7 Rules of Software Localization

If you want to sell your software to non-English speaking international markets, you definitely need a professional software localization service. In this article, let me share with you 5 important rules of software localization:

1. Include the localization consultant in the development phase. Localizing your software after development may cause some unnecessary problems such as rewriting codes. Therefore, I will suggest that you include the software localization consultant in the development phase so as to minimize any extra work in the future.

2. Make sure that your fonts support foreign languages. Foreign languages contain special characters that the English language cannot support. So before you translate the content of your software, make sure that you have all the necessary fonts to support foreign languages.

3. Always consult a translator about the grammar of a foreign language. The grammatical structure of the English language is different from foreign languages. So before the programmer writes the code, be sure to consult a translator. Therefore, I strongly recommend that you include the localization consultant in the development phase.

4. Bear in mind that some foreign languages require larger space. Especially for the German language, you need to leave extra space for the translated terms.

5. Test your software. You should engage some native speakers of the target language and test the software. Allow them to run through the software and ensure that there is nothing wrong. If they cannot understand some of the sentences, you need to re-translate the sentences.

6. Localization is more than just translating word by word. You must be sensitive about the culture, dialect and other issues of the target country. You are now doing business in a foreign country and you cannot afford to offend the people there. A professional and experienced software localization consultant will be able to help you with this.

7. Always take your time to choose the right translation agency for the job. Do not rush to engage a particular agency. Nowadays, it is very easy to find a list of agencies to do the job for you. Just go to Google and search for software localization services. Visit their websites and shortlist a few of them. Call all shortlisted agencies and ask for quotes. Software localization is not cheap. So compare a few quotes and choose the one you can afford.

Last but not least, do choose an agency with at least 3 years of experience in the localization industry. Software localization is not easy. The translator must be experienced and proficient in foreign language in order to translate accurately.

By Cheow Yu Yuan