Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash 

Tools have made our work easier since at least 2.6 million years ago during the Early Stone Age. They used to be hammerstones, stone cores, and sharp stone flakes that could make fire, hunt for dinner, and cut through stuff.  

Today our means for survival changed, and so did our toolset. This is to say that even before a pandemic hit the globe, constantly looking for shortcuts to simplify processes is a human thing to do. Softwares and collaborative platforms have been on the rise for years, and they never seem to reach their peak. 

What does this mean for companies? To start with, there are at least two big benefits that branch out. One is that multinationals or smaller companies working across countries can provide user-friendly and intuitive tools that simulate face-to-face coworking. Centralized databases, chats, shared documents, collaborative planning platforms, and the like. Because of this, the talent pool multiplies by the thousands. Increasingly, talent is selected because of its, well… talent, and not because of where the person is based.  

Following this line of thought, the second big benefit is hybrid hiring strategies. Working freelance has never been so easy. This allows for all industries to analyze their needs and demands, structure their ideal organization chart, and put it to practice. It creates an internationalized work-frame.  

And it’s about more than just work optimization. These online platforms are valuable across many different industries and communities. Healthcare coverage abroad needs complex software and data management in every country. Students and teachers across all education levels use Moodles, e-learning platforms, and apps designed for teaching.  

However, if these myriad online tools are not accessible in the user’s native language, then many of these benefits become heavy-weight anchors.  

Localizing our everyday 

Localization focuses on making text both linguistically and culturally accurate. It’s a process that acknowledges that a direct translation is not enough. Sometimes, it’s not even about considering what to do when going from one language to another. Sometimes it can be about catering to cultural differences such as the gap between American and British English.  

A few main areas of concern in the localization process are: 

Spelling 

Expressions 

Idioms 

Vocabulary 

Cultural references 

Imperial vs. metric measurements 

Currency units 

Date formats 

By “areas of concern” we mean items that will be localized. Having data in your local currency simplifies large amounts of inaccurate math done on the side. Adapting vocabulary engages the user.  

In turn, if you’re a company, more productivity means better ROI and shorter learning curves. If you’re an e-learning platform, it means a higher completion rate and course attendees. If it’s a healthcare platform, it means better treatment, patient management, and safer procedures. Asides from, in all cases, identifying culturally sensitive content and flags, which will give you more knowledge about who your organization is and what to pay attention to. 

Localizing your software helps improve the user experience. If you have a multilingual audience, it is key that all of them can understand the content and how to interact with your software. 

What are the most popular examples of localization? We can mention translations of the application user interface (UI), user manuals, product websites, marketing, and sales literature. 

UI translation includes translating text, buttons and data fields, and UI testing, to check that the localized elements are displayed correctly in an interactive way. 

Breaking down the process 

What are you bound to meet within this process? 

1. A localization engineer who generates the workflow needed to enable quick and accurate localization. 

2. A Project Manager who coordinates tasks related to translation and localization. 

3. A QA Manager who guarantees that the localization process fulfills quality standards. 

If you’re specifically keen on e-Learning localization, it’s the same with a higher emphasis on maximizing the impact of training programs and student engagement. It customizes images, symbols, pictures, fonts, idioms, currency, dates, tone, acronyms, measurement units, and other specifics to deliver the exact meaning of the source course in a specific cultural context. 

At Stillman Translations, we work with professionals who have the cultural background to localize what you need, the way you need it. Contact us and learn more.