"Many people describe localization services as 'translation plus cultural adaptation.' While this is technically correct, it is not very helpful in practice. This definition misses the actual work, the decisions teams face, and the reasons some localization projects quietly succeed or fail. This article explains how localization services actually work for software, web platforms, and global content and gives a practical model for teams who want to know what they are getting into when they decide, 'We need localization.'"
"Translation changes text from one language to another. Localization adapts a product or content for a specific market. This difference becomes obvious once you begin the work. Translation answers: Is the text accurate? Localization answers: Does this function make sense, and feel intentional in context? Examples of adaptation that go beyond translation: Translation is mostly about language, while localization focuses on the product and also involves language."
"Technical localization This includes file formats, string handling, pluralization rules, character encoding, date and time formats, right-to-left layouts, and text expansion. Engineering problems often appear quickly at this stage. Cultural localization This includes tone, formality, humor, symbols, color meanings, and assumptions in the content. Even accurate translations can fail at this stage. Functional localization This checks whether localized content still works in the product, including onboarding flows, error messages, tooltips, legal notices, transactional emails, and help articles."
Many people describe localization services as 'translation plus cultural adaptation.' While technically correct, that definition omits the actual work, decisions teams face, and reasons projects succeed or fail. Translation converts text between languages and verifies accuracy. Localization adapts products and content for specific markets and ensures functions make sense and feel intentional in context. Localization includes technical concerns (file formats, encoding, pluralization, layouts), cultural concerns (tone, humor, symbols, color meanings), and functional concerns (onboarding flows, error messages, transactional emails, help articles). Projects fail when teams dismiss cultural issues or ignore technical responsibilities.
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