Software localization is a complex process. Along with accurate translations, a software localization project involves dozens of other processes that adapt the user interface for a global audience. It requires adapting to linguistic conventions, as well as tailoring elements to specific cultural requirements.
Worldwide, the SaaS market is expected to be worth more than $462 billion by 2028. If you want to capitalize on this potential and want to achieve global growth, now’s the time to start thinking seriously about your localization strategy.
In an ideal world, the best time to start thinking about software and UI localization is at the start of the development stage. However, it’s never too late to start thinking about adapting the source code and user interface to improve user experience for global markets.
Software localization is an exhaustive process that involves adapting software from one language to another one. It can also call for heavy alterations to ready software for an entirely new culture. This can include translating basic strings of text to adjusting units of measurement and selecting different image assets. While accurate translation management is crucial when localizing software, you’ll also need to consider overall design and changes to the user interface.
The ultimate goal is to create accessible software that looks and feels as though it’s been specifically designed for the end-user, regardless of where they’re based or what language they are using. The process generally involves localizing elements like source code, error messages, and resource files. It also extends to things like end-user license agreements, technical specs, and legal documentation.
Many companies cut corners when it comes to UI localization, instead focusing on rudimentary software translation. However, translating a few key text segments is never sufficient. Neglecting elements like icon placement, typography changes, and sizing is dooming any localization project to failure.
Making these changes can prove time-consuming and often requires backend intervention. However, if you want to successfully penetrate new markets with your software, these changes are a must.
You have a few different options available; waterfall localization, agile localization, and continuous localization. We’ll explore the pros and cons of each below:
Waterfall localization is carried out at a specific point during the development cycle. In almost every case, this happens once a mobile app, website, or piece of software has been developed. After text has been translated and localized, it’s then integrated into the final application before being merged and published.
The main advantage of the waterfall approach is that your original digital product can be released to market more quickly. However, you can encounter delays if you plan on releasing your product in several languages. What’s more, localization bugs can occur and tend to be expensive to fix. If the waterfall approach isn’t implemented effectively, you run the risk of damaging user experience.
Nonetheless, the waterfall methodology remains popular with businesses across many sectors. Even as recently as 2023, around 56% of businesses report using it to varying degrees of success.
This approach involves the localization process running parallel to the development cycle. It’s generally a more flexible and efficient way to do things, with modified software strings localized as you go.
Agile localization might seem straightforward enough, but simultaneous workflows can be complex and hard to manage. With so many teams working simultaneously on smaller projects, you’ll need robust content management and experienced localization managers in place.
Despite these challenges, the agile methodology has been readily adopted by many companies. Around 71% of companies have embraced the agile framework. What’s more, it tends to have a fairly low failure rate.
Continuous localization shares some similarities with the agile approach. The main benefit here is that you can automate many manual tasks. Furthermore, the automated nature of continuous localization makes it easy to identify any design breaks.
You can present to stakeholders more quickly and look to launch your product in many markets simultaneously. However, a fast time-to-market isn’t always guaranteed. If you don’t effectively integrate localization during the development stage of your digital products, you’re almost certain to run into delays.
Ready to tap into lucrative global markets? Your software and digital products need to speak to your customers in their own language. With BLEND, you have an experienced localization partner you can trust. We’ll help you adapt user interfaces for international markets, improve user interface accessibility, and maintain those important design elements that set your product apart from the competition.
Need help to undertake a UI localization project? To ensure things go without a hitch, you’ll need to follow a pretty comprehensive checklist. Below, we’ll break down what’s required during the planning and preparation stage, the content localization process, and what the user interface design needs to accommodate.
Preparing for a software localization project is no small feat. You’ll need to carry out-in depth audience research before you can start making any hands-on adjustments. Once you’ve established local requirements, you can begin fine-tuning the UI for the end-user and implementing internationalization best practices.
UI localization is a complex process. As such, it’s easy to fall at the first hurdle. One of the key things to capture is the cultural expectations of your target market. Your research will ensure that content appeals to specific usage habits and cultural preferences.
It’s important to determine the scope of your localization project at this point. How many territories are you expanding into? What else do you need to localize along with software products? You might need to retool your marketing assets or think about website localization. What’s more, you might need to adapt legal documentation to support localized software.
When localizing a user interface, apply the same best practices that you would when designing it from the ground up. Simplicity is key. Meanwhile, you’ll need to maintain consistency and use common elements throughout. This helps create user-friendly patterns and encourages efficiency.
Layout is another pivotal design aspect. The spacing between elements can help draw attention to specific information, while also improving readability. The same logic applies to color usage and using bold or italicized text.
The typography you use will also lead to a better experience for the end-user. Different fonts, sizes, and arrangements can enhance hierarchy and make information far more accessible.
Before your localization project gets underway, you need to ensure your software is internationalized. In fact, internationalization should be at the forefront of any localization project. You’ll want to keep best practices in mind as early as the development phase. Doing so will ensure you clear the path ahead of any obstacles that might lead to delays or project derailment.
When it comes to software, internationalization typically involves removing visual elements and hard-coded text. These elements are then stored separately.
While it makes sense to focus on text segments when localizing software for international markets, there’s a lot more to consider than run-of-the-mill translations. UI content needs to be carefully adapted for non-native speakers, while things like text expansion and contraction, date formats, and numbering conventions all play a role in successful localization.
