Introduction to localization agencies
Localization agencies help companies go global and help their products succeed at it. Nowadays, it’s hard to find a business that doesn’t, or shouldn’t, consider itself an international presence. Everything and everyone is closely interconnected. Most companies operate in a constant global-first mode when it comes to expanding their footprint and reaching out to and tapping into new international markets. Localization agencies help such businesses bridge the gap between them and markets and consumers in any foreign country by adapting their content, products, and services to suit the specific linguistic and cultural context of each country, the so-called ‘local’ space.
The importance of localization in global success
Everything needs to be adapted to the local audience: the business model, marketing, product, communication, customer service. Everything necessary to create a connection – to localize. Businesses do that for a reason. Enabling a product or service locally makes it more engaging and relevant and establishes trust. For retailers, localization also means taking regional shopping habits into account, for example, requirements for shipment, duration of sales, and discounts. By doing so, companies show their foreign customers that they care. Investing time and energy in localization leads to a deeper understanding of an international audience, ultimately driving sales. In today’s world, localization is much more than just translating content. Localizing means considering cultural sensitivities, local legislation, and market preferences.
How localization agencies help businesses expand internationally
Localization agencies are strategic partners for any business expanding to global markets. Such agencies know their target markets very well. Not only do they nurture communication with local target audiences by providing comprehensive website localization services, from translation and adaptation to the development of localized subcultures, but agencies also have all the relevant knowledge and skills needed to overcome language, cultural, and legal barriers. They help businesses establish sound localization strategies that can realize the purpose of targeting local communications at relevant markets. Thanks to localization agencies, companies can capture new markets, grow market share, and sustain further growth.
Understanding the role of a localization agency
A localization agency acts as an intermediary between companies and their markets, enabling them to cross the language and cultural barriers that might otherwise exist for effective communication with a target market. A localization agency is organized in a way as to establish a central hub or an office from which one or more resources, i.e., a language expert or a translator, a cultural consultant, and a project manager, adapt the content to a specific market, and has knowledge of the target language, culture and also the terminology from and for a given industry or activity domain. Using translation technology and tools, they play a crucial role in ensuring efficient content production for localization on multiple channels or media.
Critical services offered by localization agencies
Some services offered by localization agencies to facilitate the international development of companies include:
- Translation and localization making sure that the content is adapted from a linguistic and cultural perspective. Localization agencies tend to be generally discriminating, always preferring to work with professional, highly qualified native-language translators who will produce a quality product through localization.
- Localizing the website and software: They adjust the interface of the website or software to the target language and culture to satisfy the user
- Localization of multimedia: Localization service providers localize video, animations, and e-learning modules for any field of entertainment and education for the audience to enjoy across countries.
- Consultants provide information about cultural norms, preferences, and sensitivities and advice on influencing the supply side to change products and services accordingly.
- Quality check: Localization agencies implement rigorous quality-check procedures to ensure that the content is accurate, flawlessly written in the target language, and error-free.
The benefits of working with a localization agency
Collaborating with a localization agency offers numerous benefits for businesses venturing into international markets:
- Specialized know-how and knowledge: Good localization agencies have specialized know-how and knowledge of language, culture.
2. Saving time, money, and effort: Localization, adapted by linguistic experts, is more cost-saving and expedient than in-house translation and adaptation.
3. Consistency and quality of the finished product: Working with localization agencies offers more consistent quality control of the message and the brand, which is critical to customer stickiness.
4. Avoiding social slip-ups and culturally sensitive issues: Localization companies help companies avoid potential social slips and offer non-offensive or boorish materials from a cultural perspective.
Factors to consider when choosing a localization agency
When selecting a localization agency, it is essential to consider the following factors:
- One: Expertise and experience: How long has the agency worked in your industry and target markets?
- Linguistic diversity: Does the agency offer the languages you need to be localized?
- Encoding: does the agency employ powerful computer tools to help its translators?
- Quality assurance: Ask about the agency’s quality assurance process. How do they ensure the content is in good shape through localization?
- References: Ask the agency to provide references from companies they have previously worked with. Ask for their feedback on how satisfied they were with the agency’s work and how effective the results were.
Trends and innovations in the localization industry
Yet, the localization industry behaves like these changes happened in its backyard. Trends and technologies coming out of the localization industry include:
- Improvements in machine translation and AI: recent improvements in computer-based translation and artificial intelligence are reducing the need for human translation.
- ‘Deep learning’ neural machine translation provides better-localized quality at the contextual level.
- Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR): Developers of these technologies are creating tools for rapid localization, offering the tools to make AR and VR content instantly accessible to international audiences.
Conclusion: The future of localization agencies in a globalized world
Today, most businesses are global businesses. When international trade is involved, be it online or on the ground, companies need to overcome language and cultural barriers by connecting with global audiences through language, culture, and technology. A localization agency is a consulting team that could help a business leverage globalization.
