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Taking your brand onto the global stage requires intention, strategy, and diligent research. After all, new demographics mean new consumers, vendors, and partners. In order to enable successful international growth, understanding purchasing habits, cultural differences, and customer preferences in each new location is a necessity. What Does it Mean to Grow your Brand Globally? Geographic expansion requires two integral and interrelated strategies to be successful: a global standardization strategy (which maintains consistent messaging and objectives across borders) and a localization strategy (which ensures brand relevance to and authenticity for each market). A global standardization strategy works to ensure that brand messaging and company alignment remain consistent across all new markets. As different end-users, vendors and partners come into the picture, a global standardization strategy creates powerful experiences that also support long-term expansion goals. A localization strategy works hand-in-hand with a global standardization strategy. While global standardization looks at the bigger picture of geographic expansion, localization focuses on communicating to new audiences by appealing to the unique linguistic and cultural nuances of each market. Effective translation, local pricing, and marketing to unique trends are some examples of important localization processes. The most effective expansion strategy is one that takes both of these elements into account. Whether an enterprise business decides to create a specific department for localization strategy or to allocate responsibilities throughout the organization, integrating these aspects creates a harmonious brand with unique market appeal. How Can a Multilingual Strategy Using Localization Services Help Your Business Grow? Software localization services adapt your current platforms to attract new users in global locations. Localizing your software means adapting not only the text, but also the UX design, units of measurement and currency, and technical capabilities for each locale. The result? A seamless and personalized customer experience accessible by all customers and prospects, regardless of their native language or locale. Out of the multitude of ways an international business can implement a localization strategy, a multilingual approach is the most foundational. Revenue is directly tied to increased localization efforts, even in countries where English is widely spoken. In fact, research suggests that businesses that expanded their translation budgets are 1.5 times more likely than their Fortune 500 peers to report an increase in total revenue. From website copy to vendor guides and end-user interfaces that apply local dialects, every aspect of an enterprise needs to be linguistically adapted for the new market. In addition, products and interfaces that feel locally relevant significantly improve conversions. That said, software localization services that focus on enterprise translation are strategic and intentional to reflect culture and current local trends that appeal to customers. Invest in Partners That Can Localize and Translate Within the Software Systems You Already Use Software localization services are most effective when they work within your existing software systems and technologies. Instead of having to shift between platforms and learning new tools, effective providers create scalability through integrations or Connectors. Software localization services providers should be able to support expansion timelines without sacrificing quality. Look for Connectors with TMS platforms, CMS tools, and code repositories to significantly improve turnaround rate, minimize any manual tasks, and allow global teams to track translation progress, accept translations, and set up automatic updates. 5 Brands That Used Software Localization Services to Grow Their Global Market Peloton Peloton is an exercise equipment and media company based in New York City. When Peloton decided to expand their home fitness platform into the UK, Canada, Australia and Germany, the company needed to ensure that the wildly successful marketing strategy they used in the U.S. would work just as well everywhere else. By utilizing music from international superstars for workout tracks, Peloton also implemented localization strategies that guaranteed success in new markets. The company showcased and promoted locally-based fitness instructors and created community support platforms for users in each country. Software localization services were implemented to create web and app copy appropriate for each new market. In addition, their enterprise translation solutions included employing language that was specific to the market, as well as offering products based on local market research. As a result, their revenue increased by 120% in 2021. Samsung Korean-based Samsung is one of the world’s largest producers of electronic devices and IT solutions. Samsung has done an excellent job of developing a globalization strategy that is hyper localized. The brand has outperformed competitors in countries such as France—even with later market entry. Samsung hires employees and vendors locally, adapts technologies to local uses by relying heavily on market research, and uses local exhibitions, events, and storefronts to market to specific areas. Since 1996, Samsung has invested heavily in its global design initiative, implementing specific localization strategies to ensure that every country has designs that appeal to their customer base. Software localization services are relied upon to create mass customization, with Samsung dividing customer bases into lifestyle segments. These lifestyle segments are further defined according to local trends and perceptions. This focus on creating personalized and culturally specific products and interfaces has led to Samsung’s brand value increasing by double digits for two consecutive years. ASOS This British fashion and beauty retailer broke into the global market in 2010, with 58% of sales now coming from outside of the UK. They’ve focused on highly localized websites, digital advertisements, and distribution channels, with their strongest performances in countries with dedicated websites. These websites have employed localization