Post by habiba123820 on Nov 6, 2024 3:28:01 GMT -6
You’ve probably heard the saying, “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey that matters.” As technology continues to shrink our world and expand our possibilities, the journey becomes increasingly important. We can already reach the other side of the world in a virtual instant, but what will we do with that opportunity?
When you are considering localization versus internationalization for your business, it is a mistake to think of them as destinations along your global marketing journey.
They are dynamic and integral elements of your ongoing journey around the world. Both localization and internationalization are critical to your product’s success in international markets, and they wordpress web design agency work closely together in your company’s strategy, now and in the future. Rather than trying to distinguish between them, let’s explore the interplay between them that is most important to understand as you move forward.
Localization vs Internationalization - Breaking Down the Barriers
Localization is the transformation of content so that it feels natural and familiar to local users around the world. Translation is part of the localization process , but it goes far beyond that in its efforts to appeal to the target market. Localization can be a combination of approaches—translating content, adapting your product line, and setting up systems such as accepting payments—that make marketing possible in a foreign market. Internationalization is a set of methodologies and best practices in product design and software development that facilitate localization.
It is a technical process that is informed by localization. For example, facilitating localization for time and date formats, text directionality, and text expansion is essential. Without these preparatory steps, translation may not progress very far. Together, internationalization and localization bring several desirable results:
Robust systems architecture
When internationalization is a core strategy from the start, it guides crucial decisions like choosing a CMS with tools to manage a variety of content streams and ensuring that all of your tools and software can communicate with each other. Not to mention, internationalization ensures that your product is robust and versatile to facilitate multiple language formats. Similarly, localization requires a platform that is flexible and scalable enough to accommodate all of your stakeholders and indefinite growth. The ideal scenario is when these diverse systems integrate seamlessly and management is largely automated .
Flexible availability of user interface and database design
A big part of initial internationalization is making sure you're prepared to handle all languages effectively. Anticipate that some language translations will take up much more space than the source language; anticipate double-byte characters and RTL languages.
Be prepared to adapt your product to situations that are unfamiliar. Japanese users of a localized app, for example, should be able to enter their addresses in the unique Japanese format.
Russian users expect to provide their patronymics along with their contact information, and they will notice if you don’t ask for them. Asking for a Russian user’s patronymic is one aspect of localization. But internationalization must first ensure that your user interface and database are set up to collect this unique information. Internationalization prepares your product to be functional and relevant globally . When localization and translation occur, they don’t break your interface or make it incoherent.
Maximum efficiency
Internationalization lays the foundation for certain critical capabilities, often before you need them. Planning ahead for localization in the ways we’ve already discussed can save you significant time and money down the road.
If you skip the initial steps, in your rush to localize, your German translation may be too large to fit on the screen, Japanese users may not be able to enter their correct addresses and actually make purchases, and the user interface may not be able to display Arabic characters correctly. Retrospective internationalization is complicated and laborious.
When you are considering localization versus internationalization for your business, it is a mistake to think of them as destinations along your global marketing journey.
They are dynamic and integral elements of your ongoing journey around the world. Both localization and internationalization are critical to your product’s success in international markets, and they wordpress web design agency work closely together in your company’s strategy, now and in the future. Rather than trying to distinguish between them, let’s explore the interplay between them that is most important to understand as you move forward.
Localization vs Internationalization - Breaking Down the Barriers
Localization is the transformation of content so that it feels natural and familiar to local users around the world. Translation is part of the localization process , but it goes far beyond that in its efforts to appeal to the target market. Localization can be a combination of approaches—translating content, adapting your product line, and setting up systems such as accepting payments—that make marketing possible in a foreign market. Internationalization is a set of methodologies and best practices in product design and software development that facilitate localization.
It is a technical process that is informed by localization. For example, facilitating localization for time and date formats, text directionality, and text expansion is essential. Without these preparatory steps, translation may not progress very far. Together, internationalization and localization bring several desirable results:
Robust systems architecture
When internationalization is a core strategy from the start, it guides crucial decisions like choosing a CMS with tools to manage a variety of content streams and ensuring that all of your tools and software can communicate with each other. Not to mention, internationalization ensures that your product is robust and versatile to facilitate multiple language formats. Similarly, localization requires a platform that is flexible and scalable enough to accommodate all of your stakeholders and indefinite growth. The ideal scenario is when these diverse systems integrate seamlessly and management is largely automated .
Flexible availability of user interface and database design
A big part of initial internationalization is making sure you're prepared to handle all languages effectively. Anticipate that some language translations will take up much more space than the source language; anticipate double-byte characters and RTL languages.
Be prepared to adapt your product to situations that are unfamiliar. Japanese users of a localized app, for example, should be able to enter their addresses in the unique Japanese format.
Russian users expect to provide their patronymics along with their contact information, and they will notice if you don’t ask for them. Asking for a Russian user’s patronymic is one aspect of localization. But internationalization must first ensure that your user interface and database are set up to collect this unique information. Internationalization prepares your product to be functional and relevant globally . When localization and translation occur, they don’t break your interface or make it incoherent.
Maximum efficiency
Internationalization lays the foundation for certain critical capabilities, often before you need them. Planning ahead for localization in the ways we’ve already discussed can save you significant time and money down the road.
If you skip the initial steps, in your rush to localize, your German translation may be too large to fit on the screen, Japanese users may not be able to enter their correct addresses and actually make purchases, and the user interface may not be able to display Arabic characters correctly. Retrospective internationalization is complicated and laborious.