Author Archives: Terralíngua

What Does Culture Have to do with Translations

Translation is not a concept in vacuum, but is invariably a culturally mediated notion especially relevant for global businesses targeting new cultural destinations. For instance, if you want to translate English into Spanish, the words and expressions translated must be culturally compatible, because the literal translation may at times sound ridiculous or may not make sense at all.

Need of translating in local languages

Big multinational companies wanting to reach across diverse cultures have indispensable translation needs. While English is pretty much a universal language, companies get their promotional material translated into multiple languages because they need to reach across different cultures and they need to establish a connection with their diverse clients.

So, pretty much every company wants to get the their product brochures and manuals translated from English into Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, French, German, Russian, Hindi, and several other languages. Translation services help in promotional strategies of a company.

The most successful companies are the ones that are not only able to reach the international market, but also to make an impact. Language is one huge barrier in having the right promotional strategy. However, the same language can turn into an asset for a company with right translation service, so the customers begin to understand the products intimately because it is in their mother language.

Avoiding translation mistakes

Translation mistakes can leave you laughing, but could entail enormous loss to the company represented by the translation. Their image could take a beating that may be difficult to retrieve in the short term. Translation mistakes send the wrong message across. It implies that you not only made a half-hearted attempt at translation, but also that you are only after money. Translation from English into Spanish or any other language should faithfully reflect the cultural touch to be meaningful.

The translator should also bear in mind that literal, word for word translation can change the meaning of a message. Often a dictionary may not be of much help in cases involving technical translations. Translators should be aware with regional variations in different dialects. For instance English into Spanish translation of bus is “autobus” but it becomes “guagua” in Puerto Rican version of Spanish.

Literal translation often distorts the meaning to ludicrous extent. For instance, the menu in a Swiss restaurant translated in English claimed “Our wines leave you nothing to hope for”. Surely, all it wanted to claim was their wines are so good that nothing can compare with the feeling.

Dealing with cultural incompatibility

Cultural incompatibility is a frequently faced issue in translations, not just from English into Spanish translation, but almost every translation. Brands and products often move into the other country without a clear understanding of the native culture. Translation of slang is often the most problematic issue. Therefore, translators should preferably be from the same culture where any product is being introduced. In addition, the work they do should pass through several filters before final adoption.

Reaching your target audience in the right way

When you have to reach your international target audience, you need to break the language and cultural barriers effectively. It is obvious that translation plays a critical role in this task. The translation should not appear like translation but direct communication. For instance, your English into Spanish translation should not appear to the native that it is a translation, but they should perceive it as a direct communication from the native company.

A small mistake could be hugely embarrassing, and the connection with the target audience is immediately lost. For instance “Tegro” a fat loss product was about to be introduced in France, when it was discovered that it sounded like “tes’gros” which means you’re fat!

STOP – In the Name of Translation

Converting materials into another language is not just an afterthought. Translation is one of the most important tasks for a global company. Just imagine the negative impact an improperly presented message could create or a late delivery causing a missed shipping date and product launch.. Time and work goes into the best translations, just as it did to develop the English materials. However, given the speed of business today it is understandable that clients want to know how quickly translations can be completed. The answer is summarized in the pneumonic device below to “STOP”

S – Source Material

A translation agency has to consider many factors while translating. The complexity of the material or subject matter is one of the major deciding factors that affects the delivery time of translations. How complex is the source material? Is it technical? Will it require a specialized team? Does it involve software which will require training or capturing screen shots? Is the source material easy to localize or does it have many cultural references that will need to be changed? What format is the source material? Is it in an electronic format? Or just hard copy? If no electronic files are available more time is required to recreate the layout. These are some of the basic questions which should be addressed during the quoting phase to help properly decide the amount time to deliver a quality end product.

T – Tools

The tools used by the translation agency help estimate the time required. Ensure you have a partner who uses all of the available tools and technology to speed work along. Professional translators use translation memory tools and automated glossaries to use established translations and ensure repetitive text is consistent. Please note these tools are not machine translation. They work much like spell check which requires a human to make decisions. These tools speed work along so a translator does not have to spend as much time ensuring consistency and preferred terms are used. Your translator may require less time to complete the translations if the translation memory yields high matches in the quoting phase.

O – Original language

The language of the source material is another factor. For example, if the source is Chinese, Japanese, Hebrew, or Arabic, into another language it will require time to craft the message. Certain language combinations require two translations. One translation is from the primary source to the intermediate language and the other is from intermediate language to the target audience. Even if your original text is in English, if the quality of the English is poor and the message is not clear, it will require more time.

