Establishing an International Foothold through Localization

In order for any potentially expanding business to succeed in our increasingly expanding in diverse world, an individual, business, industry, or government must be culturally, physically, and linguistically accessible in virtually any and every market in which it operates or potentially wishes to enter.

So the thought process tends towards thinking expansively, and grandly to capture the best audience. In actuality though, the largest businesses look toward a technique called localization.

Localization, comprises the ability to customize and conform a business, service, or product to a smaller specific market or area. In doing so, these merchants transcend the various barriers that one finds in localities. The perception comes across that this business, product, or service is a local derivation; something or someone who is familiar. Such sensitivity drives consumer and stakeholder adoption and infusion into the area. Bottom Line: success. However, a key ingredient of that future success is often overlooked: language. Read on to learn more about how fight language services are to your international expansion.

Localization has developed into a major and essential tool for companies who are preparing to make initial moves into any international market. Multicultural companies seeking to extend their global reach are yet another new market that are benefiting from the concept and implementation of localization.

Should Your Business Seek To Expand Internationally?

Agreeing to international expansion constitutes a significant decision. Seizing any large opportunity and doing so in a quick and successful manner, requires very careful planning in the beginning.

So let’s take a look at your business. Let’s say the potential return on investment has already been evaluated and the probable upside falls within your acceptable range of risk. Various departments have already assessed the resources needed and infrastructure necessary to implement the move and keep apace of the chosen market and your success within it. The physical operations are ready to go. The technology is in place and has been tested and approved. The access to raw materials, factories and labor, shipping and retail, digital incentives, and directed to market delivery has been scrutinized and approved. Due diligence with governmental entities, compliance with rules and regulations are accomplished. The mission and contingency are now in place, the expenditures made, and the need to to pivot and move to market immediately are now in the forefront.

In our post-Covid world, many businesses are right at this point. Be it finance, law, healthcare, manufacturing, food, products and services-- all of them are poised to gain significant benefits from domestic and international expansion. The perceived end of the pandemic brings forth following business models:

• Sales expansion through a wider reaching consumer base
• Greater access to extensive local resources, such as talent, trucking and technology
• Greater supply chain efficiency, as product or service can be locally sourced
• Improved resiliency to avoid various economic downturns, as risk is spread over numerous financial markets
• Competitive advantage, as the business can outreach and expand brand awareness and obtain more customers

International expansion, of course, also presents its challenges – including legal compliance in the new market and language and cultural barriers – all of which can be successfully addressed through localization.

True Elements of Localization

And this is where we at GlobalSpeak Translations comes in. Language is the primary part of Localization in any region of the world.

In a multi-element strategy there is a clear goal: to achieve and hold every local market. Having every community and region adopt your products and services as “their very own”. Simply translating communication materials, advertising into the local dialect simply does not work. GlobalSpeak not only knows the language intimately it also understands that breaking down language barriers is an essential task that takes linguistic professionalism, knowledge of cultural relevance and appropriateness, and accessibility to the area itself and its residents.

GlobalSpeak clearly knows how to get all these moving parts working together in order to craft a truly positive experience for the company as well as the potential clients and customers that you will obtain.

Considerations When Expanding Through Localization?

Language Localization expertise through GlobalSpeak Translations enables companies to drive new international growth by removing cultural and linguistic barriers to foster acceptance. It dismantles perceived “foreign” challenges that prevent the rapid and sustained adoption of a product, service, or brand in a new market.

An enterprise must prioritize localization. Without a sound localization plan, a business risks making a vague first impression, failing to establish itself as a “local” and differentiate itself from the competition, will not allow it to capture sales and profits in its expansion strategy. Or even worse, you might damage your own through cultural insensitivity or offense.?

Here are a a couple of tips from GlobalSpeak to refer to when developing your localization plan:

Develop Trust.

• Simple translation simply checks a box.
• A mechanical translator in hand will do the job.
• People don’t care that their local languages mangled, that local accents are not used.
• Providing linguistic accessibility develops trust within your new market

Yes, it is essential to translate company materials into the local language, but linguistic accessibility doesn’t end there. Public-facing communications should mirror the tone and vernacular of the local area and industry.?

Product descriptions and written materials should use local spellings, familiar fonts, and easily readable typeface placement that accurately conforms to regional preferences.

That is especially true when the product or service is professional expertise. In many instances, the business must communicate in a way that reflects the norms of the local region.?

Linguistic accuracy strongly drives multiple positive outcomes, including the following:

• It creates trust between the business and its customers
• It ensures business communications conform with legal regulations, especially if the enterprise operates in a regulated industry such as law, finance, healthcare, or business consulting?
• It improves the shopping experience for online consumers
• It elevates the local impression of the brand, which may be receiving its first exposure outside of its home territory

Of course, linguistic accessibility works hand-in-hand with developing a culturally relevant public face as part of localization.?

Align Your Values tightly with the Local Culture

Localization strategies work when they touch, connect and reflect the values of specific regions. Your company has values that you want to communicate and share. Your target market has cultural norms.?

Bringing the two together is essential, but your values need to be relevant to the local market.

Cultural relevance and appropriateness may require additional consulting via market research or with local experts on what is accepted as well as expected from businesses in the area. Often, enterprises may unintentionally slip up by using words, images, or even colors that mean different things to different populations.?

GlobalSpeak interviews personally with many local consultants about the public-facing images of your business. GlobalSpeak will flag anything that is culturally inappropriate. From that point forward you can rely on local partners to drive initiatives in communicating with the local population, in all aspects, from customer service to product development.?

Localization, therefore, means seeing the business through the clear lens of the local community. Ideally, it should mean they can’t distinguish a foreign company from one of their own – even if they look closely.?

GlobalSpeak Translations can help you achieve that goal. Contact us today to find out more.

ABOUT THE COLLABORATORS:?With more than 25 years of experience in translation and interpretation leadership,?Flor Dimassi , CEO of GlobalSpeak Translations, and?Thomas Lacombe , President of GlobalSpeak Translations, sharing the passion and vision of GlobalSpeak, one translated word at a time.

GlobalSpeak Translations ?|?March 03, 2022 |?Your Business in Every Language ?

Tags: business translation ,?certified translation company ,?GlobalSpeak Translations ,?legal translation ,?marketing translation ,?medical document translation ,?technical, translations