If one of your goals for your business is to cater to the global market, but you aren’t planning to localize your software at all, then we’re telling you – you’re making a big mistake.
You see, no software localization means unintentionally limiting your market reach. There’s also a good chance that your brand will risk being inaccessible and not customer-friendly. Of course, it’s also a given that you will miss out on expansion-related opportunities.
That said, there is no reason for you not to avail of a software localization company. If you’re still not convinced, this article may help you understand its importance better. We’ll specifically walk you through the processes involved in localization, why you should do this, and who you can turn to for a reliable localization service.
What Are the Things Involved in Software Localization?
The actual workflow and sequence of localization will depend on several factors like the service provider, your software, your needs, goals, requirements, and so much more. This means that one project will vary from another.
That said, if you want to know how software localization is done, you’ll need to be knowledgeable about the involved sub-processes. Below are the main ones you can expect:
Content Translation
Content translation is one of the most significant parts of software localization. From the name, this process involves translating your software’s content from one language to another. It can be done more than once, especially if you launch your product in several foreign countries.
Translating content is one of the critical factors that will expand your audience and market reach. With this, you won’t have to worry about the possibility of having only a tiny group understand your message, nor will you have to limit your software to English speakers.
In the simplest sense, the role of this process in localization lies in ensuring that your brand gets a worldwide reach.
Design Modification
One of the most common misconceptions about localization is that it’s only made up of content translation. This can’t be more wrong, though. For instance, another part of the process involves design modification.
In a nutshell, design modification refers to updating the design of your current software and matching it with whoever your target audience is.
For example, if the design is currently for your US-based audience, there’s a great chance that you used the most popular colors in the country, including blue, white, pink, and gray. If you’re going to localize this to your UK-based audience, you may want to update your software to designs that match the UK’s favorite color schemes. Take royal-inspired color schemes made up of red and gold, for example.
Design modification also applies to other aspects like fonts, icons, page layout, and everything else related to the software’s visuals.
Numerical Conversions
You already know that different countries use different currencies. The dates and time zones are also other. This is where the process of numerical conversions comes in.
In this part, your service provider will convert any convertible numerical figure you included in your software’s content. They will alter real-time dates depending on your software’s country, currencies, and even statistics.
Cultural Sensitivity Checks
There are many different cultures all over the world. If you don’t pay that much attention to your content and write anything you want, there’s a good chance that you may offend a specific group of people. This will reflect poorly on your brand, if so.
This is why cultural sensitivity checks are done. Professionals skim through the content of your software, including the textual and visual files, and check whether any of them may seem insensitive towards certain cultures.
Software Testing
Software testing is usually done in the last part of the software localization process. Here, the localization testing company rruns the software and checks if there are any translation errors, incompatible designs, mistyped codes, or anything faulty. This is also when the software is evaluated in terms of the quality and user experience it can provide.
Is Software Localization Necessary?
Technically, software localization isn’t necessary. You will still be able to launch, access, and sell your software without going through this.
However, if we look at it practically, things can take a complete turn. For a start, not having this will restrict the opportunities and growth that your brand can get.
On the flip side, you are having your software localized guarantees an international reach, a bigger audience, and more sources of leads and sales. If your goal involves any of the said benefits, we can say that localization is necessary for you.
Can You Localize Your Software Yourself?
You can’t localize your software yourself unless you’re very knowledgeable and experienced in coding and general tech processes.
Suppose you proceed to focus on this aspect of your software launch. In that case, paying enough attention to things like sales, conversions, building customer relationships, and other related elements will be impossible. Even if you’re confident in your skills, it’s still not advisable since the whole process will require a lot of time and effort. Also, it should be mentioned that you will need to consult native speakers anyway to localize your product correctly.
Because of this, the best solution is to avail of software localization services from a professional localization service provider. In this way, the only thing you need to invest is money, which will pay off once your software launches.
Summary
There’s no doubt that software localization is one of the best things you can do for your brand. It will ensure that your content and products will reach the international market. It’s also essential in constantly building brand visibility and presence.
Contrary to common misconceptions, localization is not all about translating your content into another language. It’s so much more than that because it involves other processes like updating or totally modifying designs, converting currencies, cross-checking cultural references, and so much more. The whole thing will take a lot of time, depending on your software’s content and goals.
Make sure that you will avail of localization services from legitimate and reliable service providers. Software localization isn’t necessary before launching, but it will give you an advantage over other brands. The quality of the service will play a big part in how it will affect your software, though.