P – Perfect Match

Just because someone speaks or writes another language means he or she is the right person for the job. Don’t place your global message in the hands of one person. Ensure you have a professional, native speaking team with quality checks in place.

So remember when time pressures are upon you:

• Slow down your expectations and give your translation partner a realistic deadline. Human translation is an art and not a one to one science. . Allow as much time as you allotted for the English materials to develop the corresponding translated materials especially if the materials are complex or require extensive formatting.
• Ensure you have a partner who uses technology and tools. This will speed work and ensure consistency as well as repetitive text savings.

• The quickest translations are those by native speaking linguists. They have the expertise required in translating the material ensuring the best outcome.

How Language Service Providers Can Help Your Business

Your business may be doing well in a local market, but then the decision is made to go global. The greatest hurdle in globalizing a business comes from culture and language. The goal of businesses is to connect products as well as services to the clients and buyers in the international market. This is when a language service provider comes in to help make the connection. The company will thrive if it is able to reach a larger audience in their native tongue. The organization can reach its fullest potential only when it makes available all of their products and services to the global market. So, the company will have to consider translating its brochures, campaigns, websites, flyers, and product descriptions in the region-specific language.

Why do you need an LSP?

Organizations may have employees who speak different languages, however they already have tasks including core business functions. Also, just because someone is a native speaker does not mean they have the grammar, spelling and word-smithing skills needed to properly communicate a global message. The employees however have the field knowledge and the day to day vocabulary that would be of great assistance to a professional linguist. Often employees try to tackle a translation task and after much frustration and delays they understand how much a language service provider is needed. Language service providers are experts in their field who understand the unique needs of each client they handle. They work in close association with businesses to ensure the message is masterfully delivered in the target language. When selecting an LSP, ensure you have a partner who can grow with you. You may only need one language now but if your LSP offers many, it will mean less work in the future. LSPs also offer a range of services -from product functionality testing to presentations – be sure to select a partner who can provide any delivery format you will need now or in the future.

LSP helps you localize your business

LSPs not only translate but also help localize. Localization is something beyond translation. It is adaptation of your business communication to ensure the message is conveyed to global audiences. It is not just literal translation but the linguistic equivalent by a native speaker who has a better understanding of the target market. In other words, word choice is critical for cultural implications with a focus on the tone.

It is important to take into account the cultural conformity of the target audience especially when dealing with numbers, times, dates and the counting system of the target audience. For example, you may need to add metric with imperial measurements. Your LSP should use only native speakers to ensure localization is addressed with the translation.

Obtaining high quality translations

Language service providers utilize professional native speaking translators who strive to ensure your translations are accurate and effective. The translators working on your projects should have an advanced degree in translation studies /linguistics or similar fields as not all LSPs are equal. If your LSP has language experts, they know how to maximize the use of language tools efficiently for accuracy and speed to minimize inaccuracies.

In addition, many of these translators have specialized backgrounds or accredited expertise in technological, legal and medical translations. So, if your content is specialized, you should require a higher level of understanding and technical specialization from your LSP.

High quality translations come from highly qualified professionals. The difference between good and bad translations is the difference in the qualification and experience of the translators. Therefore the focus of language service providers should be to match the best translation professionals to your needs.

LSP can help you with its resources and tools

In addition to the quality of translators, the resources and tools available can make a huge difference. The best LSPs ensure that the best translation resources and tools are accessible to their workers. One such essential tool is translation memory, which is intelligent software. It retains terms for consistency and for future reference. Translation memory also enables the client to see discounts on repetitive text over time. If your LSP uses translation memory, ensure review comments and changes are updated in the memory so current terms are used in future work. Also ensure you are able to obtain a copy of the translation memory should you ever need to change providers. Tools like translation memory can reduce the turnaround time, cost and workload.. Resources available to your LSP are also important. If you LSP only has in-house resources this limits their language offerings, turnaround time, and abilities as well as expertise. If your LSP has a network of partners, you will have more resources available for your current and future needs..

Businesses that outsource their translation needs to LSPs are actually making a wise decision that eventually helps them focus on their day to day core business. In addition, they eventually go on to build a program that improves their translated content, saves time and money as well as enhances their presence in the global market.

How Centralizing Your Translations can Help Your Business

The process of centralizing translations involves the localization of large amounts of content to one part of the company. Once you have put all your content in one section of the business, you will find that it is far easier to manage the content and translate it as per requirements. The purpose of changing the language is so that you can allow people from other parts of the world to access your online content easily. Translation companies have to focus on many different projects simultaneously so that this can be achieved.

