Localization Best Practices

Localization isn’t difficult. Like any projects, localization projects need to be well managed and planned. Common sense and these best practices will guarantee the best outcome – on time and within budget.

Listening the customers — Software localization is not about you and your workload. It’s about making your customers’ lives easier.

Good planning – A good plan helps you to see the big picture and allocate resources to the right things. Set a clear target, milestones, and delivery criteria for the project. Plan testing along with localization activities.

Task prioritization – When the target is to do more with less, focus only on important tasks and leave minor things with less or no attention.

Using standards – Accommodate standards and use industry-wide formats whenever possible. Compatibility with different tools and a wider selection of skilled professionals ensure the optimum use of resources and more predictable results.

Skipping unnecessary costs – In a localization project, the most productive people give the biggest contribution. Many tasks can be automated instead of repetitive and resource-consuming work.

Maximizing the use of owned resources – Reusing old translation projects and maintaining localization technical skills guarantee best time-to-market.

Keeping it simple – Decide what to localize and what not, e.g., Web pages, user guides, software, and marketing materials. Focus should always be kept on tasks that produce the best business benefits.

Realistic approach – Do not try to optimize all costs forever; the payback can be negative. Once ideal skill-sets, subcontractors, and tools are found, keep, reuse, and maintain them.

Meta-localization – Along with the original text, one can provide translation hints and other context-related information.

Constant improvement – Be innovative and find new methods and features in your localization to make localization faster and more effective.

More blog articles about localization can be found at our blog.