The global software market is currently valued at over $429 billion and is growing across all devices. With that growth comes expansion into new markets, new cultures, and new user expectations, where what works for one culture can be rejected by another.

Localization is essential to making your product look and feel like it was created for your target market. By perfecting the language, design, and structure of your product, it provides the foundation of your customer experience and is a key part of any digital transformation process. Localization will do nothing less than redefine the way the world sees your product.

What is Software Localization?

Software localization is the process of translating and adapting software to the linguistic, cultural, and legal requirements of a specific region. In addition to software translation, it encompasses updates to graphics, layouts, and formatting, with the aim of satisfying local legal requirements, data compliance, device preferences, and technology trends.

Lionbridge offers a full spectrum of software localization services, including:

Internationalization
Software translation
Software engineering
User acceptance testing
Localization testing
Functional testing
Bug fixing

We can create all necessary documentation, roadmaps, and auxiliary tools for implementing software from scratch. Our team can also improve existing software, using your framework for any language.

What is Mobile App Localization?

App localization is the process of changing and refining an app to suit a specific market. It often involves updating the interface and functionality of the app to accommodate cultural and linguistic preferences in that market.

The goal of mobile app localization is to create an app that:

Takes linguistic, cultural, and technical differences into consideration, such as the use of color for different cultures, units of measurement, currencies, and idiomatic expressions.
Doesn’t change the original intent or functionality of the original application
Looks and functions as if it was native to that specific market

App localization can make your app available to millions of potential new users. App localization is essential if you want to give your app a truly global reach.

What is Agile Localization?

Agile localization is a process that incorporates localization into agile software development, which emphasizes developing code in short, frequent increments.

Translations in an agile localization process are delivered as the product is being developed. With new software updates, localization teams work simultaneously on localizing changes introduced in the product by the software’s developers.

This approach requires expert translators who are comfortable working on pieces of loosely connected, out-of-context text. It also requires tight integration between development environments and code repositories like GitHub with translation and localization platforms.

Agile localization can help you develop live and localized software which end users can start interacting with sooner, thus providing valuable feedback early in the development cycle. It also folds software and localization testing into the development process, enabling you to build a more mature product on a shorter timetable.

Why Localize Your Product?

Improve International User Experience

According to ‘Can’t Read, Won’t Buy – B2B’ from CSA Research (September 2020), 70% of users will not buy software that does not have a local version and 80% of users will not buy software without local support. As a result, proper localization of your software or app has never been more important. A properly translated product has the power to improve brand value and create meaningful interactions in your target customers’ native language. Localization can also improve your end-user digital experience, boosting your site’s overall performance and satisfying your customers.

Boost App Store Searchability

Both the iTunes App Store and the Google Play Store provide options for localizing your app listing to make discoverability and readability easier for international consumers. As a result, more people will be able to find your app using keywords in their language and will be more likely to download if they see a welcome message in their own native tongue. Together, these two effects can add up to as much as a 767% increase in downloads.

Accelerate Global Adoption

When your software has significant network effects, meaning it provides more user value as it becomes more popular, then software localization will ensure scalability. If you already have an audience abroad, or you're likely to get one, start considering the software localization process in the early stage of application development. Prioritizing language is the key to creating top-tier digital experiences for all your global clients, and will make your pages more personal, persuasive, and easy to use.

Lionbridge’s Software and App Localization Services

Lionbridge makes software and app localization quick, easy, and affordable. We’ve helped hundreds of the world’s leading brands localize their online products.

Multiple Platform Support

For a leading travel customer, Lionbridge translated content into 10+ languages using in-country linguistic teams with extensive domain experience. In-market on-device linguistic testing was also performed by in-country professional linguists, delivering support across multiple platforms including Android and iOS. Projects were regularly delivered within 24 hours using Lionbridge’s agile localization methodology.

On-device Testing

A leading global company needed to work with a language provider that could help it expand into the Indian market. It needed translation into 13 Indian languages as well as on-device testing. Lionbridge’s linguistic experts in India created glossaries and language style guides to improve the overall translation quality and increase consistency. Lionbridge performed baseline functional testing on key features of the OS and generated screenshots for in-country linguistic testing.

Long-standing Relationships

Lionbridge has been the sole localization provider to a major financial application producer for more than 12 years. To meet our customer’s requirements for quick turnaround times, we developed a follow-the-sun production model with production centers in Asian, European, and US time zones. Our global team is responsible for project management, language coordination, and engineering.

End-to-end Localization Services

Lionbridge is proud to have an 8+ year relationship with a major technology customer where we provide services to 14 company departments including Servers, Legal, eCommerce, Marketing, Mobile Business Group, and more. We deliver technical localization, marketing localization, and transcreation, app localization, content authoring, SEO, and localization testing into 40+ languages.

Translation Management System (TMS)

Lionbridge’s TMS automates much of the translation process and enables you to get a clear overview of all of your content via customizable dashboards and reports. Our systems enable you to bundle and manage orders, so you can quickly and easily keep track of all your projects. Our partners include: Transifex, Phrase, Memsource, and many more.

Translation APIs

Connect your app directly to Lionbridge using an API and order translations without needing to use our order form. APIs enable you to send large volumes of content to our translators in seconds—and receive a substantial per-word discount.

Tips for Software Localization

Avoid concatenation
Design with language in mind
Build a library of internationalized objects
Use pseudo-localization
Plan for at least 30% text expansion so keep text short
Don’t use acronyms
Don’t reuse the same text in different context
Don’t hardcode text or punctuation
Make sure to use UTF-8 encoding
Do use icons

Read our blog to learn more about building a successful software localization workflow.

One of the largest enterprise software providers in the world — a leader in natural language text technology — needed a partner that could help them scale their software implementation framework into multiple languages. We delivered results in 17 additional languages, in the context of 25 projects.

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FAQs

Which file formats does Lionbridge work with?

Lionbridge works in all major text, image, and program file formats. We can also connect directly to your software development environment using an API, making translation only a click away. Get in touch with us to start building a translation solution that's configured perfectly for your preferred environment.

Can Lionbridge test my software app’s interfaces?

Lionbridge has over two decades of experience in testing software and improving user experience in all major international markets. Our functional, maintenance, and UX testing services will help you build, release, and maintain products that delight users across the globe. Read more about our testing services and discover how we can help you improve quality, avoid delays, and reduce costs.

Does Lionbridge localize mobile apps?

Our team of experts can localize, test, and improve the UX of mobile apps for both Apple and Android users. Get in touch with us to discuss the specifics of your project.

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Software, App, and Device Localization

Localization is the Key to a Compelling Customer Experience

We fully integrate with and localize your proprietary software, apps, and devices.