When you are presenting something on a website, especially when you are trying to market goods and services this way, you will find that you have to allow the end reader to be comfortable. These readers will be your consumers in case your content is business oriented. Also, for the purpose of giving instructions on how to use a certain product, instructions in different languages save many service and other issues relating to ease of use. This in turn guarantees customer satisfaction and repurchase.

Importance of Choosing a Suitable LSP

Language Service Providers, or LSPs in short, refer to those organizations that help provide the translation and localization services. Some of these LSPs however have a drawback that they cannot process large volumes of data at once. Instead, they specialize in single projects. This means that a company will have to tie up with many different LSPs at the same time in order to process all the information that is to be translated and later put on the Internet.

Companies therefore must be careful while they choose the right LSP. If there are such LSPs which manage bulk data then they are the best kind to go for, provided quality standards are maintained. Otherwise, you will have to manage many different and simultaneous tie ups. While this may be slightly difficult, it is necessary.

How does Centralization Work?

Centralization is a process in which you are localizing every project or body of the organization to one single managerial unit. This helps because individual teams get caught up in the work that they are assigned and do not focus on accumulation and delivery of any other project. A business can only run if every single unit is fully functional and is managing to meet all client deadlines.

Putting up content on the Internet can become a messy task because of the large amount of information that has to reach different destinations. This is especially true in the case of translation companies because their main area of expertise is handling data and processing it so that it is of good quality in the eyes of the end reader.

Advantages of Centralizing Your Translations

The reason that most companies prefer centralization when compared to multiple LSP units is because the process saves about fifteen percent of the overall payments that have to be made otherwise. It is quite an efficient system because it uses just a single LSP in the form of a multi-language vendor, or MLV, so that all the localization and translation that the translation company does is done on one platform with different units.

Not only does the process of centralization save companies money, they also cut down a lot on the time taken for the completion of related projects. They manage to do this by simplifying the procedure developed by LSPs and unify the whole thing. While one LSP is complex enough, the use of multiple LSPs is completely unnecessary now that most translation companies are shifting to centralization. The advantages are numerous, which is the reason behind the success of this structure.

Internationalize Your Business for Greater Success

Localization of products and services provides a huge amount of success for a business as it makes the product or service usable for any locale. However, the product or service will not be able to survive the international markets, or even localization for that matter, if it is not internationalized first. Otherwise, the core application would have to be modified by a translation agency to create provisions for local languages or user interface settings. Internationalization of your product or service will ensure that you can launch your software easily, and modify the user interface according to the needs of the local cultures

What Exactly Does Internationalization Mean?

Internationalization basically means making the product or service ready for future localization. Internationalization is sometimes abbreviated as i18n. This is because of the reason that there are 18 letters between the first ‘I’ and the last ‘N’ of the word. During this process, the product or service is redesigned or re-engineered for the future localization, so that it will be easier for the product to be used easily by users with different backgrounds, languages, and cultures.

Internationalization needs some serious thought, because it means that your product will be all over the world. Improper internationalization could mean that your application needs to undergo changes in the code before it can be localized. This can be a very tedious job, and can also be very counterproductive. This is why, for the benefit of your business, it is required that you internationalize your product through a translation agency at the very beginning. Make sure that you check the internationalization with your language service provider, etc.

How Exactly Does It Work?

Internationalization is a part of the bigger globalization of a product or a service. To internationalize your product, first determine what kind of global features your product needs to support. For instance, your application would need to support all the Unicode characters. This will enable you to launch the product in the Asian markets like Japan and China. After this is done, you need to externalize all the localizable data. Then you need to design specific user interfaces and search and sort functionalities.

You must also remember to include support for the currency, date and time formats, and addresses for different geographical areas. You can also add extra functionalities like bi-directional support for right to left scripts like Hebrew or Arabic. This can be done through a translation agency. And don’t forget to add the multi-byte support for characters in the different languages. You can also follow certain coding practices to make the whole process easier.

The concept of internationalization, though very useful, does not apply to every situation. Generally, internationalization is done on certain software, the web, and user interfaces. However, if you are indecisive about whether you need to internationalize or not, then you must know that there are some situations where internationalization is inevitable.

