Explore the solutions to your product globalization challenges
As software developers and localization experts, we've identified four principles that are critical to successful product globalization. If you're not yet familiar with them, you can learn more about them here.
If you've got work to do to apply any of these principles, we can help. Explore the solution essentials below, or contact us to discuss your needs.
Continuous localization essentials for agile development
Technology foundations
Agile TMS is critical
One of the core technologies is an agile translation management system (TMS). From a product globalization perspective this offers seamless support for incremental updates (easily recognizing and handling updates to content already in translation), and connectors or APIs to integrate translation with your development tools and processes.
It will also help localization managers scale effortlessly to take both continuous localization and other translation demands in stride.
Learn more about how an agile TMS works for businesses with global ambitions.
The role of software localization tools
Despite its criticality for managing product localization, an agile TMS (in-house or your LSP's) is usually one step removed from your development teams. To bridge the gap from the agile TMS to your software development environment, you'll usually need a tool designed specifically for software localization.
Choosing the right one (examples include Passolo and Lokalise) will significantly simplify life for your developers: supporting software internationalization and letting them play their role in localization through their everyday tools and CI/CD workflows.
Learn from Dell's experience
"One of the things that we have seen at Dell … is a huge increase in the desire for our development teams to plug directly into the translation solution."
Scott Cahoon, Senior Manager (operational), Dell EMC, interviewed on the Globally Speaking podcast.
Translation essentials for an expanded product experience
Scalability in localization
A scalable translation process needs:
- High levels of workflow automation: from content ingestion through job routing and stakeholder notifications to finalization and delivery
- A machine-first, human-optimized approach, e.g. knowing how to apply machine translation effectively (and when to avoid it), or using localization data to inform decisions, or building effective quality control into automated workflows
In-house, service or both?
Clearly both technology and specific expertise are fundamental to workflow automation and a machine-first, human-optimized approach. But one of your key decisions is how far to invest in the right technologies and in-house expertise yourselves, or rely on a language service provider (LSP) that has done so.
Often the most practical answer for organizations with global ambitions is a mix of both.
Managing diverse content types
The different creative and technical needs of diverse content types – UIs, technical documents, demo videos, e-learning platforms and more – require great breadth of localization competence. It's rare for organizations to have all of the required skills in-house, even when they employ in-house translators.
This is why it often makes sense to partner with an LSP to cater to the expanded product experience.
Consistency across content types
Close the loop with the right tech
Fortunately, you can address both cross-content consistency and scalability with the right translation management solution. This will be a highly automated, centralized hub with all the right tools – translation memories, termbases and more – for localization managers to address diverse translation needs. It will also support continuous localization.
Advanced tech-enabled LSPs will use this kind of solution, and many businesses also choose to invest in translation management tech for greater control over localization. Learn more about the value of centralized translation management.
The value illustrated
We work with many businesses that need to deliver consistent global experiences even as they grow globally. Netgear is one example, where a small team of three is localizing everything from corporate web content to UIs, product documentation, support content and more.
Localization professionals have different needs than product professionals, but Netgear's story illustrates how the right combination of tech-enabled language services and translation management technology can transform localization efficiency across the expanded product experience.
Globalization testing essentials for international QA
Do international product testing well
What does it take to do international product testing well?
- Native-language user testing in any country
- … testing both linguistic clarity and product functionality
- … and increasingly with specialized skills to test (and train) AI-driven applications
- … on any platform and device
- … with appropriate testing security
Find the right partner
Given the complexity of product testing even in one language, international QA is one area of globalization where you really want to use a proven globalization testing service.
Learn more about what it takes and what we offer.
Reap the rewards
What do we typically uncover through globalization testing? For one search company we regularly find 1,000+ unique bugs, ranging from language display issues and missing address fields to lack of parental controls for certain locales.
And when we partnered with a smart-home device manufacturer, it took less than a year for us to double the number of languages covered by their product testing, helping them to catch 25% more bugs pre-release.
Are you on top of internationalization?
Sometimes when testing a software product, we discover that a big part of the problem is inadequate internationalization. If you need help with this foundation of product globalization, we can help.
Learn more about internationalization and what we offer.