software to create highly specific language usage and eCommerce options that engage customers from that geographic market. Local teams help define marketplace trends and product offers, and ASOS offers free international shipping with local distribution options, such as partnering with La Poste in France for returns. As a result of their successful efforts, they’ve been able to raise £500m in convertible bonds to fund further international expansion. Airbnb Airbnb is an online broker service that connects property owners with travelers looking to rent short-term vacation rentals. Airbnb has made extensive use of software localization services to support its international customer base. In 2019, they translated over 100 million words. Products, marketing, help center information, and general communications have all been translated for use in 220 countries. On November 9, 2021, Airbnb made user reviews and descriptions available in 60 languages. In addition, content generated by both hosts and guests is now easily available across global markets. Emerging markets have continued to fuel Airbnb’s phenomenal growth, thanks to localization strategies that create accessibility for all users. Nike Nike is the world’s largest athletic apparel company. As a direct-to-consumer brand, Nike has always focused on consumer experience in its global applications. Arguably one of the most successful international brands in existence, Nike utilizes a global team of language specialists located in national office branches. Each team further applies software localization services that streamline customer experience in each of Nike’s international markets. The Nike App is designed with maximum customization in mind, and takes into account local trends and cultural perceptions. Nike sees localization as a “value-add”, according to Nike’s Senior Global Localization Manager Álvero Merelo. With its smart use of localization services and language teams to create highly customized and consumer-friendly experiences, Nike has seen its DTC sales grow 37% in 2021 alone. Choosing a Trusted Software Localization Services Partner is Key to Global Expansion Ensure your company is set up for global success by choosing a provider that can expedite delivery, implement the best of AI and human translation technologies, and understand the importance of research-based localized content. Request a demo with Lilt, the leading software localization services provider, to address your own unique challenges with a localization specialist and get started on your global expansion journey today. 查看全文
The 2023 ATC UK Language Services Industry Report is the go-to publication on the size and state of the UK market for language services. 查看全文
Managing global audiences is one of the main challenges of running any global event. You need to provide consistent end-to-end language experience for your global audiences. This goes beyond providing interpretations or subtitles for sessions at an event. You must demonstrate to stakeholders and decision-makers to think about translating the content from the beginning of the customer engagement and interactions to the very end. So, how do you begin the process of event globalization? In this article, we will look at how Dell successfully globalized its annual global customer and partner conference with help from Welocalize. This event was held in Las Vegas and involved 6,000+ in-person attendees and thousands of virtual attendees from locations worldwide, including China, Japan, and Korea. What are the common problems of event globalization? While it is a simple concept, the globalization consideration comes as an afterthought, and more time and budget should be given to execute it properly. More often than not, the language scope is decided by those who may not fully understand the value. It's essential to consider the end-to-end customer journey and experience and how each milestone plays a significant role in the success of your global event. The customer journey typically includes an email invite, followed by web pages with agendas, session descriptions, and registration, marcom assets, and confirmation emails. During the event, a customer would use a mobile app or onsite support like a help desk and onsite signage and would usually receive a post-event thank you note and survey. For each touchpoint, you must consider what content needs to be localized for your global audiences. Dell had an experience where a contact in Japan reached out to say their customer knows Dell is offering interpretation, but they don't know how to access it. This was because the information was in English, although the session was available in Japanese. So, before you begin localizing your content for your event, take the time to map the customer journey to see what difficulties your global customers may face when trying to access the content they are looking for before, during, and after your event. What are some localization components and moving parts involved in a global event? 查看全文
The UK Language Services Industry Report by ATC is the go-to publication on the size and state of the UK market for language services. 查看全文
What is Global Marketing? The Dictionary of Marketing, published by the estimable Oxford University Press, defines global marketing as "Marketing on a worldwide scale reconciling or taking commercial advantage of global operational 查看全文
