How to Increase Developer Efficiency With Continuous Localisation

If you want to stay competitive and compliant, you need to regularly update your content. Think of a fintech company for example. In this industry, it is crucial to provide accurate information and customers’ trust is of utmost importance. At the same time, the fintech landscape is constantly changing which requires content to constantly evolve as well.

Other businesses, such as e-commerce, face similar scenarios with content about new seasons, collections, products and deals dropping on a regular basis. It can become a challenge for developers when dynamic content constantly needs to be updated and implemented in multiple languages. A solution for this is enabling continuous localisation.

What is continuous localisation?

Continuous localisation represents the link between localisation and development. Integrating localisation processes into agile development allows localised content to be delivered simultaneously with the release of the content in its original language.

What are the benefits of continuous localisation?

Many companies have not yet bridged this gap between development and localisation and recognised the immense potential that it holds if they are using the right tools.

Lowered risks of errors

Continuous localisation holds lower risks than traditional approaches, as manual copy-pasting leaves opportunity for human error. An automatic and continuous localisation process on the other hand allows the translation of specific strings and sends the results right back into the right place.

Faster time to market

Instead of launching new products in your source language only and then waiting for them to be translated one additional market at a time, continuous localisation allows you to always be ready to release new content at the same time for all markets.

Employing this method lets you achieve a much faster time to market. The faster turnaround times also go in hand with enhanced coherence, consistency and ultimately a greater return on your investment.

Less work, increased efficiency

Using conventional localisation methods means that whenever there are just a few words missing that require translation or updates, a developer has to pause their current task to find and solve the problem as well as deploy the changes made. This takes up a massive and unnecessary amount of time and disturbs the flow of the developer’s work. It also again increases the chances for human errors and just putting it off for later, ultimately leading to less-than-ideal content.

Continuous localisation methods are able to solve these issues and increase your team’s efficiency. With the right software, you can delegate menial tasks to AI tools and let them do the work for you. Setting up a personal Automation Workflow to determine how and in which order you would like the steps of your localisation processes to move along, you don’t need any more input. The right software won’t even require any developer involvement at all - simple no-code plugins make it possible for anyone to set up their continuous localisation without technical know-how.

Enhanced UX

Continuous localisation methods let you tackle localisation trouble spots right at the deployment level. With the right tools, you can detect early on if your desired design works well across all languages. This way, you can ensure a pleasant and effective user experience for all of your target audiences no matter which market they belong to.

How to implement continuous localisation

There are five key steps to follow when you are setting up your own continuous localisation.

1. The first step is to create translation keys and store the code in a repository like GitHub and connect it to a Translation Management System (TMS).

2. After that, you set up a String Library on the software of your TMS. A String Library lets you store all translation strings in both the source and the output language(s) in one central place.

3. The next step is automating your localisation process. A good Translation Management Software will provide you with a tool to determine which steps will automatically happen throughout your entire localisation process. Our software offers a tool that enables you to create your own customised Automation Workflow. Applying it, lets you choose all sequential steps of your localisation projects, such as machine translation, human translation, quality assurance or internal review.

4. Now things are getting exciting - you can start having your tasks assigned to your team of translators. If you haven’t set up your own team yet, it is highly recommended to build a dedicated and well-briefed team that specialises in your industry and knows your tone of voice. Read this article to find the 7 tips on how to establish a fruitful translator collaboration.

5. Once the translations have gone through all the predefined translation steps that you determined with the Automation Workflow, the translated keys are automatically pulled back into the repository.

Conclusion

By fully integrating localisation into the continuous deployment of your software, you bridge the gap between agile development and localisation. Continuous localisation offers many benefits compared to traditional localisation methods. Instead of manually handling localisation files, it standardises and centralises every step of your translation process. It lowers the risks of human mistakes and errors and increases your team's productivity.

This advanced method of localisation especially offers relief to overworked developers. It enhances their efficiency by eliminating routine and bug-fixing tasks that would otherwise take up a lot of valuable time. Additionally, you will be able to provide improved UX as localisation errors can be addressed right at the development level. Most of all, you will experience a faster time to market and a smarter way of budgeting.

The key to continuous localisation is to have holistic software that includes all tools you need to automate your translations in a centralised manner. The right software will enable close collaboration across internal teams and external freelancers. It should offer a database of translation keys and strings with a dedicated place to store them, such as a String Library. This way, you have everything you need for the uninterrupted delivery of your multilingual content.

Our free software offers all the tools you need to make continuous localisation happen for your business. If you would like further guidance on the best practices, feel free to book a meeting with one of our localisation experts and they will provide you with all you need to succeed with your own continuous localisation.