When adapting UI content for a new language, you need to decide which key terms you’re going to use when retooling your content. Standard phrases like “click” and “account” should be used consistently throughout. If you’re handling a localization project internally, keep a regularly updated style guide to provide context to localization engineers and translators. If you need some pointers, consider using online UI glossaries from global companies like Apple and Microsoft as a reference point.
Adapting content and layouts for new audiences can be challenging. Along with high-quality translations and consistency, you need to consider things like reading direction. Failure to plan for issues like this can lead to last-minute changes to UI content and information architecture.
Translating text from a source language to another one is simple enough. However, don’t expect the text to look the same once it’s been translated. Compared to other languages, English is fairly lean. When translated into another language, a relatively modest text segment can suddenly look far more extensive.
The same works in reverse. Languages like French and Spanish have more letters per word on average than English. If your localization projects involve either of these two languages, you’ll need to consider text contraction and expansion. This can affect software design. Are tabs sufficiently large enough to house more text? You may need to incorporate buffers to accommodate any changes.
Don’t overlook the importance of date formats when adapting a UI for new territories. While the MM/DD/YY format is the standard in the United States, this is really the exception, rather than the rule. In Latin America and many Asian countries, the preferred format is DD/MM/YY. In China and East Asia, YY/MM/DD is the standard.
Likewise, time formats vary considerably across the globe. Some countries use a 12-hour clock, while others utilize a 24-hour format. All of this needs to be considered when localizing software and UI content.
If you’re expanding your SaaS business globally, make sure you’re focusing on graphic localization. In a few rare instances, you’ll be able to provide graphic source files to your localization partner for seamless integration into the final product.
However, all graphics will need to be assessed to determine whether they’re culturally appropriate. Some images that work well in one corner of the world might carry negative connotations elsewhere. If you’re making moves into a territory with wildly different cultural norms, you’ll need to seriously rethink all of your image assets.
Good UI design is everything. After all, it’s how end-users interact with your digital products. An ill-conceived layout is going to leave a bad first impression and drive customers away. Accessible formats, concise language, and culturally-appropriate content is a necessity, not a nice-to-have.
When it comes to localization of user interfaces, dynamic layouts are the way to go. Some languages only require a single sentence to make a point. Others might need three times as many words to make the same point. Your layout needs to be able to accommodate this.
A dynamic layout not only allows for text expansion and contraction, it also improves the overall user experience. Differences between left-to-right and right-to-left languages can usually be handled with relatively little hassle. To make life easier, make sure you’ve outlined which languages you’re targeting early on. You’ll also want to keep the overall layout fairly simple and use flexible fonts wherever possible.
Keeping things simple will go a long way in streamlining the localization process. Ideally, the original user interface content should be as concise as possible. This is even more important when it comes to localizing UI text from a succinct language like English into one with notoriously lengthy words, such as German. If you’re relying solely on machine-assisted translations, you can quickly end up with a broken UI.
Some designers may turn to font size changes and other design adjustments to remedy the problem. However, this approach doesn’t really work. It’s a short-term solution and can impact readability. What’s more, it usually leads to further issues with UI architecture.
While the world is more interconnected than ever before, cultural differences remain a significant barrier to international expansion. Software localization needs to address this challenge, with content that displays a keen understanding and awareness of cultural nuances.
The United States and many European countries have an individualistic culture, while collectivism is the norm in many Asian markets. What’s more, gender roles vary considerably between countries. All of these factors need to be weighed up when adapting software for new audiences.
A single cultural misstep can have serious implications. At best, you’ll experience low levels of engagement. At worst, your brand’s reputation can be irreparably damaged. You might even run into legal challenges.
By now, you’ll have invested considerable time and resources in your software localization project. However, the work is far from over. Localization testing is the next logical step.
Rigorous testing ensures digital products are fully compliant with local laws and regulations. Furthermore, it can help mitigate additional development costs, especially if localization bugs have been detected. More importantly, localization testing helps minimize customer churn. If you’ve invested in testing, you’ll be putting out a product that’s been sympathetically tailored to a specific market, with the aim of delivering a first-rate experience for the end-user.
Localization testing should be rolled out as early as possible and deployed continuously. This means your development teams can tackle issues as soon as they arise, reducing overheads and streamlining time-to-market. To take some of the strain off your teams, you can even investigate automation.
Software and UI localization projects rarely end once a digital product has been released to market. To ensure your products are reaching as wide an audience as possible, you need to be focused on continuous optimization. Second-rate translations, non-compliant content, and design flaws can all lead to your product being abandoned in favor of software from a competitor.
If you want to increase usability, deliver enhanced customer experience, and turn one-time users into lifelong customers, localization is essential.
Looking to get your software into new markets? You’ll need a localization partner with the knowledge and resources to ensure you meet your goals. At BLEND, we’ve been helping clients in the software and IT industry for years. With thousands of human linguists and industry-leading AI technology at our disposal, we can make quick work of all those localization tasks. Ready to learn more? Get in touch with the team today.
As BLEND’s Localization Solutions Engineer, Fouad is a seasoned expert in translation technologies, including TMS, CAT tools, AI and MT. With over 14 years of industry experience, Fouad ensures our clients receive the best and most efficient localization processes.
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