Localization Tool

Software localization is a process of making apps aligned to specific audiences.

To make your app localized, you need to translate the content with the correct contexts accurately and align other aspects of the software to fit cultural requirements and preferences.

Software localization is part of the internationalization (i18n) process. It has the objective of adapting a software product by customizing, if needed, the language, text media, currency, etc.

Localization of software product will provide consumers a personalized experience that will attract more users from local markets to use it and increase revenue for the company operating the service or product.

You might be interested in: #️⃣

• How to prepare your application for i18n & l10n

The software localization process starts right at the beginning of the development - the first step is to ensure you have the language, media (images, video, sound), text, date format, numbers, and currency as external content. When you want to expand the product to another market or make different versions of it, you only have to change the external content to the target market’s specific needs. An essential subprocess of localization, and maybe the most important, is the translation of the language, i.e., translating the external string files, as this is the core of communication between the product and its users.

You might be interested in: #️⃣

• How to prepare your application for i18n & l10n
• How to convert localization files into different formats?

Formally, to get a document translated into other languages, all you had to do, was send it to a translation office and receive the translation within a few days in exchange for a fee. When speaking of translating software, the process is different. 😅

Software programs are written in programming languages that translators don’t understand. Considering that even a simple comma can ruin the entire software’s functionality, no programmer likes having translators put their hands on the code. 

So, translating software without hazards requires content to be separated from the code. You can translate your software by extracting the content into separate files (e.g., JSON, XLIFF, XML, etc.) and then sending it to translators. 

An even better way to do it is to use a translation management system, such as Localazy, which takes care of the translation process and seamlessly integrates with your software. Making updates and working with professional translators on sophisticated software is not difficult and maybe even enjoyable with Localazy. Localazy also offers 50+ integrations, and one of them is an API that you can use to exchange data between your app and Localazy and handle everything programmatically.

Localazy API integrates into your software to remove the need to deal with translation files outside the development once and for all.

Besides rapid updates, what makes using our API exceptional are multiple possible integrations and the human touch offered by real translators when you go for the Continuous Localization Team services. 😉

Further reading #️⃣

• Guide: How to prepare your application for i18n & l10n
• Cheatsheet: Getting started with Software Localization

There are two ways to translate the website content: as a visitor or as an owner. From both of these perspectives can be employed different tools and approaches. ⚒️ But first, let’s explain how translation can be done.

💪 How do human translators work? #️⃣

Traditional translation agencies employ human translators to translate web content for their clients. The process is done the old way, mechanically translating each sentence while going through the pages. The human eye is indispensable for producing excellent localized content, no matter the advanced artificial intelligence algorithms you’re using for machine translations.

Humans can distinguish between similar contexts, language nuances, and figurative uses to select the right words. However, translators will charge for the time they spend translating common phrases, which are avoidable costs thanks to our ShareTM.

🦾 How does machine translation work? #️⃣

Artificial intelligence was first used for small translation tasks, but now it has evolved so much that it can substitute human translations entirely in some cases. Well-known machine translation service providers like Google Translate are responsible for a large amount of automatically translated content. However, they’re responsible for big bloopers as well. 😂

The golden middle way produces the most optimized results. Machine translations (MT) result from algorithms; therefore, they’re unable to detect figurative contexts, language nuances, and cultural differences. Automated translations save time and are worth the costs when they are being done under human supervision.

🌐 How to translate a website using Chrome as a visitor? #️⃣

The built-in Chrome feature allows visitors to translate a website from a language different from the one they’ve configured their browser to use. Its use is relatively straightforward, and users aren’t required to install or download anything as the feature comes with the Chrome browser by default. 😀

1. Visit a page with content in a foreign language 😵
2. Tap on the Google Translate icon on the right of the search bar to select the target language. 🎌 (Sometimes, Chrome will display a window with translation automatically)
3. Three dots on the right reveal an extensive list of languages as options. ▪️▪️▪️
4. Voilà! The page will be translated into the desired language. 🥳️

🏹 How to translate a website as an owner? #️⃣

Localizing your website for local markets is proven to increase sales and brand awareness for all kinds of industries. Deciding to localize your website means opening doors for clients who were unreachable before, but how can you go multilingual with your website? 🤔

If visitors are translating your website using the Google Translate feature, the chances are that the message of your content will be lost in the translation. Localization services like Localazy preserve the originality of your content through quick and efficient localization.

Generally, there are two ways to translate a website into multiple languages: human translation or machine translation. Everything else is a variant or mix of these two.

🎯 How to translate a website using Localazy? #️⃣

So, what’s the most optimal solution for translating your website? We’ve found that a combination of both human and machine translation can yield wonderful results at an affordable cost. With support in over 80+ languages and 3000 locales, Localazy is the result of this vision. Take the lazy but effective route to website localization here. ✅

Here are the steps to be followed for translating a website you own: #️⃣

• Analyze the website and ensure that it’s prepared for internationalization (i18n). 💪
• Pick a CMS that offers multilingual support and other capabilities.
• After the website is up and running, work on your localization strategy. Make sure to have a clear idea of the importance of i18n and i10n.
• Sign up and integrate your website with Localazy through one of the suitable integrations. 🔗
• Take charge of the process and utilize machine translations or order translation services from our Continuous Localization Team to get your website translated while you sleep.

Localization automation is, at its core, the process of making the localization process faster and more agile by automating specific tasks (i.e., string management and translation, format conversions, delivery of localized files etc.) that otherwise would consume a lot of time to complete.

Localazy is here to help product teams and single developers automate the localization of their projects.

You might be interested in:

• How to prepare your application for i18n & l10n
• Localization automation - language as a product or service?

Localization tools are pieces of software that allow the developers, project managers, and translators to localize other software by helping them manage the strings and translations in the project and maintain the quality of translations.

Machine Translation Engines, Computer-Aided Translation Tools and Translation Management Systems are all examples of localization tools.

Localazy combines all of them and offers additional features aiding localization, e.g., Localazy Format Conversions.

The localization kit is a subgroup of the resources, instructions, and tools needed to create a localized version of a software product or content.

🎯 Localization kits enable translators and other stakeholders (such as marketers or developers) engaged in language-related project management to work more independently because they can check their work as they proceed.

The success of a translation project and how well localization engineers, translators, and web designers coordinate depends on your localization kit. ⚒️

What elements compose a localization kit?

• Previous translations (Translation Memory),
• Glossary of terms
• Agreed dialect/sub-dialect, tone, etc.
• GUI (Graphical User Interface) or Screenshots,
• Documentation,
• Other helpful documents & web files,
• etc.

A localization kit comprises three types of informational resources:

• The requirements of the final localized product,
• The localization package with files and instructions,
• Project details containing the timeframe and scope.

Localazy is a translation management suite that complements your localization kit with a myriad of features for successful work.

Now, the translation is where the real magic happens. With Localazy, the magic wand is in your hands. Sign up now or read the Getting Started Guide.