New eBook: Preparing for Localisation

The internet has opened the door to any company that wants to go global.

With one click, a consumer can now buy shoes from Paris while lying in bed in Beijing or sitting in a Buenos Aires coffee shop.

The world is digitally enabled and buying online. Almost 70 percent of European internet users made at least one purchase in 2018, with 36 percent of those users buying goods and services from countries besides their own. Meanwhile, the Asian e-commerce market is set to reach $1.4 trillion in the near future.

Buyers in Europe, Asia, and South America all have one thing in common: when making buying decisions online, 75 percent say they prefer to read product information in their native language. In fact, 60 percent say they never buy from English-only sites.

Translating your website or other digital material is just one step toward addressing an international marketplace.

To truly go global, your content must be localised.

What Is Localisation?

Arriving at a website that wasn’t intended for you can feel a lot like traveling to a foreign country you hadn’t planned to visit. You don’t recognise the currency or know the exchange rate. You struggle to read the signs. You scan the landscape for something familiar, but nothing seems to be where you expect it to be.

If you’ve ever experienced this, you already understand the importance of localisation, even if you’re not exactly sure what it means.

Localisation is often confused with translation, but these terms actually mean two different things. Whereas translation is the process of converting text from one language to another, localisation is the entire process of adapting a product or content for a specific location or market.

Localisation also involves adapting other elements for a target market, including:

• Modifying graphics and design to properly display translated text.
• Changing content to suit preferences.
• Converting to local currencies and units of measurement.
• Using proper formatting for elements such as dates, addresses, and phone numbers.
• Addressing local regulations and legal requirements.

In short, localisation gives something the look and feel expected by the target audience.

But where to begin? Any successful localisation project requires careful planning and attention to detail.

Our new e-book, Preparing for Localisation, is designed to help you define the scope of your localisation project. It will help you ask fundamental questions, avoid common mistakes, and save costs from the outset.

In this e-book, you will find:

• 15 questions to answer before launching your localisation project.
• Common mistakes to avoid when localizing content.
• Ways to keep localisation costs in check.
• Steps to understanding your localisation options.
• Tips for choosing the right localisation provider.

LanguageLine Can Help

LanguageLine Solutions is the global leader in innovative language access solutions. We are a trusted partner to more than 28,000 organisations, including more than 70 percent of the Fortune 100.

Our industry-leading solutions include translation, localisation, over-the-phone interpreting (OPI), video remote interpreting (VRI), on-site interpreting, and interpreter testing and training services. We provide language support in more than 240 written and spoken languages, as well as British Sign Language, and can easily and expertly handle projects of any size or type.

The high-touch, high-quality solutions offered by our translation and localisation division include eLearning, websites, software, online applications, and multimedia localisation.

Other globalisation services include quality assurance testing (hardware & software), localisation engineering services, integration of content management solutions, and automated workflow technology.

Moreover, our ability to complete complex, multi-language projects on time with superior quality is unrivalled. Please contact us so that we can learn more about your localisation project.