Most major companies have their eyes set on global expansion these days and who can blame them? Expanding their reach to new locales can help their business thrive by exposing them to new audiences. To excel at expanding into new markets, the localization of products and content is necessary. That being said, localization is a major undertaking that can be very complex and time-consuming. This is where continuous localization comes in.
Incorporating continuous localization into their workflow can help localization teams work faster, communicate better, and make less mistakes.
Keep reading for more insight into what continuous localization is and what the benefits are.
What Is Continuous Localization?
Continuous localization is a type of translation workflow. With this specific workflow, you integrate translation workflows into the agile software development process.
Under continuous localization, the translation team localizes the content in small batches which makes continuous integration easier. The localization manager and the translation team will have visibility into the development process during continuous localization. Because of this they are then able to easily discuss any translation issues that arise with developers. This allows the localization process to happen in lockstep with the development cycle.
Throughout continuous localization, developers are encouraged to exchange ideas with the localization team—which they are able to do because continuous localization makes them more aware of localization issues and makes it possible for them to take the proactive steps necessary to minimize risks.
What are the Benefits of Continuous Localization?
Overall, the streamlined workflows between translation and development teams that occur because of continuous localization can lead to a lot less frustration for the team, less reworks, a higher quality final product, and a faster delivery. Let’s look at a few advantages associated with continuous localization.
- Simultaneous release. Continuous localization makes it possible for development teams to work on products for different locales and in different languages at the same time. Working parallel can speed up the multilingual development process and can shorten time to market, which is especially helpful if a business wants to launch a product simultaneously in multiple countries.
- Seamless collaboration. The localization team is able to work closely with developers to better understand the constraints of the user interface. This makes it easier to ask questions about the context and create accurate and high-quality translations while avoiding reworks.
- Shorter development cycles. Because continuous localization can make workflow faster by leading to less back-and-forth between developers and the localization team, it’s more obtainable to stay focused and on track which leads to shorter development cycles.
How Is Continuous Localization Relevant Today?
To thrive in today’s increasingly global society, companies need to expand their global reach while balancing scaling needs. Trying to launch their products in multiple new markets leads to a lot of localization needs and can create a major bottleneck problem.
High quality localization is a time-consuming process and is quite complex. Introducing continuous localization into their localization process can make it easier for their team to communicate, to streamline their workflow, and to complete projects faster and with fewer errors made.
