How to Use Localization to Find Your Target Audience

In a world that is increasingly interconnected, businesses are expanding their reach beyond local markets.

15:20 03 July 2023

In a world that is increasingly interconnected, businesses are expanding their reach beyond local markets to tap into the potential of international customers. However, a successful global presence requires more than just a great product or service—it requires a strong localization strategy. This strategy involves tailoring your content to engage new markets, considering both language and cultural context. 

In fact, English is the most popular language for web content, representing nearly 59% of websites. So, if your website is only in English, you're potentially missing out on a significant portion of the market.

Outline The Entire Plan

When embarking on the localization journey, a vital first step is deciding whether you will localize your website, app, or both. This decision should be based on your business model, target audience, and overall goals.

Localization is a comprehensive process that goes beyond translation and includes adapting your content to the cultural, legal, and market-specific nuances of your target audience. This involves understanding the customs, habits, and language of your intended users. However, it’s all for naught if the entire localized version does not go through rigorous testing processes.

The purpose of localization testing is to ensure that the user interface, content, and overall user experience are appropriately adapted to the target market, providing users with a seamless and consistent experience regardless of their location. Many apps and websites fail to pique the interest of the global market as they simply fail to deliver a native and comfortable experience for them. 

Identify the Market

We’ve established that localization is not just about translating your message into another language but localizing the entire audience experience. This means paying attention to cultural nuances, norms, customs, and legalities. For example, it's an expected norm in Japan to add the gender-neutral suffix "san" to names, while Latin Americans and Spaniards often have multiple middle and married names. 

Other factors to consider include the age and gender of your audience, how currencies, dates, and times need to be formatted, and the appropriateness of slang, jokes, and emojis for your target market.

Choosing a Translation Service Provider

Choosing an appropriate translation service provider is another important step in your localization strategy. These experts not only understand the language but are also specialists in the cultural nuances of different audiences. They ensure that terms such as dates, times, and currencies are translated correctly and that text, images, and graphics are culturally appropriate. 

On the other hand, you should also consider leveraging machine translation tools. After all, AI is shaping many industries, and the translation industry is no exception. By combining the speed of machine translation and adding human expertise, projects can be completed much faster and more efficiently.

Building a Localization Kit

As your business expands, it's important to future-proof your localization strategy. This can be done by creating a localization kit and style guide, which should include a glossary of technical words, phrases, and acronyms commonly used, as well as words to avoid. They can also include your company's tone of voice and personality, grammar conventions, your website structure, the visual appearance of the text, and best practices for desktop and mobile coding.

After building your localization kit, make sure your translators and marketing and press teams are aware of it. They can then proceed to work in a more streamlined manner and ensure that the content reflects your brand’s voice in multiple languages. 

Remember, a successful localization campaign must recreate the seamless journey your customer takes from first discovering your site through browsing it and making a purchase or using your service.

Bottom Line

In today's increasingly globalized world, businesses must strive for more than just a robust product or service—they must also strive to build a strong localization strategy. This means understanding and engaging with the cultural, linguistic, and societal nuances of their target markets. It's not enough to merely translate content into another language; true localization involves a deep respect and understanding of one's audience and the ability to reflect this understanding in every aspect of a product or service. 

From identifying the right markets to choosing the appropriate translation service provider to build a comprehensive localization kit, a successful localization strategy requires careful planning and execution. 

Ultimately, businesses that are able to effectively localize their offerings stand to reap significant benefits, including increased market reach, improved customer satisfaction, and enhanced business growth.