The 10 Best Website Localization Services & Companies

Eilon Gueler

January 12 , 2024 · 7 min

If your online presence can only be viewed in English you’re losing out on potential customers. When people can’t read a website in their own language or it doesn’t feel compatible with their culture, they’re not going to be comfortable browsing and buying. In a large-scale 2020 survey, 76% of respondents said they preferred purchasing when brand and product information was in their own language. This highlights the importance of website translation and localization if you want to give your business a global reach.

Understand website localization to enhance user experience

Adapt your website to meet users’ needs in different regions and countries and you’ll soon realize the very real benefits of localization. An important element of this localization is text translation but other aspects such as the user interface (UI), cultural differences, accessibility, and local regulations need to be considered. Graphics, images, currency, date format, and even how customer service personnel address clients are all part of localizing your content. Get these aspects right and they add up to a user experience (UX) that leads to clicks and conversions.

Cultural adaptation and user engagement

Achieving cultural adaptation for different countries not only improves the user’s engagement with the site but can also avoid potentially expensive errors. Put off users and your ROI will decrease while inadvertently using misleading or even offensive content can lead to legal challenges. A reputable website translation service that is also an expert in localization best practices can help you avoid these pitfalls. Text translation should be done by skilled professionals with experience in your type of business while other areas such as localizing images, graphics, logos, website design, interfaces, and so on should also be handled with expertise.

Customizing user interface and user experience (UI/UX)

Customizing the user interface is something that can easily be overlooked especially if budgets are tight. Get this right, however, and the user experience is greatly enhanced. As well as having a professionally translated site that users can navigate with ease, the buying process also needs to be localized. Things to consider include:

Currency and payment methods: Always use the currency of your targeted country whether it’s dollars, euros, or something country-specific such as zloty in Poland or yen in Japan. Payment methods are also important. While PayPal is widely accepted around the world, some countries have specific payment methods such as the Lotte Card in South Korea. Customers feel more secure using a payment method they’re familiar with
Date formats: Whether planning deliveries or setting up a webinar, remember that date formats can vary. In the US, the month is put before the day (07/21/2024) while in Europe the day usually comes first (21/07/2024). Get this wrong and it could lead to expensive confusion
Form-filling: Consider how much information you need from customers. A physical address may not be needed if selling an online subscription. However, you’ll often need a billing address and a telephone number. Localize the form fields for these for different regions and countries

The 10 best website localization companies

Website localization is complex and costly so finding the right partner for your business is vital. Ensure your chosen partner company has ISO 17100 certification. This goes some way to ensuring high-quality, accurate, and time-specific translations. Read reviews from previous customers as well as enquiring whether:

They have the localization tools and technologies to offer seamless and ongoing integration with your systems
You’ll have your own project manager and dedicated localization team
Native speakers with at least two years of experience in your subject matter are available for translating
The price agreed includes free revisions (or reduced rates) if segments have to be redone

There are many website localization companies on the market but the following 10 are highly rated for professionalism, efficiency, and value for money.

1. Lionbridge

Lionbridge has over 25 years of experience in localization services. Its platform reaches over 5,000 cities and covers more than 300 languages. Lionbridge combines human and machine intelligence to offer translation and localization services as well as digital marketing, application testing, and content marketing on a truly global scale.

2. BLEND

BLEND is another website localization service that has an extensive reach. With its diverse and talented team, linguists who speak over 120 languages, and an AI-driven technology stack, BLEND helps brands go global. The company prides itself on its understanding of context, culture, and consumers, as well as its provision of personal account managers. These support projects from start to finish (and beyond).

3. Milestone Location

Milestone is known for the precision and high quality of its translations. These are created by native speakers with at least four years of translation experience. Its translation services are backed up by website localization, transcreation, multimedia translation, and multilingual SEO. They have particular expertise in education and the gaming industry.

4. Daily Translate

Daily Translate uses over 10,000 translators fluent in more than 100 languages. Its cost-effective services include document translation, videogame and audiovisual translation and localization, and desktop publishing. Daily Translate uses the latest machine technology backed up by specialized revisers.

5. Alconost

With expertise in computer software, video gaming, apps, multimedia, promotional trailers, and e-learning materials, Alconost offers translation and website localization services in 100+ languages. Alconost is also a good partner when translation and localization of occasional or last-minute projects are required.

6. Lilt

Lilt is an innovator in using AI, NLP, and machine learning technology to support its skilled human translators, editors, and localization experts. It can cope with large volumes of content while seamlessly integrating with a brand’s existing content management and translation management systems.

7. Pangea Global Services

Pangeo Global Services offers translation and localization specialisms in iGaming, casino gaming, e-learning, finance, legal, and the automotive industries. It is one of the few UK-based companies with double ISO certification (ISO 17100 and ISO 9001). Pangea is particularly effective in B2B marketing such as lead generation and sales synchronization.

8. Ulatus

Covering more than 125 countries and regions, and over 100 languages, Ulatus works closely with its partners by offering personal localization managers. These help brands reach a global audience and establish an effective and profitable presence in different countries. Ulatus is particularly strong in Chinese, Indian, and Japanese translations.

9. Applingua (e2f)

e2f uses its roots in data science to help machines understand people through linguistic datasets of over 200 languages. Its professional and experienced team of translators, editors, and localizers then build on what AI and NLP create, filling gaps in context, human speech, and colloquialisms.

10. Translated

Translated has a highly creative network of over a quarter of a million translators and copywriters. They work alongside advanced technology to provide website localization in 190+ languages. Its main business focus is on e-commerce, apps, and travel software.

Why is BLEND the best localization company?

Unparalleled expertise

Partner with BLEND and our expert team will help you develop long-lasting and profitable relationships with your customers wherever they are in the world. At BLEND, we have native translators in over 120 languages and offer expertise in a wide range of subject matter from clinical research to legal, and chemical engineering to pharmaceuticals. This expertise is backed up by proven academic qualifications, industry training, and experience in the field. Our team of experts also has an in-depth knowledge of local compliance and regulation.

Cutting-edge localization technologies

The unparalleled expertise of our team at BLEND is backed up by our use of cutting-edge translation and localization technologies. We lead the way in industry insights and trends with our API-driven workflows, custom integration systems, NMT engines, machine translation, machine training, and more. These allow our global team to connect with client workflows, offering a truly native localization service for your business.

Exceptional customer satisfaction

Our successful and trusted links with big business names such as Microsoft, Amazon, Subway, and Facebook provide proof of customer satisfaction. Whatever the size of your business and project, your own personal account manager will ensure your localization project is a success and that you are also a satisfied customer.

Evolving technologies in website localization – the role of AI and machine learning

AI or Artificial Intelligence has been one of the biggest and most impactful localization industry trends in recent years. It is really shaking up the translation and localization industry. As neural machine translation (NMT) technology improves, machine translation is becoming increasingly accurate and cost-effective. Relying solely on human translators is very expensive both in time and money so using AI to create text can be a good solution especially for small to medium-sized businesses where budget constraints are key.

However, AI has its limitations. It cannot be relied on solely especially when dealing with complex texts, industry-specific language, and colloquialisms. AI is also prone to bias, doesn’t always ‘get’ context, and lacks human empathy, intuition, and an emotional range. The best way to optimize your content and achieve the best localization is by adding the human touch. When human translators and editors review AI-generated content and provide post-editing services – accuracy, subtleties, and cultural correctness can be guaranteed.

At BLEND, we believe budgeting for the services of our translation and localization experts is a good investment. We can advise on the global impact of localization on your business and tailor our services to suit. If you’re ready to discuss your website localization project, contact us now.