If you are launching your product globally for the first ever time, you need to internationalize it before doing that. If you are launching a product or service which you need to function worldwide, internationalization is needed for such a product or service. If you want to expand the market of your software internationally or if you want to avoid the tedious and costly processes that can take place during a localization process, you should do internationalization. If your software is to be sold with language specific functionalities, targeted at new markets, you can use a translation agency to do the internationalization for you.

Remember to complete your internationalization process before starting localization of your products. This will ensure that you do not have to reengineer your products to suit the needs of international markets. It will also ensure the quicker delivery of your products and will not raise the costs of the project.

How Software Localization Helps You to Maximize the Reach of Your Business

With your business booming and the numbers being better than previous financial quarters, you might decide to expand the operations of your business. The problem you are facing might be that you already have expanded all over the country and are wondering where to go next. It is time for you to take the plunge and expand globally, taking your business to new and unfamiliar places. Quite obviously, there will be a lot of planning and preparation required in order to carry out an endeavor such as expanding a business overseas.

However, the most important part is the process is the actual translation, which you can manage by contracting a translation company. You will need to transfer every bit of your content into the target languages and try to bridge the gap, which separates your business from the potential customers globally. Even though you may have a lot of questions regarding the process of translation, the only one that really matters is how long the process might take.

Where to start?

Before the translation process begins, it is essential for you to analyze as to how the materials will be translated. You can hire a language service provider, who will usually help with professional translations. The translator’s job will be to completely understand what exactly the material communicates and then reproduce it accurately in a particular language.

It is essential to remember that a good translator from a reputed translation company must know the refinements of the source language. He must be fluent in the target language as well as the source language. Familiarizing themselves to the content in the materials that need translation will help as well. The translator must communicate ideas, which isn’t usually possibly when translation is completed in a literal word for word process. If the translator is a linguist it would be even more helpful as linguists tend to undergo extensive language training and translation.

How exactly does it work?

Usually, translators tend to utilize a combination of translation tools, computer and technology in order to achieve maximum efficiency during the process. The process begins with the conversion of the source piece into a certain file format, which is quite simple to work with such as rich text format. Once this is done, a translation memory is applied to the source text, which will help with accessing the previous translations made for the current material. If there is any previous translation found, the text is instantly plugged in.

The next step is for the translation company to review the plugged in translations for efficiency and accuracy, after which the remaining content will be translated from scratch. Every segment of the source text is read and translated with constant reference to a style guide and glossary. Eventually, the content is translated into the target language. Once it is complete, the text must be thoroughly proofread and edited as well. Another translator usually performs this task or even a linguist can do this in order to ensure that the translation is of high quality. The translated content is then put into its original format, finalizing the translation process.

What is the duration?

Translation is a slow but steady process, and cannot be expected to be done overnight. An experienced translator usually takes a day to translate about two thousand words, which is close to about eight pages of material. It is essential to understand that the time taken for the process will entirely depend on the amount of content to be translated and the difficulty level of the source content.

English happenes to be one of the most critical languages in translation since it contains various subtleties and nuances such as rigid syntax, phrasal verbs and vocabulary peculiarities. Basically, translation is a process that doesn’t exactly work on deadlines and requires a bit of patience.

Save Time and Money with Translation Memory

If you are a small business with a big project on your hands, you need every penny that you can save. Or if you run big conglomerate with multiple projects, you surely will have less time on your hands to take a look at minute details of the business. If your big project is with a foreign client and you need to translate every bit of your work, then you need not fret too much about it. There is an easy solution to translate your work and save those valuable pennies and more importantly, your time.

Although you may not have heard about this that often translation memory is a great solution for all your translation requirements. This way you can ensure that the dealings with your foreign clients go in a smooth and proper manner. Read on to know more about translation memory.

All about translation memory

Most certainly you must have employed a translator to professionally take care of all your translation requirements. However, getting one with a translation memory is always a better option. This way you have the benefit of having an extra capacity to store data, every time the translation memory is used.

The translation memory is like a personal database that stores new information every time you use it. For example, you use your software to translate data for a project, the next time you utilize the software for another project the memory stored can be used to translate this new data, eliminating loss of time and money. The memory helps translate your data as accurately or nearly accurate as possible.

How does translation memory work?

As said earlier, translation memory works as a memory database. To understand more accurately how a translation memory works, take an example of yourself. If you are learning a new language, on the first day, you don’t have any knowledge whatsoever about the language, a clean slate. At the end of the day you have learnt a few words and it has been stored in your memory. The next day when you go to your class, you don’t have to learn the words that you have already learnt. They are stored in your memory and will remain there.

