Did you know that there are many available tools and skills for localization? Localization is the process through which companies adapt their products to new markets. Localization plays an important part in successful product development. This is because it offers companies an opportunity to reach a wider market segment. And for a product to be successful in certain regions, you’ll need to adapt it for the new places.
But, localizing your products or content is not enough. You’ll need to get it right the first time. This is especially if you’re entering a new market and need to leave a good impression. Remember what they say about first impressions? You’ll be at a loss if your audience’s first memory of your product is a bad one.
This is why you should be keen on your choice of localization company for your product. There are some key tools and skills that a localization company should have. Below are some of these tools and skills.
Tools and Skills for Localization
Computer-Assisted Tools (CAT)
CATs are important in localization as they are able to establish patterns. When you continue to use CAT to localize information, the system is able to memorize patterns. Using this memory, CAT is able to remember your previous work, making it easy for you to localize new content.
By remembering previous translations, you can use CAT to localize many words in a short time. This is because the CAT will remember the words that you have used before and you’ll only need to translate new words. This not only saves a lot of time but also makes it an efficient way to process many files.
Quality Assurance Tools (QAT)
It is important that new content in localization matches the original message. Localization requires adaptation of content while keeping the same messaging. How then can one be sure that the message is the same in the translated language? The answer to this question lies in QAT.
QATs help localization companies to ensure they only put out quality work. This is why most companies use QAT to verify that the end product is up to standard. QATs comb through the end product for correctness and to ensure that there are no errors. While localization pros can do this too, QAT offers a less margin of error. These tools also perform quality checks fast, saving a lot of time. This is time that you’d spend going through the content line by line.
Debugging tools
An important part of content creation is running a trial. This is where a company rolls out its product to check for bugs. Localization involves working with strings of code, especially for websites, applications, and games. And during the localization, some bugs may find their way into the strings of code.
There are some debugging tools that you can run throughout the localization process. These tools pick out bugs as soon as they happen. You can also use debugging tools that test the complete content after the localization. Debugging helps to ensure that the end product of localization runs without a hitch.
Translation Management Tools
These are the tools that localization companies use to ensure a smooth flow of projects. Localization companies often have many projects in the pipeline at a given time. With translation management systems it is possible to manage many different file formats. These systems also allow all users working on the localization to track the process.
This makes it easy for localization teams to collaborate on projects. From translation, editing, to desktop publishing, these tools track all stages of localization. The tools also make it easy to move files around at different stages of the localization process. With translation management tools, your localization pros can also work from anywhere.
Desktop Publishing Tools (DTP)
DTPs are tools that localization pros use to localize the graphic aspects of a website or app. These tools ensure that the end product has appropriate imaging. Some of these DTPs make it easier to localize images by providing alternative images.
DTPs make it easier for the pros to edit images without doing manual edits. This in turn makes it easy to localize lots of visual content in a short time.
Choosing the Best Tools and Skills for Localization
When it comes to localization tools, different types work for different needs. This is why every localization company needs to identify what works best for them. This way, they can streamline their localization process and ensure that it’s seamless.
Your Partner in Localization
At Day Translations, we take pride in the quality of our in-house localization pros. We offer high-quality localization services for different types of clients. We have localized websites, software, applications, movies, or even e-learning content. This is why you should reach out to us for all your localization needs. Our team of experts will help you connect with your audience.