The AI translation space is an evolving industry that’s using new technologies and strategies as it continues to grow. It’s one that’s full of industry veterans from many departments that are helping to pave the way for future scale as well. However, since AI translation combines many disciplines into one, cohesive idea, it’s riddled with terms and phrases that aren’t always so obvious to understand. It can easily feel like your peers are having a conversation that you may not pick up. To help with that, we’ve compiled a list of the important terms in a simple and straight-to-the-point AI dictionary. Adaptive Engine Training This approach offers continuous training, eliminating the retrain/deploy cycle of custom engine training. The model is always trained on the most recent data and updates the deployed model’s parameters with each new training example. Lilt is a pioneer of this technology. Application Program Interface (API) An API is a piece of software that allows two applications to interact with each other. Computer Assisted Translation (CAT) Tool A CAT tool is one that’s built to help translators increase the speed and consistency at which they translate content. Some of the more popular features of a CAT tool include Translation Memories and Termbases. Connector A Connector is an integration that enables companies to send content from their existing systems to Lilt for simplified and optimized localization workflows. Allows for more automated, consistent localization. Content Management System (CMS) A CMS is a software tool that allows companies to create, edit, and publish website content more easily than traditional methods. Common CMS systems include WordPress, Contentful, and Drupal. Contextual AI Engine Artificial intelligence systems that can understand and interpret the context of a given situation or query to provide more relevant and accurate responses or outputs. Custom Engine Training Given a content-specific dataset, this approach tracks a model’s parameters once and deploys those parameters. If you want to train on one more example, you need to retrain the whole model and deploy it again. Customer Experience Customer experience is the entire experience that a customer may have with a company, from sales and marketing to customer support and product. A positive customer experience means that customer expectations are met at most (if not all) interaction points. Similarly, the customer journey is a progression of interactions that a customer or prospect may have with a company, service, or product. This journey often looks different depending on the company and customer and can often have an impact on customer experience. Few-Shot Prompting This technique involves adding training examples to the input of the deployed model, which also includes the text to be translated. The training examples influence the model’s output without adjusting the model’s parameters. Fine-Tuning This is a term specific to neural networks that is equivalent to adaptive engine training. It adjusts the model’s parameters for each new example. Fuzzy Matching Fuzzy Matching is the process where a CAT tool looks for segments inside of a Translation Memory with similar meaning and spelling. Fuzzy matches are often between 75-99% similar to an existing entry. Generative AI Generative AI is a type of artificial intelligence technology that can produce new content, including text, imagery, audio, and data. Global Experience (GX) Global Experience is the process of making a company’s customer experience multilingual and accessible by all customers and prospects, regardless of language or locale. Successful global experience consists of all internal teams aligning on global strategy. Globalization Globalization is the idea of bringing different countries and cultures together, whether separated by people, economies, or borders. Oftentimes, globalization is thought of as the umbrella goal that localization, internationalization, and translation all work to accomplish. Human Feedback The changes or acceptances of translation prompts. This feedback then enables the AI system to learn and adjust its behavior and output based on changing circumstances or new information from linguist feedback. Unlike MTPE, human feedback is learning in real-time and improves on its own with more feedback without the need to be retrained on data. In-Context Learning (ICL) Also known as LLM Fine-Tuning, ICL is a newer approach to translation that allows for rapid customization of a single model to a specific content type by updating the model's parameters with a constant stream of new training examples. Localization (l10n) Localization is the process of actually adapting to a specific locale or region. This often includes all visible pieces, like text and images, to make sure that they align with the culture. Machine Translation (MT) Machine translation is fully automated software that translates content from one language to another. Since a large portion of the world’s content is inaccessible to people that don’t speak the original source language, MT can effectively translate content faster and into more languages. Machine Translation Post-Editing (MTPE) Some companies use a translation approach called Machine Translation Post-Editing (MTPE), where content is translated using MT and then reviewed by human translators after the fact. While this workflow does cut costs, the quality is typically lower than human-in-the-loop machine translation or human-only translation. Natural Language Processing (NLP) NLP is a branch of artificial intelligence that focuses on allowing computers to understand language in a human way. It combines linguistics with technology to understand the meaning, context, and intent behind spoken and/or written language. Common examples of NLP include chatbots, speech-to-text software, digital assistants (like Alexa or Siri), and more. Terminology Management Terminology management is a process of researching, choosing, defining, updating, and maintaining key terms in the local language relevant to a business, product or service provider, or public or scientific institution. Translation Management System (TMS) A TMS is a software system that manages the localization process from start to end. More often than not, they’re meant to automate and streamline the localization workflow, making it easier to pass content back and forth for translation. Translation Memory (TM) A TM is a database that stores all previous translation segments. Those segments can then be used in future translations, saving time for translators, ensuring consistency for the brand, and saving costs for businesses. TM Leverage This is the term used to track and measure the frequency of TM use. The higher the leverage, the more often a TM is referenced in subsequent translations, likely providing faster turnaround and lower costs. New terms are still appearing, so it’s important to stay on top of the latest developments in the industry and work with a trusted AI translation partner. 查看全文
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, computers and smartphones are one of the few mediums people use to stay connected. This presents ripe website traffic opportunities. 查看全文