In the same way, translation memory remembers every word that is stored in it. It also works the same way as your brain, as it has memory of old data as well as the capacity to retain new information.

Why to opt for translation memory?

Translation memory is most importantly a time saver, secondly a money saver, and finally a resource saver. While in a normal procedure to translate data, the data makes several rounds before it can finally be presented to the director or the client of the project.

Say the file is sent to Premier Translator software, it is translated in tidbits, and from then on it is sent to the main translator, then after a couple of rounds it goes to the final translator. So, there are many rounds involved, which have to be repeated every time a new file or project comes in.

When you have a translation memory, after the premier project, the number of rounds that a file takes can be curbed to a minimum. With a translation memory, the file is translated, and then sent for a final check, and the work is done, in half the time, money, and use of resources. So why waste time and money it on such a simple and easy task?

If you aren’t convinced with the benefits of a translation memory, then take a second read. That will set all the doubts straight. The benefits of using it are many, some of which have been explained in the paragraphs above, some of which you discover as you utilize it in your business.

How to Translate Technical Manuals into Different Languages

In earlier times, many businesses and companies would restrict themselves to their local region, and develop a customer base only in that area. In today’s competitive world, businesses no longer rely upon a local market of loyal customers to secure their profits. Most companies look to expand beyond their known community, and many choose to sell their services, or goods in foreign countries.

This necessitates providing user guides and other supporting literature in local languages, so that customers can make sense of the products they buy, and may also encourage others to buy the same. This leads to the need for technical translation of manuals into several international languages.

English forms the source text from which manuals are translated into various languages. Having technical user guides in local languages enables international users to troubleshoot any problems they encounter when using a particular product, before they seek help from the company.

What clients opting for manual translation need to do

If your company chooses to use a vendor for technical translation of its manuals, there are several important things you must keep in mind to make the process as smooth and productive as possible.

You need to be clear about the purpose of your manual in the hands of your target audience. When approaching a vendor you must know what kind of turnaround time you are expecting for the translated manual. If you need the translation done very quickly, you need to be prepared to pay additional fees.

Also, you need to clearly point out to the vendor if the complete source or only certain parts need to be translated. Clarity on your side will help the vendor give an accurate estimate. Decide if you want drawings and images to be handled by the vendor or only the text. Formatting of drawings will push the price up, so if you can handle this yourself, you will be saving on the cost.

Request for company specific words to be left as is in the translated manual. Words on switches or screen or equipment should match with the words in the manual, so users can co-relate the two when using the product and the user guide. Request the vendor not to translate those words.

Ensure that the vendor creates a glossary of translated terms in the manual. This glossary can serve as a reference for other documents developed later, and help to ensure consistency in terminologies. A key point to remember is, once you find a technical translation agency that has done a good job with your manuals, don’t change your agency. You can ensure consistency that way, which is crucial in technical documentation.

Tips for translating manuals

When translating, following a few rules like the ones below can be very helpful in increasing the readability of your document.
• Language used in technical translation should be straight-forward and uncomplicated, and free from fancy words.
• Use the present instead of the future tense, wherever possible. For example. You must write, ‘When you click on the link, a new page opens’ and not ‘When you will click on the link, a new page will open’.
• Use active voice rather than the passive voice. In other words, emphasize the verb and not the noun. For example, Use ‘Roll the mouse over the image’, instead of ‘The mouse needs to be rolled over the image’.
• Prefer verbs with one word over verbs with more number of words. This not only simplifies the language, but also makes the meaning less ambiguous, especially for an international audience.
• Directly address the user with ‘You’ .i.e. the second person pronoun, instead of the third person. For example, use ‘You can choose from any of the 3 options’, rather than, ‘The user can choose from any of the 3 options’.
• Avoid deadwood phrases, jargon of any kind. Keep language simple, sentences concise, and terminologies precise.

Technical Translation – An Insight into a Specialized Industry

With much advancement in technology, many businesses have associate branches across the globe. While dealing with different places and different cultures, the need for translation is bound to come into the picture. People would believe that programmed translation tools can probably do the job adequately and that professional human translation is over. However, it must be kept in mind, that only human translators can offer the best understanding of any particular discourse.

Translation experts work within a fixed number of fields like, mythical translation, political reading, and the translation of religious records. These fields are almost as ancient as language itself. There are very few sectors that may not gain anything from the process of technical translation. Medical, legal, and therapeutic fields are in great need of professional translators with proficiency and great knowledge of languages. The demand for experienced translators is on a massive rise in the global marketplace.

