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Localization: The Beast from a Bird's Eye View

© Nancy A. Locke

The localization process, a complex undertaking that involves many different professionals, often conjures the Indian parable of the three blind men and the elephant. To paraphrase, three blind men have hold of an elephant. One holds the nose, another explores the expanse of the animal’s side and the third grasps the tail. All three know they’ve got their hands on something big, but the true nature of the animal remains a mystery. If they only took off their blindfolds and stepped away, adopted a bird’s eye view, they might better understand the beast.

The localization process starts with a simple idea: A company wants to sell its product or service beyond its home market. During the pre-localization phase, some basic questions need to be answered and key decisions need to be made. Some or all of these questions and decisions may be considered in concert with a localization provider.

What will be localized? Theoretically, every aspect of the product or service — the logo, the brand name, the product, packaging, advertising (print, public relations tools, radio, television, web site), operating systems, the user interfaces, internal corporate communications, training materials, etc. — may be localized. Practically speaking, budget and time constraints, as well as issues of corporate image will determine the scope of the project.

Who will provide the localization? Currently, there is a large range of localization services companies. Which one can do the job best depends on the scope of the project and the company’s in-house expertise. Also, the magnitude of the project and logistics may require that the tasks be contracted out to several providers.

Once a vendor, or vendors, is chosen, the pre-production phase of the process begins. First, the company provides a localization kit for project evaluation and analysis. The content of the kit varies widely from project to project. The point of a complete, well-developed kit is simple: no one likes surprises. An effective localization kit, which forms the basis for the project schedule and budget, prevents surprises, missed deadlines and budget overruns.

Ideally, all the professionals who will be involved in the localization process should provide their input at this stage. Not only project managers, but also the engineers, linguistic staff and the DTP staff should participate at this stage to ensure efficient production.

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The ASAP timeframe shrinks with every technological innovation. Stiff competition propels localization providers to promise the moon. Remember, promising to meet the company’s measure of ASAP might win a localizer the first contract. Blowing the deadline, or squeaking in under the wire with poor-quality product, may jeopardize future contracts. It might also lose the localization provider valuable professional talent which, in the long-run, will only hurt operations.

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