How to Create a Globalization and Localization Strategy

As a business, entering new international markets can become a real challenge. It’s difficult to form the right strategies to get your global business expansion growing fast. Establishing a globalization and/or localization strategy is key to successful global consumer interactions.

As companies consider global expansion, translation is the first step that comes to mind. However, only translating your business’s website and content is not enough for consumers to truly connect with your company. A well-known international business experienced this first hand. As a first step into German markets they chose to translate their blog section, “Guide to Better Pictures.” The translated information was all accurate, however, German users were not impressed with the content type or style. Unfortunately, this meant that their investment in translating that type of content yielded no positive results. This is where a globalization and or localization strategy can truly benefit businesses.

Globalization/Standardization

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Globalization, also known as standardization, is the process of altering your business content standardized to fit the needs of multiple customer bases. No matter what your content is, once translated for your target markets, globalized content is appropriate and marketable for all cultures. This type of standardization can include creating web designs and formats that will suit a wide audience of users.

BENEFITS FOR BUSINESSES

Implementing a globalization strategy brings multiple benefits for businesses. Globalization means opening your business to hundreds of new markets for revenue streams. By using a globalization process, businesses create a larger range of products or services without worrying about delays and issues in the supplying and distribution of them. This means distribution to global markets becomes just as fast and efficient as in your local market. Applying these types of strategies to your business maximizes economic growth and revenue.

Localization

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Compared to the generalized form of content creation that globalization strategies provide, localization is the process of taking content and appropriating it for specific locales (often categorized into countries) within international markets. The localization process can be as a thorough as needed. Localization includes translation, but also includes strategies such as restaurants changing menu items to fit their target markets or even altering company names/logos to appeal to specific countries.

TECHNOLOGY

When localizing content to different locales, a vital trait to look for is what platforms of technology are used most often. In other words, does that culture rely on computers, mobile apps, social media, or maybe a combination of all three? As your business prepares to expand into new markets, it’s important to know which technologies are most used, and ensure that content on those platforms are localized to the best extent.

BENEFITS FOR BUSINESSES

“Businesses that localize their content to specific markets improve connections between their business and customer bases.” 

By providing content that is specialized according to culture and language, businesses ensure that their is no room for miscommunication and show their dedication to customers’ needs. When working in foreign markets, improved communication between your business and consumers gives your business a competitive edge against native brands and other international competitors.

When expanding into international markets, translation is just a small portion of the complete strategy. While globalization is the combination of translation and developing content that is appropriate to wide audiences, localization involves specializing translations and content to each market. Both of these strategies aide in businesses improving their interactions with consumers across any culture. Businesses that incorporate aspects of globalization and or localization can rest assured that their investments see returns on a global scale.

Want to learn more about Translation and Localization?

Download our e-Book: “Why You Should Localize Your Website”

Read our blog post: “Localization Solutions: 2018 Best Practices”