Top 10 Industries That Need Localization and Translation to Grow Abroad

Brands are increasingly thriving after adopting localization and translation services. The strategies help brands increase their visibility, lead generation capacity, market penetration rate, and consumer interaction. 

Overall, the brands grow their sales level after consuming translation and localization services

The said benefits are just the tip of the iceberg. According to the Future Trans Translation Services Company, localization and translation come with a long list of tangible and intangible benefits.

Difference between Localization and Translation

Before exploring whether your company will flourish abroad after adopting localization and translation, let us delve into the difference between the two strategies. To begin with, translation is more specific than localization. Also, translation is a part of localization. So, localization harbors more strategies that have a similar nature to translation.

Notably, translation seeks to convert words from one language to another. On the other hand, localization seeks to combine translated words with the cultural values of the target population. So, localization gives cultural meaning to the translated words.

Sometimes translated words make sense. A translated word can have a different meaning to different communities. For example, to the Americans, the term draft applies to sports where a team chooses its favorite player. On the other hand, some international communities use the term draft to refer to joining the military.

Given the different meanings of words, localization seeks to help words carry the right message. It helps in making words or images familiar to the target audience.

Localization also applies to images. A drafting image showing a player cannot have any meaning to communities that understand drafting as joining the military. So, the image cannot make sense. Hence, the image requires to match with the understanding of the target population.

From the said differences, translation is a part of localization. Other aspects of localization include the use of the right image and a specific layout and formatting.

Importantly, translation comes before localization. It is the starting point of localization. Otherwise, you cannot localize words that require translation. Translation and localization of widely popular regional languages like French, Spanish and Arabic is easily doable, because there are plenty of resources available. But regional languages such as Hebrew, Turkish, Urdu or Tigrinya translation services need special attention to details and a lot of proof checking. 

Top Ten Industries That Require Translation and Localization

The following are the top ten industries that adopt translation and localization to grow abroad:

Gaming

Downloading of gaming apps is on the rise. For your gaming app to appear in the statistics, your target audience has to understand the concepts of the game. Otherwise, it can be difficult for your gaming app to penetrate the market if it has a non-native language.

Notably, children are significant consumers of gaming apps. Given that children are often under the care of their parents, what they consume from online platforms is always under scrutiny. So, you need to develop a gaming app that matches the cultural values of your target market.

Besides considering the children, some adults hold to their cultural values. Hence, they tend to avoid anything that violates their values. So, localizing a gaming app will align with the cultural values of the adults and drive the sales of your gaming app.

Software and Mobile Apps

The world has embraced smartphones because of their convenience. Hence, you will find that every global community has a large percentage of its members using smartphones. However, some of the members do not know any other language apart from their native language.

If you develop software and mobile apps in English or another language, those that understand only their native language will find your products inconvenient.

According to a report, The Impact of App Translations, localizing the iPhone apps increased their download rates by 128%. The increase translated into a 26% increase in sales revenue.

The report is evidence that localizing software and mobile apps has a positive impact on the sales performance of any company.

Ecommerce

The internet has become a global phenomenon. Companies that want to leverage the internet have to consider language as a contributing factor.

With the internet comes globalization. Companies are shipping their products and services across continents in search of new markets. However, some of the products have labels written in a non-native language. Hence, it becomes impossible for the users in the new market to understand the products.

It takes localization for eCommerce to thrive. So, companies involved in international trade have to localize their products and services for their end-users to understand their ingredients, operation, and efficiency.

Notably, Asia and Pacific consumers lack English proficiency. So, selling your products and services to the population from the said regions requires localization.

It will take localization to help your company stand out in an international market. The move will help the locals to identify with your products and services. Afterward, you will win the trust and confidence that sales growth requires from consumers.

Leisure and Tourism

Tourism is a perfect example of an industry that requires translation and localization. It is global-oriented, and it does not have boundaries. Also, it comprises people that move from one region to another.

A tour company that operates in one language cannot thrive internationally. Also, it can have issues penetrating its local market.

If you are an airline, travel agency, or booking platform, you are the first contact tourists encounter. So, you need to embrace translation and localization services. Failure to do so will see you lose to the competition.

No one would like communication barriers to ruin their trip. For this reason, tourists are always on the lookout for services that understand their native language.

Film and Entertainment Industries

Without saying, the film and entertainment industry is a global industry. Every region has TV bingers that crave to watch a good movie or TV program. Failure to translate and localize TV programs and films can tie them to their native market.

To penetrate the market, some movie producers recreate their movies to include native scenes. Others add native language subtitles to help the international community understand a film.

Surprisingly, you will find Spanish movies being a favorite to the African community. Why? The Spanish movie producers understand the power of localization to ensure that their movies align with the African cultural values.

Also, Netflix has adopted a localization strategy that presents advertisements in a local context even though the ads are foreign.

Banking and Finance

Insurance companies and banks also represent some of the most internationalized companies in the world. They belong to the banking and finance industry that also hosts accountancy firms.

Even though numerical data is somehow standard globally, its analysis and interpretation require translation and localization. International investors want to understand the spreadsheets, audit reports, and performance reports of their target company. So, the requirement calls for the company to translate and localize its financial performance reports to align them with the cultural values of the investors.

The Education Industry

The education industry is also a heavy consumer of translation and localization services. To begin with, scholars, scientists, and researchers are some of the education networks that call for global collaboration. The members of the networks share ideas, and it is impossible to do so without translation and localization.

Also, the need for translated books, training guides, and school reports for the international community raises the demand for translation and localization. Sometimes, one of the requirements of studying abroad is passing a test that assesses cultural competence. To score high in such a test, one has to require translation and localization services.

Health and Medicine

The right of a patient to receive accurate information raises the need for translation and localization. Hospitals attend to everyone regardless of their language and ethnicity. So, medics require to consider the cultural sensitivity of their patients and address the needs of the patients accordingly.

If an error occurs in the health and medicine industry, it exposes a patient to risk. So, medics have to ensure that they understand their patients regardless of their cultural background. The move will help the doctors diagnose the patients correctly and offer advice in a context that a patient will understand.

Tech Industry

We are in an era that has seen a technological boom. Companies are competing in coming up with devices that will make life easier. Such devices come with operational manuals and safety codes. If consumers do not understand how to operate an electronic, then they cannot buy it.

Also, some devices only come from one region. Such devices require to have manuals and codes written in a language that the users will understand.

Tech giants also operate international projects. Sometimes they send their staff. Also, they need to understand the local culture to avoid any conflict that may arise out of violation of the cultural values of the host community. So, the tech industry has to use localization and translation services.

The Legal Service Providers

Immigrants’ cases and international litigation require the legal industry to adopt localization and translation. Some immigrants do not understand the host country’s native language, and there is a need for translation services. On the other hand, some documents used in international litigation are usually in a native language that requires translation.

Notably, every word counts in law. So, any word that carries a wrong interpretation can change the meaning of a legal issue and give rise to problems. For this reason, localization and interpretation come in handy for the legal industry to thrive abroad.

Future Trans Localization and Translation

For over 25 years, Future Trans has localized and translated billions of words into African and Middle East Languages. The acquisition of the ISO 17100 certificate is an indicator that we are committed to offering the highest quality localization and translation services.

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