The time has come! Until now there’s been a hole on our blog that we’ve been dying to fill: localization or software translation. At Tatutrad, a translation agency with a team of professional translators, we believe that software translation is one of the basics within our industry; that’s why we couldn’t wait any longer to talk about it.
Localization, internationalization, globalization, and app, website and video game translation currently make up one of the most in-demand services for translation agencies and professional translators. Outside of this industry, however, it’s a little-known term. Are you ready to find out more?
What is localization?
The term ‘localization’, also known as ‘software and web page translation’, refers to a translation process in which the source text is not only translated, but also adapted, modified and transformed into a relatively new product in a different language.
Localization tends to be simplified under the assumption that it is a synonym of translation, but in reality, it goes further than that. Localization involves translation, but that’s not all; a good professional translator must also adapt the language content to create a product or service that is tailored to a different context for its commercialisation in a new market.
To achieve this, not only must they translate the text (whatever its format), but also take into account the different cultural, functional and technical aspects. This is where the other terms we mentioned at the beginning of this article, which together make up localization, come into play. And by that, we mean the following concepts:
Globalization:
Globalization is the process whereby the necessary financial, administrative, personnel and marketing business actions are taken in order for the business to grow on an international scale. In other words, it involves expanding a product or service to several different countries.
When it comes to software, web page and video game translation, localization is key as it enables this content to be made available in other countries and cultures.
Internationalization:
Internationalization involves designing a product without assuming that the product is exclusively destined for a single language or market. In other words, it involves simplifying how a product is developed so that the process of localizing the material becomes more straightforward for the professional translator.
That means that when we’re talking about localization, we have to bear in mind that there are three closely related processes:
- The first thing to consider is whether the product is going to be globalized.
- If a client wishes to globalize their product, it must be internationalized; in other words, product development needs to be planned and simplified. To do this, the client needs to think about the languages/cultural contexts they’re wanting to target.
- Lastly, the product must be translated and adapted (the final step of the localization process). This requires a professional localiser to modify/contextualise the product that is going to be marketed to the target market. If you want a high-quality translation, this must be done after the other steps we’ve mentioned.
To summarise, those responsible for developing the material that a client wishes to localize (translate) must take the technical requirements of localization into account.
This may seem all rather complicated. However, thanks to Tatutrad’s extensive experience in web page translation, video game translation and software translation, we can assure you that it is the least costly, most effective and quickest way to take foreign markets by storm.
This translation service offers numerous advantages. Our translation agency in Seville collaborates with large companies and multinational corporations based both in Spain and abroad that are only too well aware of the benefits. We localize and adapt products on a daily basis with excellent results.
The languages we usually work with and which are an important niche in the market are English, Spanish, French, Italian and German. We never tire of adapting video games, corporate web pages, website marketing content, computer programs, mobile apps or software for other markets. We can’t help it; it’s what we love doing!
We hope this brief introduction to localization has familiarised you with some of the key concepts within the translation industry.
It is undoubtedly one of the most complex tasks when translating. Transferring a text into another language becomes all the more complicated when the content has to adapt to the distinctive features of each region and culture. That said, this new focus is of great interest and full of advantages that are worth exploring from the point of view of both the client and translator.
Offering a high-quality service requires specific training and continuous practice with tools, resources and concepts. All content that can be localised will pose specific obstacles, including obstacles related to the film format, character limitations, cultural adaptation, vocabulary or the translation tools.
As a result, the product or service appears to have been designed with the end users of the target language in mind, enabling them to enjoy it in the same way as the consumer of the original product. It’s here that clients realise the profitability of localization, something which only a translation company or professional translator can offer.