There is a famous saying by Rita Mae Brown that ‘Language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going.’
Isn’t it true that language is the common thread that connects us all? And when this language is blended with localization, it expands its horizons beyond borders.
Nowadays, businesses understand that localization is the key strategy for engaging users across different cultures and languages. So, to streamline and enhance this Localization process, a myriad of translation and localization tools have emerged, empowering your business to adapt content seamlessly to various linguistic and cultural contexts.
This blog post is dedicated to the importance of localization tools, why we should use them, and the factors you need to consider.
Why should we use localization tools?
Before understanding why we should use localization tools, we need to understand what localization is. Localization is the process of adapting your brand’s products or services to suit the local context of the target audience in a target market. And for this localization process, you require localization tools. Did you know your favorite McDonald’s has adapted its menu to suit the tastes of locals?
They effectively use the form of ‘localization’ to make their product more appealing and relevant to diverse audiences. Also, in a survey by Localize, it was revealed that 88% of companies have either localized their products or are planning to do so. The ultimate goal of using localization is to provide a familiar and comfortable experience tailored to the specific needs and expectations of the target audience. That’s how essential localization tools are for your business.
The tools not only facilitate the adaptation of content, software, and products, but they also meet the linguistic, cultural, and regional preferences of your target market. When you employ these tools in your localization work, you can ensure that your message resonates effectively with local audiences, enhancing the user experience and engagement. With this, you can overcome language barriers and conveniently boost your brand’s credibility and market penetration.
These tools also help you streamline your translation process, saving time and resources while ensuring accuracy and consistency across various localized versions of your product and service. In a competitive global market like ours, the use of localization tools enables your business to promote international growth and customer satisfaction.
10 best localization tools
When you know the various types of localization tools out there on the market, it feels great. But you are probably keen on knowing those specific tools that you can use. So, we have done a roundup of the ten best localization tools out there.
1. Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT)
CAT tools enhance translation speed by recalling previous similar translations and automatically inserting previously translated text. With prolonged use, the tool becomes more efficient as the translation memory accumulates previous translations. It proves especially advantageous for website updates, allowing translators to concentrate on new content while minimizing inconsistencies and reducing time to market.
2. Translation Management System (TMS)
A TMS empowers you to automate various facets of the translation process, proving to be a valuable tool in handling numerous files across multiple languages and coordinating with diverse translation teams. By automating workflows, bottlenecks can be minimized, particularly in scenarios involving multiple teams in the localization process. This automation enables tasks to seamlessly advance through various stages, including translation, editing, desktop publishing, or localization engineering, without necessitating the localization manager to manually transfer files between locations.
3. Linguistic Asset Management
You should establish a centralized location for team members to access the latest linguistic assets, including translation style guides and glossaries. This ensures the facilitation of the translation process, improving content accuracy and consistency. This becomes especially crucial in large projects where multiple professional translators are simultaneously working on various aspects of a website or localizing content for different markets. Maintaining this central repository ensures that everyone aligns in the same direction, guaranteeing the communication of a consistent brand image through the translated copy.
4. Linguistic Quality Assurance (QA)
Customize QA tools according to your brand’s specific requirements to verify the consistent translation of brand-specific terminologies, numbers, trademarks, abbreviations, and more, ensuring an on-brand experience. Specify terms, like product names, that should remain in the source language instead of being translated into the target language. Utilize a linguistic QA tool to streamline the testing process and guarantee the accurate translation of brand-specific content.
5. Term Base
Terminology management, also known as term base management, involves creating glossaries for branding and linguistic purposes. Save the database in various accessible file formats, like TBX, SCV, and XLS. Professional Translators can utilize the searchable database to ensure the use of the correct terms, preserving your brand image. This is particularly crucial in consumer-facing content, such as website copy, to deliver a consistent customer experience.
6. Bug Tracking
In any localization process, conducting testing and quality assurance is a crucial step. To ensure an effective QA process, furnish testers with a tool to report bugs and errors, directing them to the appropriate team members for resolution. Additionally, your bug-tracking tool should empower localization engineers to monitor progress by enabling the creation of a backlog. This ensures that all issues are addressed in the production environment before the website goes live.
7. Native Keyword Planning
Achieving an optimal website SEO is crucial for reaching your target audience. However, translating the search terms used in your home market to other locales is not sufficient. It is essential to conduct keyword research for each local market to attract high-quality visitors. Utilize various keyword research tools, like Google Keyword Planner and Ahref Keyword Explorer, to identify the best search terms to target. Share these keywords with your translators to ensure the proper incorporation of relevant search terms into your website content.
8. File sharing and management
In a scenario where multiple teams operate from different locations, enhancing the cost-efficiency of your localization process while reducing errors and delays relies on the capability to share the latest files from a centralized repository in real time. Seek a file management tool that provides access control, allowing the appropriate team members to access relevant content for their tasks while maintaining information security. Additionally, ensure it possesses version control capabilities, enabling the viewing of revision logs and referencing older versions when needed.
9. Desktop Publishing
Utilize tools like Adobe Photoshop and InDesign to adapt visual assets for local markets. For instance, insert translated text into an image, modify the color palette of an asset, or incorporate different photos to enhance the appeal of your visual content to the local audience.
10. Front-end localization plugins
Simplify the localization process on content management platforms like WordPress or Drupal by employing multilingual plugins such as Polylang, WPML, and TranslatePress. These plugins facilitate the translation of website copy and provide immediate visibility of the translated content on the website layout. It’s important to note that these tools rely on machine translation, which may not always be accurate. To ensure effective communication of your message through translated content, supplement these tools with those of human translators.
Key Factors to Consider When Choosing a Localization Tool
Choosing the right localization tool is essential for successfully adapting your content, products, or services to different languages. Here we have listed some key factors to consider when making this crucial decision.
1. Localization requirements
It is essential to identify the specific needs of your localization project. Always consider the languages, regions, and cultural nuances that you need to address.
2. Ease of use
Always choose a tool that is user-friendly and has an intuitive user interface. A localization tool that is easy to navigate can save time and reduce the learning curve for your team.
3. Integration Capabilities
Ensure that the tool can seamlessly integrate with your existing workflows, content management systems (CMS), and development environments. This integration is essential for efficiency and consistency.
By carefully considering these factors, you can easily choose a localization tool that aligns with your localization project and contributes to the successful multilingual adaptation of your content, products, or services. The best thing about the localization tool is that you can test them before subscribing because many of them offer a free trial.
Want to learn more about the ins and outs of localization tools and services, then visit our website to learn more about our services. Feel free to reach us at info@naargmedia.com
