Top 3 Internal Localisation Challenges You Need to Be Aware of

If you’re growing your business or expanding to new markets, we are sure you know how important localisation is for the success of your journey. We’re not here to burst your bubble, but this localisation journey will not be obstacle-free. Luckily for you, there is always a silver lining, this time in the form of a blog.

This article aims to teach you about the typical internal issues companies face when embarking on a localisation journey and how to not fall prey to them.

No Accurate Budget Plan for Your Localisation

It comes as no surprise that different companies have different needs, and they have to implement a strategy based on that. Their objectives and how they utilise resources depend on what product/service they provide and whom they are offering it to.

And this is no exception when it comes to localisation processes: localising a user manual for various markets is not the same as localising your social media content.

However, one thing applies no matter what and how much you need to localise; the fact that you have to plan and budget your localisation journey.

There are companies that (heavily) invest in marketing efforts, which is a great initiative, but they forget to also account for localisation costs. So when the time comes for tapping into new markets, they discover there is little or no money left for proper customisation of their products for local audiences.

The ability of businesses to fulfil global market demands and produce specialised content is of course linked to their funds. This means that the quality of your localisation depends on the resources you invest in it. Not placing great emphasis on your localisation processes can be a costly mistake.

To create a strong brand image for every new market you enter, while also resonating with the local audiences, you need to clearly illustrate this in the budget you set.

Lack of a Strong Support System

The business world can sometimes feel like it’s all about taking risks. And while that might be true, you still need to prepare yourself before diving into something.

You can’t just decide you want to begin your localisation journey if you have no internal processes to support it. Or maybe you can, but that is going to make the process unnecessarily complicated.

It doesn’t matter whether you choose to rely on your own resources to localise or you get professional help from a translation agency – you need to have the “know-how” within your company either way.

There are many businesses that wish to enter new markets in an instant. It is important to acknowledge that the localisation process doesn’t happen overnight. Learning the demands and norms of local markets takes time and you also need to ensure that once your content is ready, it is properly customised.

These processes can become even more time-consuming when you don’t have the infrastructure to support your localisation journey. What are you going to do if your website does not have the technical setup for the different languages you want it to be in?

Your system should also support various CMS and plugin integrations and it is crucial that you have people with knowledge about this. Localisation can become a draining process if you for example don’t have the programs needed to open IDML files or someone who knows how to export text from your website.

Extensively Relying on Manual Work is Not Efficient

We don't mean to say that manual work is so last season, it is still a vital part of a company and especially useful for smaller organisations.

There is an issue, however, that comes into play when your company goes through significant growth. That’s when manual processes become too hard to handle and are no longer suitable for your localisation needs.

When organisations outgrow their internal processes, they face the need for a better centralised system. Elaborate excel sheets are no longer the optimal solution for organising tasks, and internal translators can easily become overwhelmed with a high amount of translation and revision pieces.

It takes a lot of time, money, and effort to greatly rely on manual work under these conditions and it definitely doesn't help reduce the speed of entering new markets.

This is where Automation Workflows step in and help you achieve your goals. They remove repetitive processes and support you in becoming more efficient. No need to shy away from them.

Now that we have introduced you to common challenges you need to be aware of, we hope you feel better prepared for your localisation journey. Let all these insights and information help your business successfully expand to new markets.