We all know what it means to translate a content: to transport it from the language in which it was created into a different language, remaining as close as possible to the original formulation. However, there are many situations in which translating a content may not be enough. We need to localise it.
Localisation is a kind of translation that consists, in addition to transposing content into another language, in adapting it to the country or culture of the people for whom it is intended. A process that is much richer in nuances than simple translation, and that requires specific knowledge that is not only linguistic, but also involves cultural and marketing aspects.
Localisation has become especially important in the business field, when companies have realized that in order to succeed it’s not enough to translate their promotional and informative materials into the language of a market other than the original one.
Why opt for a localisation instead of a translation?
As we just said, translation is always used to convey a message in a language other than the original one. But when the aim is to make a product or service successful in a new market, that is not enough.
We live in an extremely dynamic, competitive and interconnected world that requires the utmost attention and care for the promotional message to be able to stand out from the competition, capture the attention of the target audience, and then convince it.
Localizing your content is therefore essential to create a link, a relationship between your company and the consumers in a certain area of the planet. This is because localization takes into account the cultural, linguistic and geographical aspect of the target audience, which makes the company appear closer, and creates marketing materials that are immensely more effective, since they are more capable to resonate with the culture of the people they are addressed to.
Therefore, opting for localization is essential for any company that wants to expand into new markets by promoting its products or services in local languages.
What aspects are covered in content localisation?
The localisation of marketing content involves, for example, the adaptation – and not the mere translation – of the following elements of a content:
- Local jargon
- The use of references to local culture, sayings and ways of saying
- The local currency, units of measurement, date and time
- Respect for the cultural specificities and customs of each geographical area of activity
As you can see, this is the substance of localisation and the main, as well as fundamental difference between the latter and simple translation. And it’s also what makes it a formidable marketing tool.
What are the main fields where content should be localised?
Localisation integrates all the cultural aspect that allows companies to create that bond of closeness and trust with their target audience that is essential to be successful in every market.
To better illustrate this fact, let us discuss some practical cases. The first is a virtuous case: a video game company designs and develops a title for its global market. The dialogues contain some very common slang and swear words in the source language – English – but which, if simply translated into a different language, could sound much less tolerable to the public.
Thus, the consideration of culture and context becomes indispensable to propose a product that maintains its characteristic elements without affecting the sensitivity of potential buyers.
Another interesting and particularly useful example in the business field is the degree of formality to be applied to its marketing content in different markets, an element that depends on the target audience and the business culture that prevails in each different country.
Let’s take the case of a SaaS company that offers its services to companies in the hospitality industry in different countries. While in some, we take for example the United States, proposing a friendly, direct and even playful style is desirable to convey dynamism and innovation, two factors here particularly important in the purchasing choices of the target audience, in others, such as Italy, a more formal style will be the right choice to inspire authority and trust, which represent the key factors in this context.
In short, localisation is essential wherever the purpose of a content is not simply informative. The more important it is to be able to convey your brand’s voice, the more attention you must pay to localisation.
What content should be localised?
Let’s now see what content should be localised, and not simply translated:
- Landing pages or any web content whose goal is to promote your products or services
- Advertising
- Social Media posts
- Multimedia content, such as promotional videos
- Sales letters and email marketing campaigns
- Important communications with customers, such as responses to complaints.
- Internal content that may be present in the product (such as video game dialogues or software buttons)
- In some cases, localization may even concern the names of the brands themselves.
This is the task of the translation and localisation expert, who must know the market dynamics in the target country and have a great awareness of its culture (including the terms to be used and avoided in promotional messages), as well as excellent language skills.
Conclusion
Localisation is an extraordinarily effective tool that must come with any initiative to expand an international company into a new market.
Contact us to learn more and find out how we can help your business succeed in the global world.