Aside from the internet, software is one of the greatest things to happen to humanity in the 21st century. With the invention of automation tools, schedules, and projects, tasks have been made easier and productivity has increased significantly. The same thing applies to mobile applications as well because a mobile app is technically categorized as software. The difference between both terms is that software is more generic and covers website applications, programs, tools, and mobile apps.
On the other hand, mobile applications refer to software designed exclusively for use on mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, portable media players, etc. Brands with mobile applications and software may want to expand their businesses to other parts of the world. In the course of expansion, these brands will want to offer their mobile apps or software to these new markets, but this can result in complications unless software and mobile app localization come into play.
What is Software Localization?
Software localization is the process of adapting a tech product’s content, user interface, user experience, usage instructions, and legal and marketing materials from its source language and culture to its target market. For instance, if a software company wants to break into China, the firm has to convert the entire software content from its original language to Mandarin and also localize its user experience to be consistent with Chinese culture. Anything short of this is merely software translation.
Mobile App Localization
Like software localization, mobile app localization becomes necessary when want to market your application overseas. The scope of your audience will determine the number of target languages you’ll require translation for. For instance, an American firm preparing an eBook course for the Latin American audience will need to translate its course from English to Spanish.
There are two concepts that are intertwined with remote learning translation – desktop publishing and in-context review or language sign-off.
The Benefits of Software and Mobile App Localization
It Makes a Brand More Accessible to New Markets
Thanks to software localization, there’s no limit to the international expansion a technology-based company can achieve. You can break into any market across the world and establish a strong presence there. Imagine a French software company trying to expand its business into markets where they speak a different language.
Obviously, the source language of the application or software will be French, and this tool will be useless to these target markets regardless of its functionality. For this company to gain ground in and attract patronage from these new markets, the brand has to localize its app or software. This makes it more accessible to the market it’s breaking into.
Compete Favorably with other International Brands in the Market
Software and mobile app localization enhance the chances of a company getting a good share of any market. Remember the French software firm we talked about? Now picture them breaking into the Middle East with its software fully localized in Arabic language and culture. The firm will compete favorably with other foreign brands in the region, and it may even go as far as competing with domestic brands.
More Sales
Of course, this is bound to happen. It’s a direct consequence of successfully breaking into a new market. Now the software firm can sell more of its tools and make more profits. Software localization makes it possible to upgrade from selling your software within your immediate region to selling it worldwide. The beauty of this is that there’s always a market for mobile app and software developers and publishers globally. The only problem is the language barrier, a problem with a very obvious and viable solution. As long as these tools are adequately localized to align with the language and culture of the target market, the firm will make unbelievable profits.
Enhanced Global Visibility
It’s the dream of every company to be well-known across the world. Localizing your software and mobile apps makes them easier for people in foreign markets to find when they search for the services you offer online. The increased visibility your business will enjoy on application stores and search engines will result in a very generous ROI.
Final Thoughts
The benefits of software and mobile app localizing are too many to ignore. Nothing defines an international brand better than a company ranking well on search engine results for certain software or mobile apps in more than 20 countries. We recommend hiring highly professional software and mobile app translators to enjoy all the benefits mentioned above.