Introducing your product or service to a new market is exciting. Presenting it in a foreign country... now that can be scary. So we strongly recommend creating a solid localization strategy. Not sure where to start? Continue reading. 查看全文
Continuous growth and fragmentation have been the key characteristics of the language services market. Let's see what the data says. 查看全文
Learn how Lionbridge became one of the largest, most-experienced and most-trusted LSPs in the world and what’s in store for the next 25 years. 查看全文
If global growth is a key objective for your business, then localizing your products and services is a strategic concern. It’s important not just to get it right, but to do it at the right time. Particularly if you’re in the software or SaaS arena where updates usually need to be fast and frequent. But how do you achieve that on a global scale? 查看全文
SlatorCon toured three global cities across Europe and the US in 2019 and featured 28 speakers representing the full breadth of the language industry. 查看全文
According to App Annie’s “The State of Mobile” report, in 2018 games accounted for 74% of consumer spend in app stores. Games are huge, which is why MultiLingual's latest issue, which just went live, focu... 查看全文
Sign up for our newsletter on globalization and localization matters. In the fast-paced world of LSPs, where often translation projects come and go like on a conveyor belt, it may be difficult to squeeze in marketing, especially if no employee has enough experience or expertise. However, marketing is one of the four legs of the table that hold your business together. So, this article will help you learn the crucial marketing concepts that many people struggle with and implement them immediately. No LinkedIn algorithms, ChatGPT, Google Ads or email campaigns will really help if you don’t apply these concepts properly. Confidence in your marketing skills Plus, you'll feel confident because you're using proven strategies when you design unique marketing communications that work. As a result, your clients will make progress because you contributed to their success. And they'll come back to you and recommend you further. That's a perfect scenario, right? Admittedly, easier said than done, but you can achieve it if you consistently apply the strategies explained here. The crucial three marketing concepts in this article So, let’s get down to business. We’re going to get into the: 1. “Holy Trinity” of your dear client 2. Your irresistible offer 3. A sales funnel that works. And, of course, how you use them in your marketing communications on your website, social media, e-mail campaigns, etc. The “Holy Trinity” of marketing Above all, we should be aware that our business exists only because of our clients. And not because we are competent and friendly and have so much to offer the world. That’s why we need to find out so many things about the valued client who is willing to pay exactly for our services and not someone else’s. I like to call it the “Holy Trinity” of our dear clients: 1. Client’s needs 2. Client’s values and philosophy 3. Client’s language The six needs for your success Therefore, marketing success starts with needs, what they are exactly in the context, and what you can do to satisfy them. Here I use the six human needs categorized by Tony Robbins that can be equally applied to legal entities: 1. Certainty 2. Variety 3. Importance 4. Connection 5. Growth 6. Contribution But you can also use the traditional Maslow’s hierarchy of needs if you prefer it. Needs vs. values vs. principles Before we begin, consider that needs often take precedence over values and principles. For example, if someone places a high value on honesty, they might even lie in the job interview if they must survive. Quick Needs Assessment To simplify the process, you can use the Quick Needs Assessment and Quick Needs Application frameworks described below. This way, you can find out what your company and current and/or future clients’ needs are and how you can put them into practice. Why yours, too? Knowing exactly how your company’s needs are being met will also help you better assess what your client really needs. And when you know how to satisfy the needs, you can present them to your existing and potential clients. The initial analysis For the initial analysis, you can use your current client in the Quick Needs Assessment (Table 1) because it's easier. For future clients, you can create your own buyer personas, which are semi-fictional representations of your ideal clients based on market research and real data about people, organizations or companies. Just a quick tip on this: If you have a drawing or a puppet in front of you that represents your buyer persona, it can help you focus on the right words instead of just writing without help. Table 1 Quick Need Assessment a. No b. Needs keywords and examples c. How are your needs satisfied in a specific context? d. How can you satisfy your client's needs? 1 Certainty, safety, comfort 2 Uncertainty, variety, diversity 3 Significance, importance, uniqueness 4 Connection, love, belongingness 5 Growth, expansion, development 6 Contribution, help, support So, the steps are as follows: 1. Brainstorm each need and be clear about how exactly you meet the need in your business context, for example, in your relationship with freelancers. Write down your findings in column c to get a sense of how it works. 