Translation for technical industries

Trade translation services specially require an unambiguous degree of correctness. Any sort of misunderstanding of texts, especially while dealing with agreements can lead to harsh damage to the company. Not only that, but inaccuracies can also lead to impending liabilities.

Skilled translators in such industrial setups, not only have to be capable and knowledgeable, but their language skills need to be constantly updated so that they may be used within the field. Even local speakers of a language may not hold such expertise over a language as it is used in a technical setup. So, it is critical that translators should be exposed to the business setup so that they may sharpen their translating skills accordingly.

Experts in technical translation services have a tricky task at hand. They often work with tense deadlines and are continuously aware of the unlimited need for precision. They work on a broad range of compound credentials, including Operating Manuals, Patents, Bill of supplies, CAD illustration, Safety Manuals, RFP Responses, setting up Manuals and Hardware UI, Technical Proposals, software’s, MSDS and Data Sheets. They need to be careful in their understanding and translations as any small error may lead to big issues for their clients.

Look for the vocabulary

The source language of the content in certain fields requires a high level of expertise. When it comes to technical translations, it is crucial to opt for a professional translation company who is well versed in such translations. In this way, you are able to ensure the accuracy of vital information, and make the process more comprehensive and efficient.

Translating technical papers isn’t quite that same as translating other textual material. There are no artistic cues or vast literary techniques to guide a person on how the translation should be done. What needs to be preserved is the technical content of the document. Different techniques like inscription style, selection of words, and document formatting are important for a good framework. Technical industries involve such multifarious vocabulary and much precision is required from the translator to make sure the information in documents remains unchanged. Translation services from one language to another, requires the translator to be well versed in both languages. He also must be thorough with the grammatical rules of both the languages so that the translation may be done in the best manner possible.

Expand Your Reach with Software Localization

Globalization has made the world a smaller place. Now, it is possible to manufacture a product in the eastern nations of Asia, and sell them on the western coast of Europe, all in a matter of days. As such, the need for having a global presence of your business has increased and is a must if you want your product or service to be successful on a global scale. Software localization becomes an essential component in this regard.

What is software localization?

Software localization involves the process of localizing or adapting any software to the technical, cultural, and linguistic requirements of various target markets. This is a labor intensive process and usually needs substantial time and effort from the developers.

Software localization is quite different from translation. It involves the process of translating and adapting a web product or software, and every other documentation related to the product. Translation barely translates the document without any reference to the local cultural and linguistic traditions. Software localization often runs parallel to the source product development and enables the manufacturer to simultaneously ship the product in different language versions. For instance, software strings translation may generally begin even when the product is going through the beta phase. Translation is simply one of the steps in the software localization process; completing this step doesn’t mean the product is ready for the market yet.

Tips for localizing your software

Many organizations are now actively seeking localization of their software offerings for different markets throughout the world. In this endeavor, many attempts on software localization are met with frustration after the software has been developed. The fonts may not be exact, the text may be garbled, and the encoding might be off, sentences may not come in an aesthetic format, or the overall design may not look as expected. The tips given below will guide you to successfully localize your software for specific markets.

Plan in advance: Proper scheduling must be done for localizing your software for different markets. Most companies tend to rush localization just before the actual software release, which compromises on the quality of the localization.

Test the software: Localized software should go through the same rigorous testing as the original product. The awareness resulting from looking at a different language “in context” inside your product is irreplaceable.

Leave sufficient space for expansion of text in foreign language: There are many languages which, on average, take up 30% more space than English. In case you have designed a software where English text just about fits in the space, it is likely you will face problems later on. As such, leave sufficient space when designing your product for compensations later on.

Localization-friendly string encoding: Wherever possible, you should source software resources or string tables in Unicode/UTF-8 format. This avoids garbled text, debugging, and unnecessary conversion steps.

Remove hard-coded strings through “pseudo localization”: In temporary branches, you can use general expression to take the place of all letters inside the text, with one repeated text like “XXXX”. Create the product, and all hard-coded text will throw up on the screen, showing IDs which aren’t given in string tables.

Avoid overusing single strings and concatenation: The structure of a sentence in English may not be followed in some other language. Strings used in different contexts, and concatenated strings will have gender and grammar agreement issues. Be generous with memory while localizing your software.

Overall, software localization has become an important step in the process of adapting your product for specific markets, and can potentially decide the success of your product in those markets. As such, you should make sure to perform localization in the best possible manner.