Basic Guide to Language Localization by Axiom Translate!

This insight will teach you about language localization. You will understand what it is as well as why it is important for your business. Ready? Let us take the driving seat and share some expertise.

Real Life Scenario

Imagine landing on a web page which is not written in a language that you speak or understand. This can be a strange feeling. Remember the last time something like that happened to you? Many people do. They usually associate that experience with frustration.

Some say it can feel a lot like visiting a new country. However, a country that you do not know anything about. In a similar scenario even simple things like asking for a glass of water can be a challenge. The challenge gradually becomes bigger if you can’t recognize the currency and its exchange rate. Even bigger if you cannot read the signs. No one speaks your language. You scan the landscape for something familiar. You find nothing. As a consequence you easily start feeling lost and overwhelmed.

Now this was a fictitious situation. Its purpose – start building some understanding on how your potential customers feel when visiting your web page which is not on a language they fully understand.

Science of Language Localization

Remember, understanding is a three part process. The first one refers to the input of the information presented. The second one is the mental processing of the information. The third one is generating an output defined by the reaction on that information, or the behavioral response.

Science proves that the less your target client understands the language and semantics you have used in your message, the less positive reaction will occur. Trevor Harley uses pure scientific data to explain how language and the brain reactions are connected via interactive activation model.

Your Clients Matter

Let’s put the science aside and move back to our little scenario. You have experienced the feeling of being lost in a foreign language environment and culture? Or you just felt its disturbing inconvenience by reading the above comparison? Great. Now, you know how most of the world feels when they experience your great monolingual website, product, user manual or marketing material. By now, you have started to acknowledge, why localization is really important to both your business and your potential customers. But what is localization?

What is Language Localization?

Yandex beats Google in the Russian speaking world. Bloomberg TV has got a separate programming for its Turkish audience. WeChat is bigger in China than WhatsApp. What do these things have in common? Language localization.

This is a great start. Our expert team would like to add localization and translation are entirely separate. Nevertheless, these are often confused. Translation is the act of converting one language to another. Language localization is much more. It includes adapting the product and content to the specific market and its culture code. Localization often involves a whole set of activities. These include addressing local rules and legal requirements, converting measurement metric systems, adapting graphics content and much more.

To sum up, localization gives the necessary impression and character to your message. This is how your target local audience builds the brand perception you want.

Real Language Localization Numbers

You have developed a great product and fantastic service and you know you are ready to expand to new markets. Your website is slick, modern and intuitive. You will can surely expand to new markets and capture audiences… who understand English. No one likes arguments without numbers. At #AxiomTranslate we love data. This is why we will share some numbers with you.

Scot Hale, from the Oxford Internet Institute, found that only 11% of twitter users are multilingual. According to Iris Orriss , Facebook’s internationalization head, 79% of the platform users within the 450 million population of the EU are using it in a language other than English. “It makes business sense. When people understand the language of an application, they sign on engaged and remain at higher rates.” said Orris. DW has found that 90% of the internet users prefer to surf the internet on their own language. A Eurobarometer study has pointed out that most of the internet users never spend money online on a website in a language which is not their own. In Asia, the world’s fastest growing region, 90% of new internet users are not English speakers according to Rajan Anandan, Sequoia Capital’s Managing Director and former Google VP in the region.

Huge Market Miss or Language Localization

In other words, you will miss to address 79% of EU Facebook users, most of the people who purchase online and 90% of the new internet users in Asia should you choose not to localize your content and support. The EU has got 24 official languages. As a result, you might be in a regulatory trouble should you miss to address the respective local language display legislation.

These numbers are one of the many reasons why language localization can be important to your business prospects. Adapting existing products to new markets and countries is also a key to global growth and scaling. Delivering customized product and message which is tailor-made for your local audience will help you gain impeccable reputation and client trust.

Who Needs Localization?

Common Sense Advisory report has found that 75% of consumers worldwide are more likely to buy goods and services when their corresponding information is in their native language. Following that logic, anyone who would like to reach global audience should consider language localization. To really address international markets you should not only localize your website, but also consider working on your marketing mix, user manuals, product guides, customer support, etc.

To Sum Up

Translation is part of the localization process, which involves much more. The set of language localization activities involves a lot. Usually, these activities include adapting your content to the target market, reflecting the local culture code and strictly ensuring local legislation is respected.

Science and numbers demonstrate that while anticipating to expand product or service to multiple national and regional markets language localization needs to be considered. Planning ahead for this process can help you design products and services that satisfy broader user base.

Language Localization Provider?

Language localization is really important part of international expansion. Choosing a partner that can help you echo your message around the world is not an easy task. At Axiom Translate, we specialize in producing and adapting content for global audiences. If you want your message to be heard internationally, contact us. Let us accompany you trough the journey to the global market.