Localization
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Where Should Localization Live within a Company?
Where should localization live organizationally? There is no “right” or “wrong” place for localization to live on an org chart, but there are certain strategic objectives that most localization leaders want to accomplish at various points within the overall evolution of a tech company. Where you live organizationally can shape how much you can get…
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How to Improve Inclusivity with People-Friendly Translation
I was fascinated by a LinkedIn post I saw recently from a Polish translator named Aleksandra Domke-Jarre on the topic of language inclusivity. When I saw her words, “people-friendly translator that customers love,” I knew I had to reach out to her. I was impressed by her focus on customers as human beings, who sit…
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10 Simple Ways to Measure Localization Impact
I wrote in a recent post that I’m not really a fan of trying to measure the ROI of localization. Wow, did that ever hit a nerve! Some people agreed, but others argued that localization professionals should not lose sight of their attempt to find the Holy Grail. As usual, a lot of the disagreement…
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Marketers and Localizers: the Ultimate BFFs
One of my favorite books to recommend to localization folks is one that I leaned on heavily when I worked as a marketer. It’s by Ann Handley, “Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content.” This quote from the author really says it all: “Quality content means content that is packed with clear…
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Measuring the Value of Localization
We’ve heard it countless times. ROI is the “holy grail” of the localization industry. Recently my friend Jeff Beatty, Senior Head of Localization at Mozilla, made an astute observation with regard to measuring localization ROI: “ROI is an inaccurate and false metric for localization, feature development, and release engineering, the list goes on because it’s…
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Why We Shouldn’t Use Word Count Alone for Professional Translation Services
When I provided professional translation services back in the 1990s, websites and emails were starting to become more popular. As a freelance translator, I worked with a translation agency that had a customer whose website I had helped translate. They often received emails via their website in Spanish from customers, and they needed to know…
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7 Tips on Managing Social Media Marketing Content in Multiple Languages
One of the great things about social media channels are that they open up new ways for marketers to reach their customers and influencers all over the world. But for an international brand, the tricky thing about them is that you need to have a slightly different strategy when your brand communicates in more than…
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What Every Marketer Needs to Know about Digital Marketing in Multiple Languages
Digital marketing professionals often think translation is straightforward and simple. Words in, words out, right? Basic! Whoops, not so fast! Consider the thought and care that you put into every single word of your copy in English. Think about the deep knowledge you have of your brand values, understanding of your target audience, and desire…
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What Internationalization Has In Common with Extensibility and Open APIs
“Isn’t internationalization premature optimization?” This is an objection that I’ve seen repeatedly, and one that I’d like to challenge. Premature optimization is building for use cases that aren’t requirements yet. Global reach is a general requirement. The choice of geographies hasn’t been made yet at the time you’re building your product.