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<\/h1>\n<\/h1>\nPoor software localization can create a stilted user experience, which users will then associate with your brand. We\u2019ve compiled a quick and easy-to-read list of questions about software localization to explain how it works, and why it\u2019s necessary.<\/strong><\/p>\n The word \u201cseamless\u201d is used so often these days in software development, you may even question marketing copy that promises a \u201cseamless\u201d experience. Why state the obvious, right? But that\u2019s exactly what software localization does: it creates a seamless experience for your users, regardless of their language. Below we\u2019ve answered some common questions about software localization and explain why it\u2019s not a matter of finding word-for-word equivalents.<\/p>\n \u201cSeamless\u201d is precisely the word used to describe software that has been successfully localized. When users in the target language use the software and don\u2019t get any sense that a foreign company developed it, the project is successful. This means that the product is\u2014to use that word again\u2014seamlessly adapted to the linguistic, functional, and legal norms in the target markets.<\/p>\n Ultimately, it helps them work faster and more accurately. Your imagination is the only limit in defining what this means for your company: fewer support tickets, improved accuracy in data entry, consistency in customer ratings globally\u2026and all of these are related to costs and improved market share. For example, if you operate a multi-lingual customer service department, allowing your employees to work with your software in their language will reduce fatigue and errors caused by on-the-go translation.<\/p>\n Another added bonus: if you develop software to sell, your customers\u2019 users would share these same benefits.<\/p>\n No one likes using software that bumps along a road like a wagon with square wheels. Localizing software smooths the corners, and before you know it, you\u2019ve removed a good deal of stress from each user\u2019s day.<\/p>\n Highly regarded\u00a0English linguist David Crystal\u00a0estimates that, including those who speak English as a foreign language, the language is spoken by 1.5 billion people worldwide.<\/p>\n Which leaves about 5-6 billion who don\u2019t speak English.<\/p>\n Now look at Chinese:\u00a0Statista\u00a0<\/a>reports that 1.3 billion people speak it natively, compared to 379 million who speak English as a first language. Although English is perhaps the most widely spoken language in the world, it is not the language spoken by the most people.<\/p>\n Consider the word \u201cmanual\u201d for a moment. Was your first association the opposite of automatic? Or a booklet of instructions? English also has many words that can be verbs and nouns, and only context tells you which one, e.g., chair (sit on a chair, chair a meeting), or screen (your computer screen, screen job applicants).<\/p>\n Incorrect translations usually happen because the context for a word is misunderstood. To eliminate these errors, translators who localize software require the resource files and not just a list of words to properly translate. If you\u2019re concerned about privacy and proprietary information, a professional language services provider will sign your NDA.<\/p>\n Machine translation<\/a>\u00a0speeds up the translation process considerably. However, AI has not developed enough yet that machines can carry out translation on their own. Humans are still needed and the main reason is this: Context.<\/p>\n Human minds understand and see context more completely than AI can. Take for example the simple word \u201ckey.\u201d When you see the word by itself like that, you may drum up associations in your mind, but if someone simply said to you, \u201cKey,\u201d you would ask questions to clarify what they want.<\/p>\n After receiving your answers, you\u2019d parse them together to form the actual request: \u201cPlease give me the key for the supply cabinet so I can unlock it and stock a new employee\u2019s desk before they arrive.\u201d That\u2019s very different from, \u201cPress the ESC key to exit that process.\u201d<\/p>\n So, although machine translation is improving, humans are still needed to evaluate and improve the results.<\/p>\n To save the most money and drastically reduce the number of headaches your team experiences during development, include software localization at the beginning of your development cycle. This is actually called internationalization: you develop your software so that it can be \u201cre-created\u201d in a variety of languages.<\/p>\n We\u2019ll explain why this is important.<\/p>\n For example, suppose you ask your graphics designers to visually represent a chronological process. According to\u00a0Lera Boroditsky<\/a>, a researcher in cognitive science at the University of California, San Diego, language even dictates how people think about time.<\/p>\n So, English speakers refer to the future as being ahead and the past as being behind. However, to speakers of Mandarin, earlier events are \u201cup\u201d and later ones \u201cdown.\u201d This kind of knowledge can affect the graphic being created.<\/p>\n If internationalization is done right, localization costs only a fraction of the original development cost and has high potential for additional revenue.<\/p>\n Sometimes it\u2019s necessary to state the obvious, because you only know something is obvious when you experience its absence. A seamless user experience is the gold standard for any software solution, but what\u2019s often forgotten is that language and culture form part of that standard. Effective internationalization coupled with professional\u00a0software localization<\/a>\u00a0will help your company reach that gold standard in any language you want to serve your users in. That can open up multiple new markets for your company.<\/p>\n 6 Questions about Software Localization Poor software localization can create a stilted user experience, which users will then associate with your brand. We\u2019ve compiled a quick and easy-to-read list of questions about software localization to explain how it works, and why it\u2019s necessary. The word \u201cseamless\u201d is used so often these days in software development, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":13351,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[339,740],"tags":[366,350,598,406,354],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.textform.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14931"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.textform.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.textform.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.textform.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.textform.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14931"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.textform.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14931\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.textform.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13351"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.textform.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14931"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.textform.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14931"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.textform.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14931"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}What does a successful localization project look like?<\/h3>\n
How does this benefit the users of your software?<\/h3>\n
But doesn\u2019t everyone speak English?<\/h3>\n
Doesn\u2019t \u201csave\u201d mean \u201csave\u201d in any other language?<\/h3>\n
Can machine translation do the trick?<\/h3>\n
When does planning begin for software localization?<\/h3>\n
Software localization: seamless user experience of your software solutions<\/h3>\n
And that translates into higher revenues for your company.<\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"