Localization and translation both belong to the language services sector, but they are not synonymous. Localization can be performed on the same language that has different dialects.
Localization strategy
Localization is used for most products and services but the sector that turns to localization the most is the software one.
But when is the best time to handle localization strategy, at the development stage or before launching the product or service?
Option A – Undertake localization at the beginning of the project, while the development process is still ongoing. This means having time to locate a professional translation company to handle all texts, testing all versions of the software at once. Then the localized version will not only be tested to see the response of the audience to the text but will have a crucial role in the development of the product as well.
Localization testing at this stage is done thoroughly and it allows the developer more time to fix any issues raised from changing the language.
Option B – Undertake localization strategy at the end of the project, before the launch. At this point everybody is very excited about launching the product and translating it into another language seems only a routine task. Doing translation and localization work in a hurry may produce errors and may not leave developers enough time to handle issues that appear after the localization testing.
As a professional translation company that has handled numerous localization projects we advise companies to include a localization strategy at the beginning of the product development, this will ensure the success of the product in all countries.
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