Many e-commerce and online stores cater to both domestic and international customers. To make their products relatable to their customers, some of them have already incorporated the process of localization. If you are unfamiliar with the term “localization,” it is the process of making a software or website’s user interface more familiar to the user. Developers make it familiar to the user by making it local or using their native language. The localization process includes translation, graphic design, relatable content, and as little as font type.
If you’re a developer, you’re probably aware that there are numerous processes that go into localization. Working on all of these categories as a developer can be difficult if you don’t keep track of your tasks. Furthermore, how do you manage an entire team? How can you keep track of each individual’s progress? Software localization tools can make it easier for developers and institutions with large teams working in various departments. There is only one question: how to choose the best localization platform?
In this article, we will learn about the meaning and importance of localization, as well as how to select the best software. And, finally, we’ll look at which software is best for regular and small businesses.
Table of Contents
What Is a Localization Platform?
This is software or a system that assists the project manager, developers, and translators in translating or familiarizing themselves with another system. Localization is centered on the user experience, and it is better if a localization team involves the owner of the project in every step of the translation.
So, instead of always calling the client to the office to see the progress and contribute, you can use the localization management tools. Such tools make it easier for developers and project managers to communicate with their team members. Clients can access the project from their location and also request changes. But who oversees whether the localization is going according to plan? Who tracks the developers’ and translators’ progress? Yes! It’s the project manager. We will talk about them in the next section.
What Is Localization Project Management?
It is the process of creating procedures and goals and monitoring and executing localization by a company or a team. The project manager is the person who is in charge of creating these plans and ensuring that they are going into effect. The project manager acts as the intermediary. He will talk to clients and give the requests to translators. He will also keep track of people’s progress using the localization management software. But why should a company use localization workflow management?
Importance of Localization Project Management
A company will enjoy the following benefits when they have a proper localization workflow management setup:
- Recruiting Qualified Staff
The Localization Project Management comes up with guidelines for scouting the best people in each department and recruiting them. They also outline translators, and the roles and deadlines.
- Prioritizing Important Projects
The localization manager can develop protocols that determine the most important projects and tasks within a project. They also set deadlines for each member working on the important task and make sure they meet these deadlines.
- Improving The Quality of Services to Clients
Creating localization campaigns makes it possible for the project manager to conduct more research in an area according to the localization manager guidelines. In turn, the manager and developers will get more informed on the culture of a specific area, improving their quality of service.
- Scaling in Specific Locations
Companies can perform the tasks faster when the localization manager creates a team to perform localization campaigns in specific areas.
How to Pick the Best Software for Localization?
Nowadays, there are many localization management platforms on the market. How will you know which one is the right one for your company? We will go over something that you should consider before selecting the right tool for your business. Therefore, the software should:
- Support Different File Formats
Your management tool should accept all types of file formats, like doc, google docs, .string, .json, .xml, etc.
- Should Be Agile
When the software should have an agile management system, which allows people to edit the software or add new features at any moment. You could even find something about continuous localization that helps developers deliver their project to the customers in a shorter period of time while keeping the development process going. It also helps to edit some strings immediately without waiting till the end. So, as you understand, it’s an ongoing localization process that follows the agile development methodology.
- Compatible with Other Platforms
The software should have a possibility to integrate easily with other third-party systems like Jira, Android, Java, and Zendesk, which allow easy data transfer.
- Automated Quality Assurance Checks
Manual checks consume time, are prone to error, and can be expensive when outsourcing. As a result, it is wise to get an automated QA checking system.
- Have Advanced Software Features
Systems should have advanced project reports and statistics that encourage transparency among team members and clients. Clients can track the use of their money and monitor their progress. On the other hand, audits are much easier because of the organized statistics and reports.
What Software to Use for Localization?
Now that you have known what features a proper localization system should have, you may choose one with the help of websites that contain reviews, for example, G2. And we’d like to tell you about one of the best options for agile teams nowadays that is the Crowdin localization management platform. Let us look at some of its advantages over other systems to know why you should use it.
Advantages of Using the Crowdin System for your Localization Project
First of all, it is a cloud-based system that is the most flexible way of remote collaboration, perfect for continuous localization. Also, the In-Context tool allows people to write and update using the CrowdIn Webapp.
- Comment on Strings: The comment option on strings allows translators and developers to ask questions and give their reviews. Crowdin allows people to raise a comment issue tracker where the other person can mark the issue as resolved, which helps track the progress.
- Cheaper Pricing: CrowdIn charges a subscription fee for paid software. But the platform is free for open-source projects.
- API Integration: CrowdIn allows people to connect to over 70 APIs.
- Supports More Formats: This system allows people to use over 60 types of file formats.
- Compatibility: The software is compatible with different environments like SDK, Android, and IOS.
- User Ability: UX or UI refers to the client’s experience navigating through your software. So, Crowdin makes it easy for beginners to interact with the system because of the minimal steps and optimized user interface.
Conclusion
Hope that now that you’ve read the whole article, you will be able to choose the best localization tools for your project, it’s time to start integrating all the features into your business project. As localization platforms make the whole process easier, it helps to communicate with the team efficiently, check the progress of the project, meet all the deadlines, and make fewer mistakes.