or company brand statements. Companies need to localize as much content as budgets allow and prioritize which content is most impactful and meaningful to the end-user.
- Specific formats: Localizing units of measurement and other formats, including date and time, product sizing (weight, height, volume), and time zones reduce the burden of conversion on the user to create a positive experience.
- Currency: In addition to other units of measurement and specific formats, businesses securing payments should localize the currency. Understanding payment amounts is vital to the purchasing process because it’s convenient for the end-user and provides a level of transparency, building trust and stronger relationships from the get-go.
- Graphics, multimedia, and symbols: Companies should be mindful of pictures and symbols and localize them accordingly. Visual elements carry different meanings across cultures, so it’s necessary to determine the right design fit for the target market.
- Fonts and text: Utilizing different font types, sizes, and styles can help convey messages across audiences and provide better user experiences. User experience designers can help businesses understand how to determine these elements for target markets.
- Layout: The user interface layout is a crucial consideration in localization. Changing other elements such as fonts and text, graphics, and content can impact a layout and create an unpleasant user experience. When accommodating user changes, businesses should try to minimize edits to the user interface as much as possible.
- Colors: Like graphics and symbols, colors evoke different meanings and messages across cultures and societies. Companies can leverage color psychology experts to understand the impacts of color.
Benefits of localization
Localization is necessary for business expansion across cultures and markets. Below are some of the benefits enterprises can expect from a localization strategy and implementation:
- Reduced barrier to entry: Expanding a business into a new market comes with many challenges. While localization isn’t a quick fix for all issues, it addresses cultural adaptations and improves connections with local markets. Overall, this reduces the barrier to entry when coming to a new market.
- Higher customer satisfaction and customer base expansion: Addressing and meeting consumers' needs improves customer satisfaction and keeps them coming back. Satisfied customers are an excellent resource for expanding the customer base and generating referrals.
- Competitive edge: Local competitors have an inherent advantage over non-natives, and competing without localization is challenging. Localization also gives businesses a step up over competitors who choose not to localize.
- Increased revenue: A larger and growing audience holds the potential to bring in more revenue. With an effective localization strategy, businesses are likely to increase sales.
Localization vs. internationalization
When discussing translation, localization and internationalization come up when expanding into new markets.
Localization is adapting text, currencies, media files, and products to different languages and cultures. Internationalization is the process of designing products to meet the needs of users internationally or to capture greater market share outside of the products’ native origin.
Internationalization helps businesses build their software for future markets, and localization adapts content for those markets. In many instances, localization follows internationalization.
Alyssa Towns
Alyssa Towns works in communications and change management and is a freelance writer for G2. She mainly writes SaaS, productivity, and career-adjacent content. In her spare time, Alyssa is either enjoying a new restaurant with her husband, playing with her Bengal cats Yeti and Yowie, adventuring outdoors, or reading a book from her TBR list.
