More than half of the content on the Internet is exclusively in English, creating a significant language barrier for countless users. The Internet, as a global platform, should ideally unite people worldwide by providing equitable access to resources.
However, this vision often falls short, especially when users encounter a lack of content in their native languages or encounter poorly executed translations. These translations frequently overlook crucial elements such as context, slang, nuances, and cultural subtleties. Drawing from the insights of Localazy, a Czech startup specializing in automated localization and aiding numerous companies in expanding internationally, this article explores the four most prevalent mistakes startups make in global communications.
A survey conducted in ten countries by CSA Research found that 75% of consumers prefer to shop on websites available in their native language, and 60% have never or almost never shopped on sites available only in English. Such a definite trend toward native languages clearly shows that the Internet, in terms of language, is a less globalized medium than the numbers treating the 50% English-language part of the Internet might indicate.
The key to understanding this state of affairs is the fact that despite the prevailing belief that English has become the modern Latin – according to statista.com, only 1.46 billion people, or less than 20% of the population, can speak it worldwide. What’s more, among non-native speakers of the language, most, given a choice, will choose their native language anyway. Why is this so, and what lessons should startups who are keen to expand into foreign markets learn from this? To avoid making mistakes in global communications, the most important thing is to understand people’s motivations for seeking content in their native language.
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Mistake 1 – Localization is not the same as translation
Localization and translation are two different processes, although they are often confused. Translation involves converting a text from one language to another, preserving its original meaning. It is a simple translation of words and sentences without considering the cultural context. Localization, on the other hand, goes a step further. It involves adapting an entire product or content to the specific needs and preferences of a particular market. In addition to simply translating the text, localization takes into account aspects such as idioms, communication style, date format, units of measurement, and even aesthetic preferences.
As a result, speakers of another language are more likely to appreciate a text that has received localization because it is more understandable, natural, and adapted to their daily lives. Local idioms and cultural contexts make audiences feel more connected to the product, which increases their engagement and satisfaction. A well-localized text will be received similarly to a native textbook and will not create a sense of falsity and foreignness in the recipient.
Mistake 2 – 75% of consumers prefer to shop on websites available in their native language. Don’t treat language barriers as a threat.
Especially for startups, language barriers do not have to be an obstacle but can become a significant opportunity for growth and expansion. Using the tools on the market today, it is possible to successfully reach with well-translated content everywhere where no other company developing business only in English will reach. This allows to build brand awareness much more efficiently. For example, a company entering the German market with a product should not be afraid of the language barrier or try to bridge it through clumsy attempts to do communication in English.
German is spoken by 130 million people, making it the second most common language spoken in the European Union. Leaning into the community using this language for communication is a huge opportunity to effectively get your message across to a huge potential audience. The only challenge in this case is skillful localization, but it doesn’t have to be done manually, as discussed later.
Mistake 3 – Overlooking local slang and linguistic simplifications
The challenge faced by the aforementioned entities is, first and foremost, the language barrier and matching content culturally, with elements of social personalization. There are about 7,000 different languages in the world and even more dialects, which is a huge diversity. It is impossible to meet everyone’s expectations, but completely disregarding “how things are said” in a given community makes communication ineffective: artificial, unnatural, and not matching the style in which people communicate on a daily basis.
Taking into account regionalisms and translating the text with the support of a person from a particular cultural background helps to improve the clarity of the message dramatically and actually makes it meaningful. The same is true for references to cultural texts that have entered circulation previously translated into the native language. If a secondary translation of at least a proper name is translated differently, the recipients may not understand it, or it may cause a feeling of confusion and dissonance in them.
Mistake 4 – Ignoring context
Local idioms, cultural nuances, and linguistic peculiarities are very important to the audience. Without proper context, even a correctly translated text can sound foreign and inaccessible. Professional localization is not only the translation of words but also the adaptation of all communication to the specific needs and expectations of local markets, which greatly increases the chances of success in the global market.
Localazy, a Czech startup, has developed an innovative platform that bridges the gap between translators, market experts, and organizations aiming to expand into new markets. Users simply upload their content in the default language, such as English, and the platform automatically connects them with a suitable translator who is an expert in the target market. They also have the option to machine-translate and have their content refined after by professional proofreaders or members of their own teams or communities.
Leveraging AI-powered automation and “human touch”, Localazy ensures that the localization process maintains accuracy, context, and linguistic nuances. The tool seamlessly integrates with over 50 platforms, enabling automatic content transfer to your application or website.
“Meeting expectations when you scale into foreign markets tends to be hard. You want to make sure that you communicate effectively with the local customer base, and for that, you need time and resources. Many companies resort to hiring individual translators for each market externally, but they don’t need to handle everything on their own. Instead of incurring high costs and dealing with management overhead, they can use tools designed to address crucial localization aspects, cutting down on costs while ensuring high-quality results at the same time,” explains Jakub Dubec, CMO of Localazy.
“An example of a company that has achieved considerable success on the Polish market thanks to this approach is Mix.it. The Czech online store successfully entered the Polish market with the support of the Localazy platform. The challenge was to simplify the translation process and automate the workflow to avoid manual content changes. Localazy helped Mix.it with automation tools but also provided support from a team of translators, which enabled the site to be quickly localized into Polish. This gave Mix.it a new, well-received marketplace without the need for an intensive involvement of the IT team.” – describes Dubec.
Automated tools for effective localization often outperform individuals translating content manually into another language. They can also be hugely beneficial for workflow management and help with menial, repetitive tasks, allowing humans to focus on quality assurance and cultural fit problems. This can contribute to the challenging goal of reducing language barriers, which ultimately has an impact on scaling businesses and their surrounding environment alike.
