Do You Need to Localize Your Website?

Global markets give you access to new customers. All you need to do is inform potential buyers about your product or service. 

Your website is a good place to introduce your product or service outside your locale. Localizing your web content sounds like the right way to reach out to the global market. Localization will bridge the language barriers, or the wider scope of differing cultures. 

Before we move on further with the discussion, let’s focus on the definition of “localization.” 

What is localization?

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, localization (as a marketing term) is “the process of making a product or service more suitable for a particular country, area, etc.,” while translation is “something that is translated, or the process of translating something, from one language to another.” 

In practice, the difference can be a little blurred. While it’s true that localization includes both language and non-language aspects, most cultural adjustments in the localization process are done through the language. Hence, the two terms are often interchangeable. 

Good translators will not simply find an equivalent of a word in another language. They will actively research their materials and have an in-depth understanding of the languages they work in. 

Depending on the situation, they may or may not convert measurement units and date formats. Technical guide books may need accurate unit conversion, but changing “Fahrenheit 451” to “Celsius 233” would be simply awkward. A good translator will suggest what to change and what to leave as it is. 

Some people call this conversion process “localization.” The truth is, unit conversions had become a part of translation, long before the word “localization” was used to describe the process. 

When we talk about linguistic versus non-linguistic aspects of a medium, and view them as separate entities, localization and translation may look different. However, when we look at the whole process of translating the message, seeing both elements as translatable items, the terms are interchangeable. 

In this article, the terms “localization” and “translation” will be used interchangeably. We are going to discuss how to use a website as a communication tool to gain a new market in different cultures. 

Localization: who is it for?

A good localization is not cheap, so it would be wise to ask yourselves several questions beforehand: 

• Who is your audience?
• What kind of culture do they live in?
• What kind of problems may arise during the localization process? 

I will explain the details below. 

Who is your ideal audience?

Knowing your target audience should be at the top of your business plan. 

For some, localization is not needed because they l