Important Things to Keep in Mind When Localizing Your Business

What to Keep in Mind When Localizing Your Business?

Are you planning to localize your business? Keep reading to learn what to keep in mind when localizing your business.

Localization is an important step in the international expansion strategy for a business. It has to be well planned prior to entering a new market. Businesses should in advance examine conjuncture of the potential market and take into consideration common marketing principles.

Importance of Localization and Localizing Your Business

Localization, also known as L10n, is the process of adapting your business to target markets. In this sense, your business has to sound and feel local. L10N is not only the translation of your content but a process that covers translation. Aspects like culture, religion, and local preferences should be considered when creating a product or service that can meet the locals’ expectations. In addition to translation, localization also covers customizing many elements like currency, time format, colors, icons, etc.

That is why localization is an important tool in turning the new market search to local operations, which must be carefully planned. It is important that the company that is going to be localized is aware of the dynamics of the new market. Therefore, reaching your target with the right message is essential.

Localizing Cultural Differences

An important factor in localization is the understanding of cultural differences in countries, and even in cities! It is crucial to be aware of these differences in order to correctly execute every step of the localization process. From updating the website to advertisement campaigns. Research on the topic shows that a great deal of the mistakes done during the localization process is a result of a misunderstanding of other cultures for brands that are moving towards globalization.

For example, it is more appealing for advertisement campaigns to be short and entertaining as part of the consumerist culture in the European market. In Asia, on the other hand, consumers are more influenced by advertisement campaigns that have a story behind and thus, are longer. Although companies that are not aware of these expectations might have succeeded at establishing a market and value balance, it is difficult for these companies to compete and be successful in markets where local brands are dominant. For this reason, the localization process requires collaboration with local companies and professionals. It is directly related to the success of these aides in their knowledge of the market and the local culture. Therefore, companies must carefully choose the establishments that they will collaborate with to realize localization operations.

Language and User Experience

In addition to cultural differences, language is an important factor in localization. Many companies make mistakes due to their lack of correctly understanding the subject. Regarding language, the differences between alphabets and meanings are the most critical points and greatly affect the user experience. Errors in this area do not only damage the brand value but also cause high costs. For example, when the Ford brand introduced “Probe” to the German market, it had planned for a fast growth. However, Probe meant test in German and potential customers thought that this model was a test car. Therefore, sales were below expected and the company was forced to change the name of the model.

Furthermore, many companies that enter the Arab markets prefer simply prefer changing the direction of script rather than re-designing the layout, which shows that they don’t pay enough attention to user experience. When we consider all these factors, translation companies that are employed must first be evaluated in terms of their references and businesses must be careful about only selecting professional companies.

Conclusion 

Although globalization means the removal of economic borders, this situation also gives certain significant responsibilities to companies. In this sense, there appeared an operational flow caused by this opportunity and companies that could make the most of it prospered, becoming multinational establishments. On the other hand, localization is highly significant in the framework of globalization and signifies more to the companies that are aiming to become multinational, than simply being translation companies. In your all localization endeavors, Protranslate is always by your side with its professional team and has already succeeded at localizing hundreds of companies today thanks to its knowledge of Turkey and the MENA region.