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Globalization, Internationalization, Localization and Translation: The Processes Manufacturing Professionals Should Apply in Preparation for Foreign Market EntryBy Lauren Nemec, www.translatus.com
Preparing to expand a business into new foreign markets requires significant time and money. Success depends on careful planning and having the right processes. These processes include globalization, internationalization, localization and translation and each represents a crucial step in taking a product to a new market. Globalization Globalization is the process of developing, manufacturing and marketing a product intended for distribution in foreign markets. This is a two-step process consisting of internationalization and localization, with translation being an integral part of localization. Internationalization Internationalization is the process of generalizing a product to prepare it for localization. This neutralizes the product, enabling a more efficient localization process, improving quality and decreasing localization costs and time to market. Internationalizing a product just once enables a company to easily localize that product for multiple locations. Here is a sample list of tasks commonly performed in the internationalization process:
Localization After a product has been internationalized, it can then be localized. Localization is the process of adapting a product to fit the specific language and culture of a target market. The goal is to make the product as natural and transparent as possible for the user, as if it was developed with that user in mind. The following details differ greatly between countries and therefore must be taken into consideration during localization:
Translation Translation is the process of rendering the meaning of a text from one language into another. It is a significant part of the localization process. Why Is This Important? Globalization has made barriers to market entry smaller than ever before. However, language and culture remain significant obstacles for companies expanding to foreign markets. It is a common misconception that most business professionals in the world have sufficient knowledge of English and because of this, English-only websites are perfectly acceptable for a global marketplace. Companies cannot survive under this assumption. While English knowledge is indeed widespread, knowledge does not indicate preference. Put quite simply, people are less likely to buy your product if they can’t read about it or use it in their own language. Market for Localization and Translation Services According to the Common Sense Advisory, a research and consulting firm specializing in this industry, the market for outsourced language services is at $10 billion this year and expected to grow at 15-20% per year. No single company consistently dominates the market. In fact, the top 20 companies in the industry combined hold less than 20% of the market. This means that there are many language services providers for companies to choose from and that pricing for their services remains competitive. How Can a Language Services Provider Help? Language services providers offer a range of services that support globalization, internationalization, localization and translation initiatives, such as:
When you globalize a product, you are making a commitment to support that product in all of your target markets for the duration of its life cycle. This long-term commitment requires an excellent partner who has a history of success with its existing clients, extensive experience with localization and translation technologies, knowledge of your industry, subject-matter expertise and a process-focused approach to supplying services. Lauren Nemec is the Marketing Manager of Translatus, Inc., a language services provider.
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In
a 2006 survey of manufacturing professionals, KPMG found
that the number one strategic priority among manufacturing
companies is penetrating new markets.
