Software Localization: What could go wrong?

Software Localization

What could go wrong?

The Top 5 Difficulties of Localizing Software

1. Scope of Localization

2. Expense of Localization

3. Coding for Localization

4. Software Support with Localization

5. Cultural Sensitivity in Localization

The Top 5 Difficulties of Localizing Software

1. Scope of Localization

2. Expense of Localization

3. Coding for Localization

4. Software Support with Localization

5. Cultural Sensitivity in Localization

1. Scope of Localization

• How narrowly should you localize? It’s virtually impossible to reach every dialect in every region everywhere.

• Your goal: Global appeal within limited time.

Solution

• Take marketability of your product into account.

• Localize according to expected product reception and your budget.

The Top 5 Difficulties of Localizing Software

1. Scope of Localization

2. Expense of Localization

3. Coding for Localization

4. Software Support with Localization

5. Cultural Sensitivity in Localization

2. Expense of Localization

• Localization can have high up-front costs.

• New companies may not have the resources for localization.

Solution • Localize according to your means.

• Look at the success of similar products in certain regions before going through the expense.

The Top 5 Difficulties of Localizing Software

1. Scope of Localization

2. Expense of Localization

3. Coding for Localization

4. Software Support with Localization

5. Cultural Sensitivity in Localization

3. Coding for Localization

• Coding has significant challenges when localization becomes part of the process.

• Problems like hard-coded strings arise.

Solution

• Use localization-friendly string encoding.

• Perform “pseudo localization” to root out hard-coded strings.

• Avoid concatenation and overuse of single strings.

The Top 5 Difficulties of Localizing Software

1. Scope of Localization

2. Expense of Localization

3. Coding for Localization

4. Software Support with Localization

5. Cultural Sensitivity in Localization

4. Software Support With Localization

Software support and resources that accompany the software must also be localized.

Solution

• Hire a technical document translator.

• Make comments within the software resources that define the context.

• Localize software and its support simultaneously.

The Top 5 Difficulties of Localizing Software

1. Scope of Localization

2. Expense of Localization

3. Coding for Localization

4. Software Support with Localization

5. Cultural Sensitivity in Localization

5. Cultural Sensitivity in Localization Some aspects of the software have the potential to be offensive to another culture.

Solution

Software translators need to be warned about culturally sensitive materials in any piece of software.

It’s all about balance…

Ultimately…

Many problems in the software localization process can be avoided if you localize while developing your software.