{"id":6098,"date":"2021-01-21T10:31:54","date_gmt":"2021-01-21T10:31:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/?p=6098"},"modified":"2024-01-03T18:29:34","modified_gmt":"2024-01-03T18:29:34","slug":"localization","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/localization\/","title":{"rendered":"The truth about localization: What actually happens?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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POV:<\/strong> After years of hard work and ongoing pivoting, things are going well. You find yourself thinking: This could be big in Japan. But you have no idea where to start.<\/span><\/p>

Or maybe you\u2019re already juggling 4 (or 40) languages, trying to keep up with versions and rules and cultural norms. You\u2019ve somehow kept above water with organized chaos or just simple chaos. But you know this won\u2019t scale.<\/span><\/p>

Perhaps you\u2019ve been doing localization for a while. You have a system in place so nothing gets lost along the way. Tasks are delivered on time. Translations are <\/span>technically correct<\/span><\/i>. But you feel the results are somewhat\u2026 generic.<\/span><\/p>

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The Localization Struggle\u00a0<\/h3>

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These are common themes with companies struggling with localization. It’s hard for them to understand what the next step should be. <\/span>This often happens because product, design, and content teams rarely get their hands dirty with the details of it. The step-by-step process, managing vendors and terminology and deadlines. It’s a lot, especially on top of your already-heaping workload.<\/span><\/p>

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And so localization people trudge on with localization. And product people trudge on with the product. And rarely the two shall meet.<\/span><\/p>

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This <\/span>\ud83d\udc46\ud83c\udffb<\/span> is a problem.<\/span><\/h5>

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Because localization strategy should be heavily personalized for your company and brand. Localization teams can’t do that on their own. They need your perspective, input, and feedback. If you’re not involved, you get generic workflows.<\/span><\/p>

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The first step to getting involved is understanding how localization works. Then, you can build on that understanding to create custom workflows for your company. You can continuously tweak and revise them as needed. And you can quickly respond to changes and developments around you. You’ll end up with localization infrastructure that’s more flexible, robust, and sustainable.<\/span><\/p>

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Plus, when you know what\u2019s supposed to happen, you can make sure things go as planned. You know what to expect. If things derail, you notice much earlier. In short \u2013 it\u2019s a must for any workflow. Whether you\u2019re using freelance translators, a translation agency, or in-house linguists.<\/span><\/p>

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OK, but what even is<\/em> UX localization?<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>

Localization means adapting content from one market to another. In the context of this article, we\u2019ll focus on localizing <\/span>product content<\/span><\/i> or <\/span>UI copy.<\/span><\/i> Localizing user experiences has its own set of unique challenges. Context is critical, as the strings are short. Information is visual and challenging to share. QA issues such as concatenation pop up all the time. And so the workflow, the processes, and the team need to serve this unique set of requirements.<\/span><\/p>

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What should I expect when I do UX content localization?<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>

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This is what many people assume<\/em> happens during localization:<\/span><\/p>

Copy in one language<\/em> \u2192 Copy in a different language.<\/em><\/span><\/p>

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The reality is… more complex than that. <\/span>This is what actually happens, or at least, should<\/em> happen:<\/span><\/p>

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B<\/span>rand values and personality + Product or project needs + Specific copy needs (AKA Context) \u2192 Copy in one language \u2192 Local knowledge + Context \u2192 Context adapted to the target market \u2192 Copy in a different language (first draft) \u2192 Proofread copy in a different language (second draft) \u2192 Validated copy in a different language (third draft) \u2192 post-implementation QA in-context \u2192 Finalized copy in a different language (final version)<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>

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Ahh! I know, it\u2019s a lot. Don\u2019t worry, though. We\u2019ll go over everything. Scroll on to delve into the dark, dark world of professional localization.<\/span><\/p>

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Before we start:<\/em><\/p>

3 assumptions <\/b>we\u2019ll make about content design localization<\/span><\/h4>

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  1. Translators are busy. The good ones go through dozens of brands each month. It\u2019s hard to keep track of so many voices and guidelines with such turnover. They want to do their work well. But you need to give them the right tools, in a way that\u2019s easy for them to use and understand. You also need to stand out from the brand crowd to get your guidelines some extra space in their brain. More on that later.<\/span><\/li>
  2. You need your localized user experience to feel natural and local. This means that you don\u2019t need the content to be 100% word-for-word accurate. Give your translator some freedom and flexibility to create fluent content in their language.<\/span><\/li>
  3. You know how your brand should sound. Don\u2019t start localizing before you\u2019ve got your brand figured out. When you send copy for translation with no brand brief, you\u2019re opening the door to chaos. And trust me \u2013 it is not going to be pretty.<\/span><\/li><\/ol>

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    Now that we\u2019ve established our frame of reference, we can begin:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

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    5 steps<\/strong> to creating the best, localized experiences\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>

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    Step 1: <\/b>Prepare your content<\/h3>

    Finished writing? it’s time to prep your functional, beautiful, action-driving content for translation.<\/span><\/p>

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    The way you prepare your content depends on the type of workflow you have in place. It also depends on the platform you’re using, the people involved, and more. The best way to find your ideal content prep workflow is to sit down with the people who’ll be getting it and ask them what they need. <\/span>But as a rule of thumb,<\/em> here are some things you’ll likely need to do:<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>