The worldwide market offers brands with a large customer base. Brands also minimize expenditure through economies of scale. They diversify risks and minimize negative impacts affecting one geographic location. Software localization can help companies serve customers in different locations globally better. From one central point, brands can develop programs with multiple languages for different end users. The UI design should serve the cultural context of every local audience. It benefits brands with a higher market share, global sales, and new customer base.
What does software localization mean?
Software localization means adapting an application or website to meet the cultural and language needs of a community. In marketing, it targets a specific market in a geographic region. Developers first consider software internationalization to meet a global marketing need. They then consider each local community across different regions of the world.
How can brands implement software localization?
Localization programming allows you to include non-lingual features in your program. It includes UI localization to add elements that local users can identify with. You must work with a team that understands the local cultural contexts in each region. Include key features such as symbols, images, and photos. They must not look offensive to the local community.
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Create your scope
Before you start your software localization process, understand the scope of the work needed. Define the local areas to be covered and the resources available. Understand the dynamics in each region including the legal aspects at work.
Research the market
Each market behaves differently and you need to understand them in detail. Understand the primary religion in the area, culture, family, and government structures. Know the linguistic patterns in the area and their purchase behavior.
Create specific timeframe
Competition keeps building daily and you want to tap into the market the soonest. If you take a longer time to localize, you might miss important opportunities.
Start with software internationalization
An internationalized program features multiple languages. Include every main language in different regions. Scale the speed for the software to send and respond to queries fast. Decoupled software is easier to scale.
Create a workflow program and assign a team
For smooth development, have an elaborate workflow strategy in place. Have a qualified team for each phase.
Software localization best practices for serving a global audience
Inadequate preparation could lead to a plan that might not work. Many brands fail to heed translation and localization needs. Here are localization best practices.
Use quality software localization tool
Building an international platform requires care. It must meet the language and cultural needs of different communities. Your choice of tools is important. To avoid using too many tools, choose quality tools with the most required features. Instead of buying, you may choose to outsource the best software localization services for your project.
Create internationalized numbers, dates, and time
Failure to internationalize numbers, dates, and times can create a lot of confusion. Remember their formatting and display differ across regions. Create one code but separate each element within the code. Consider studying a few localization examples to understand how the strategy works.
Adopt UI localization
One of the app localization tips is to adopt UI localization. This means the UI should have local features for each region. It includes things like localized photos, images, and icons.
Work with local teams
A local team understands the religious and cultural context of their region better. They can help you create codes and content that fit local users.
Test before launching
And internationalized/localized software is complicated. Your team might have missed some features. It is necessary to test before launching.
Benefits of software localization
It might be hard to implement software localization but the benefits that follow are immense.
- Enhanced international market share. Reaching the international market at the local level opens new market opportunities. It makes it easier for the local community to engage with your brand and become customers.
- Makes marketing efforts easier. It is easier to explain how your product works to people in a language they understand. They can relate better to the product.
- Minimizes cost. It’s costly to hire people to work for you and open offices in each region. Localized software minimizes operational costs significantly.
- Stand out of the competition. Localized software enhances engagement with customers and increases brand awareness. Your brand stands higher in the competition.
Conclusion
The idea of software localization is gaining pace as brands compete for new markets. Organizations seeking to localize their software need to understand the global market first. Their implementation strategy must have the local community in mind. It benefits brands with enhanced market share, increased engagement, and sales.
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