It has been some time since I posted anything. I guess I can blame it on the craziness of summer. No excuse though I know.
I recently came across an article on Export America “A federal source for global business needs.” The article discusses the differences between Localization, Globalization, and Internationalization. Which I definitely agree with. It is one thing to make a product accessible to international markets, but giving products a local look and feel will give companies a much greater chance for success. This also follows our mantra Go Global, Get Local!
However, effectively selling a product overseas requires more than just finding a local distributor or creating a Spanish-language About Us link on a Web site. What is less frequently understood is the importance of truly localizing or adapting, content or a product to meet the linguistic, cultural, and other requirements of a target market. This is a process that differs from internationalization, which is generalizing a product so that it can handle multiple languages and cultural conventions without the need for redesign. Localization involves tailoring a product to a specific market, in a process that goes beyond mere translation. For instance, notational conventions and other standards must be addressed. It also means understanding and accommodating cultural nuances, such as differences in color association, symbols, and payment preferences. Businesses that incorporate a localization component early on in their global strategy will be positioned far more competitively than businesses that do not.
For the full article: Localize and Truly Go Global
For Blackbird e-Solutions Localization Services