2. In terms of your client’s six needs, ask yourself what actions you are or are not taking, how you can make progress in meeting a need, and which needs have higher priority. Record your findings in column d. 3. Analyze your findings in the context of your marketing. Quick Needs Application Then you can apply the findings in the Quick Needs Application framework as exemplified in Table 2. Table 2 Quick Needs Application Needs What needs to your clients have? How can you apply it in your marketing? Certainty Seek assurance that your translation services are accurate, reliable, and consistent. Highlight your team's expertise and accuracy in delivering reliable translations. Variety Want a wide range of language solutions that cater to various contexts and industries. Showcase the breadth of languages and industries your LSP covers, demonstrating adaptability. Importance Desire to feel important and understood, expecting personalized communication and tailored solutions. Personalize communication, addressing clients' specific challenges and showcasing how your services meet their unique needs. Connection Value meaningful interactions and partnerships, seeking an LSP that understands their unique communication requirements. Emphasize your team's commitment to building lasting relationships and facilitating meaningful connections. Growth Look for services that help them expand their reach, connecting them to new markets and opportunities. Look for services that help them expand their reach, connecting them to new markets and opportunities. Contribution conversation, and your LSP can empower them by breaking down language barriers. Share stories that highlight how your services have contributed to global understanding and collaboration. Values and philosophy in marketing Now that the first part of the “Holy Trinity” has been addressed, it is time for the client’s values and philosophy. This is also extremely important to understand because you need to constantly add value to your clients to maintain long-term relationships. And of course, you can apply value-based pricing. So what is value in this business context? It's a general term for something that's very important to your clients, like innovation, transparency, honesty, open communication, accountability, etc. A simple way to figure out value is to first ask yourself the following questions: 1. What is sacred to my clients? 2. What is non-negotiable for them? 3. What would they fight for no matter what? Values increase prices of your services Afterward, ask your clients in a survey why translations are important to them. Once you know what your clients really value, you can find marketing solutions showing how translations support their values. For example, if they value innovation and transparency, you can find out how translation services support their innovation. Combine this with what they value most about translations. Then package your marketing communication in a simple and inspiring way. For example, if your clients are start-ups and you offer translations for all EU language combinations, you can say: Why shouldn’t all EU countries benefit from your innovative solutions when you address their citizens in a language close to their hearts? We have proven and unique methods to reach hearts and minds with words. In this way, you place yourself as the solution provider in the context of their need for growth, importance, and contribution. And you emphasize their value of innovation while showing the benefits of transcreation, for example. And you position yourself as an experienced and trusted solution provider. To what extent will your price be the most important criterion in deciding whether to work with you? Philosophy is not dead Client philosophy is a set of beliefs and principles that your clients follow to be successful. An easy way to find out your clients' philosophy is to ask the following questions: 1. What are their key business principles? 2. What do they really believe in? 3. How do they perceive success? You can find this out from their website, blog, LinkedIn posts or articles and the like, or simply ask them. Then apply the findings to your marketing communications by making your client the hero of your stories and explaining how you help them live their philosophy. 3rd part of the “Holy Trinity” Translators often like to use words such as localization, post-editing, TEP when talking with prospects or clients. But almost nobody understands these words. Therefore you should use the jargon of the representatives of your client because they will feel your empathy and authority for the job. For example, if you talk to the marketing manager, state how translations fit in the “expansion in new geographies”, “go-to-market strategies” and the like. If you talk to an IT guy, stress the importance of translation “in the big data analysis”, “agile project management”, etc. When you talk to your dentist, do you understand words such as occlusal or bruxism? Create an irresistible offer If you know exactly the “Holy Trinity” of your dear clients, it's time to create or reformulate your irresistible offer to make your business more profitable. I would suggest you do a simple brainstorm and ask your team just three questions: 1. What do you really love to do? 2. What are you guys really good at? 3. What do you have experience in? Then tell them to answer as many activities as they can that relate to your business processes, but also some special skills they don’t normally use in your business, hobbies, and such. Have them rate their answers from 1 to 10. At the end, you'll summarize all the activities that were rated 10 in one document. This will give you a fantastic insight into what to focus on in your offering. Also try to figure out how they can combine their hobbies with business, e.g. watching Netflix with storytelling, cooking with writing clear instructions, etc. Put it in your irresistible offers and just ask yourself who wouldn’t want to work with people who do what they like, they are really good at, and where they are experienced. Put it all in your sales funnel The final point for this article is to strategically prepare a sales funnel. A sales funnel shows your clients’ entire journey with you, from the point they hear from you to the sale of your translation. In marketing terms, from lead generation and nurturing to paying clients. However, this article cannot be too long. If you want, you can learn more about a sales funnel specifically for translation services in the blog post How to start selling your translation services. Consistency and innovation rule the world One last thought. As you build your marketing strategies, remember that consistency is key. Consistency builds trust and makes your LSP a reliable choice in a highly competitive market. But it's also important to be innovative. Keep up with the latest marketing trends, such as content marketing, social media engagement, and influencer partnerships, to keep your brand fresh and attractive. Good luck growing your translation business based on value! Enjoy your marketing activities! 查看全文
Find out the main takeaways from attendees of the 18 sessions of LocFromHome II — Smartcat’s biggest online language industry conference yet. 查看全文