Software Localization
Looking forward to conquering new online markets? We at HumanTranslation understand that digital markets can only be targeted with the help of some media rather than directly. With that in mind, we can help you get a top-notch quality translation of your software. Localization will inevitably bring you new opportunities and attract customers from the digital globe in an effective way.
Looking forward to conquering new online markets? We at HumanTranslation understand that digital markets can only be targeted with the help of some media rather than directly. With that in mind, we can help you get a top-notch quality translation of your software. Localization will inevitably bring you new opportunities and attract customers from the digital globe in an effective way.
Our specialists have a proper background and understand which cultural aspects should be taken into account to seamlessly process the software. HumanTranslation’s experts will gladly meet your deadlines (sometimes even tight ones) at an affordable cost while retaining the top quality that we are proud of.
Software Localization: Fundamentals
What do we mean by software localization, anyway?
This is a procedure during which our experts adapt your software to ensure it is easily understood by an individual that grew up in a different cultural and linguistic environment. This adaptation may include local units, video content, and graphical issues. The translation is not enough as we have to ensure your software seems natural to the end user in each aspect.
Software localization services may look to you as yet another kind of translation in which you replace a portion of text with another portion and get the desired result. But the work we need to do is much more complex as our experts have to think about the location and proper size of navigation elements as well to achieve that natural appearance. What is more, we may need to translate some backend parts to make sure your software can be updated.
Take an English app that needs localization for Chinese users. What issues will you identify if all you do is translate the strings in a quality manner? You may have poor usability as the font may shrink or fail to support Chinese hieroglyphs at all. And we have not even started considering the layout and the quantity of information that Chinese users are accustomed to seeing.
We hope we managed to show that software localization is a much more complicated area than you probably think if you consider the problem superficially.
Why Bother with Localization?
The question may seem naïve or strange, but many of our clients would rather have a clear reason why they should resort to all those translation difficulties. And we will attempt to show it to you.
The digital market may be potentially unlimited if you enter it properly, but the secret lies in the word “properly”. You need to specialize in a particular market (with its culture, conventions, and dialect) to ensure the product is a success with users. If you study the clients’ preferences, you might find out that the conventional features you are providing to the current users will not be any good for the new ones!
If your app is outstanding, it will be used without localization by a limited quantity of users (in English, which is a software lingua franca). But users will still see that the product was not specially developed for them, and that the company did not take special care of their community. And while they will continue to use your product, they will not have any special attachment to it – and when customers have no emotions, they have nothing to share with others, so they will not recommend your app. And this is something you should not miss in your global expansion strategy!
Any product should make an impact to be a success. However, your app with no localization, poor localization, and excellent localization will make absolutely different impacts! An app with poor localization (for instance, the one that was just translated, without localization efforts applied) can even do harm to your reputation.
High-quality software localization will always be an advantage – and we at HumanTranslation can provide this advantage to you! If your product looks native, it is easy to adore, recommend and use, and you have immensely higher chances of succeeding with your product.
Software Localization: Anatomy
What are the major elements you have to concentrate on to successfully localize your app? Localization is a multi-layer concept as you start with dates, currency, and measurements and end with geopolitical issues that may determine the influence you are producing! In this section, we will enumerate the major fields that need your attention to successfully localize your app.
Text issues
What influence does the language produce on the program and how does it modify it? This is a great question that should be answered before we start any localization efforts. This is especially noticeable if you consider the languages written left to right, like Hebrew or Arabic. In these cases, we not only change the text orientation but also restructure all buttons, menus, dialog boxes, and so on to ensure the interface is customary for the user.
And even after you’ve completed that, you will have to look at how the new version will appear on the screen and how your software will work with all these modifications. Experts at HumanTranslation know how natives work with the apps in a certain language, so they can make an optimal interface for their use.
Graphic Design
Localization means that you have to look at all the elements you have with a critical eye. The images you may have anywhere in your software should not look offensive or confusing in other cultures where the sign language may be very different from what you know. And while road signs are standard in each country to make it possible for drivers of any nationality to recognize them, other signs may have absolutely different meanings.
- For example, what is the meaning of a red flag? It can mean “no-no” in some localities, and if you put it to signal some neutral event in your app, for instance, it may confuse an average user.
- Make a circle with your thumb and forefinger. What does it mean? It will be unmistakably taken for “OK” in the USA, while it may look offensive in other countries.
- Is an owl a clever or a stupid bird? Well, it depends on the country where you are staying. It is a stupid bird according to Asian beliefs and a clever bird in America.
As you see, you need to exclude anything from the symbols that may cause confusion, offense, or have any connection with religion as this is probably the most vulnerable sphere.
Make sure the graphical elements resonate with the desired audience and convey the meaning you intend them to convey.
Does the task sound too challenging? Let our experts do the job for you!
User Experience
The information is presented in different ways across cultures, and users will interact with your content differently. If you are targeting Japanese users, for instance, give them more sidebars, hyperlinks, and information boxes to present the options. Otherwise, they will feel like they have nothing to choose from.
The information is presented in different ways across cultures, and users will interact with your content differently. If you are targeting Japanese users, for instance, give them more sidebars, hyperlinks, and information boxes to present the options. Otherwise, they will feel like they have nothing to choose from.
Remember that you have to take care of mobile and desktop versions. It is sometimes difficult to discover the tacit conventions of the users in a certain country, but the game is surely worth the candle: your efforts will yield hundreds and thousands of satisfied users.
Why HumanTranslation?
Here are the things we offer – and some of them can be really valuable to you:
- We have localization specialists with appropriate credentials who are native speakers of the target language and technical specialists at the same time.
- If you need access to global markets, we offer software localization in over a hundred languages.
- Our pricing is transparent, competitive, and affordable: we value your time and money!
- Round-the-clock support: we have managers and linguists in different time zones to make sure you can get support whenever you need it!
Contact us today to make the first step toward your global success!
What makes a good translation? First of all, a high-quality source text. If this is a marketing piece of translation, for instance, and the original seems to convey some vague message that is hard to understand for the translator, it will be just as vague for the reader. Therefore, the customer should be prepared to work on the text to get a really good translation, and the translator should be ready to ask the customer to do so. This will make cooperation really beneficial – contrary to the “I-need-the-translation-quickly” approach that may not bear the fruit you want.
Ask the client about the country for which the translation is intended. The Arabic dialect required for Saudi Arabia will differ from the one appropriate for Egypt or Lebanon.
Most Arabic translations will require transcreation due to major cultural differences between English and Arab countries.
The target audience will determine the level of formality required in Arabic texts, so be sure to find out all the required information from the client.
The more important the translation, the higher quality should be agreed upon with the customer. High quality is achieved by editing, sometimes by several editors; it may add up to the cost, but it will finally pay off.
