Deciding to localize your website is a smart move toward global engagement, but it comes with challenges. 

It’s a big decision and the effectiveness of your website in new markets hinges on it. So what’s the best way to evaluate localization services?

It’s one thing to know you need help to adapt your content for different cultural contexts; it’s another to figure out which service is up to the task.

The last thing anyone wants is to choose a partner that doesn’t get your brand or, even worse, disconnects you from potential customers.

Therefore, today we’ll equip you with practical insights about how to smartly assess website localization services. We’ll discuss the key factors that you should consider so your decision aligns with your business goals and improves your connectivity with international audiences.

1. Expertise in Your Target Market

When hiring website localization services, you must check if the provider has experience in your industry. Each industry has its nuances, jargon, and compliance requirements that the service provider must handle to ensure your content resonates with the audience.

For instance, if you’re in the healthcare sector, your localization partner must understand medical terminology and the regulatory environment of the target market.

To check the service provider’s expertise, you can:

• Look for names of other companies in your industry that the provider has worked with.
• Request detailed case studies that show how they’ve managed projects similar to yours.

Moreover, the ability of your localization provider to handle the languages and cultures of your target markets is non-negotiable. They should be experts in the language and have a deep understanding of the cultural nuances that could affect how your content is perceived.

Your key considerations at this point should be:

• Ensure that they have native speakers of the target language on their team.
• Look for evidence of their understanding of cultural sensitivities, preferences, and taboos.

Consider a company targeting the Japanese market. Japan places high value on politeness and formality, especially in business contexts. A localization provider that understands this will change your website not just linguistically but alsoensure that the content aligns with these cultural norms.

2. Service Offering

As over 76% of customers prefer to gather product information in their native language, your content translation should be accurate. However, translation alone isn’t enough. Cultural adaptation involves tweaking content to suit local tastes and cultural norms.

What you should check at this point:

• If the website localization service provider employs native translators.
• If they have cultural consultants who can adapt your content to reflect local customs and values.

For example, if you’re marketing a product in the Middle East, images and content must respect Islamic traditions. Website localization companies skilled in cultural adaptation would know to avoid imagery that’s considered inappropriate or offensive, thereby safeguarding your brand’s image.

Notably, localization also extends to the technical aspects of your website, including SEO and compliance with local regulations. Checking this aspect ensures your site is understandable and compliant in the new market.

3. Legal Compliance

Legal compliance in website localization means adhering to local laws regarding data protection, copyright, and other regulations.

Data protection laws vary across regions. For instance, the European Union’s GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) imposes strict rules on data handling that can affect how you collect, store, and process information from EU citizens.

So, if you’re targeting European customers, verify that your localization provider understands and complies with GDPR. Likewise, each country may have its own set of regional regulations, like the CCPA in California, which need to be respected.

Copyright Rules and Intellectual Property

Know that the content on your website is your intellectual property, and how it’s handled during localization can expose you to legal risks if not managed properly. Copyright rules can dictate how content is used, adapted, and displayed in different regions.

Therefore, your localization provider should have systems to manage copyright permissions, especially when adapting media content like images and videos. You should also confirm that they recognize and uphold your copyright and intellectual property rights throughout the localization process.

Imagine your website uses stock images licensed only for use in North America. When localizing for an Asian market, your service provider needs to ensure that the same images are licensed for use in Asia or alternative legally compliant images are used.

Compliance in Highly Regulated Industries

If your business operates in a highly regulated sector, such as finance, healthcare, or pharmaceuticals, the stakes are even higher. Each of these industries often has stringent guidelines that govern how information must be presented and what disclosures are required.

Specific considerations for these sectors:

• Your localization service provider must be familiar with industry-specific legal requirements and capable of implementing them accurately in the localized content.
• Legal standards may change, and your provider should help keep your localized content compliant over time.

4. Cultural Expertise

Grasping your target market’s cultural context is what truly transforms your site from being simply accessible to being engaging and resonant with local audiences. A well-localized website creates a user experience that feels familiar and respectful to the local audience. This is where cultural consultants provide essential insights into local customs, preferences, and taboos.

Cultural consultants ensure that your website speaks the language of your target audience, along with respecting and reflecting their cultural norms and values. This attention to detail prevents potential cultural missteps that could alienate your new audience.

These consultants also pinpoint cultural elements that influence content reception, such as symbols, colors, and societal norms. From the layout preferences to transactional processes, they know what works in specific cultures. Therefore, if the website localization services you hire promise cultural consultancy, you’re good to go.

Key benefits of having cultural experts on board:

• They inform you of local taboos or sensitive issues that should be avoided in advertising and content.
• They help ensure your brand messaging aligns with local cultural values, which can enhance brand perception and acceptance.

5. Quality Control Processes

Say you’re launching a website in Germany. Your localization team translates the content and adapts it to the local market. However, during a quality control check, it is discovered that there are certain translation problems, such as idiomatic expressions, that do not align with your brand tone. 

The proofreading team catches this, and cultural consultants provide alternatives that better suit your brand’s voice. Additionally, technical validations reveal that the date format hasn’t been adjusted to the local standard, which is promptly corrected.

When localizing your website, precision is a must. To ensure your localized content hits the mark every time, you should understand the quality control processes of your potential service providers. 

Here are some things your preferred website localization services should provide:

Multiple Rounds of Proofreading
The cornerstone of any quality localization strategy is rigorous proofreading. Doing so ensures that every word conveys the right message without any ambiguity.

What to expect from website localization services:

• Proofreaders should be native speakers familiar with regional dialects.
• They should make sure that terminology and style are consistent throughout your content.

Cultural Relevance Checks
Your content needs to do more than just make sense—it needs to resonate. This is where cultural relevance checks help. These are designed to ensure that your content is appropriate and engaging for the target audience, considering their cultural context and values.

Technical Validations
Alongside linguistic and cultural checks, technical validation is crucial. It checks that the localized content functions correctly on your website, including navigation elements to dynamic content like forms and e-commerce functions.

What’s involved in tech validations:

• Functionality testing which checks if all aspects of the website work as intended in the new language.
• Layout adjustments that fix the format in a way that text expansions or contractions don’t break the website’s design.

6. Technology and Tools

When choosing a website localization service, evaluating their technological capabilities is as crucial as assessing their linguistic skills. Advanced personalization software can boost efficiency, maintain consistency, and ensure high-quality results.

Here are some factors to look out for when you explore website localization services:

Translation Management Systems
Translation Management (TM) systems store previously translated phrases or segments to reuse them in new projects. They assure consistency across your content and speed up the translation process.

Benefits of TM systems:

• Help maintain a uniform style and terminology.
• Reduces the cost of translation over time as the system accumulates more translated content.
• Accelerates the translation process by automatically suggesting known translations for repeated text.

Content Management Integrations
Another noteworthy aspect of the technology used in website localization is content management integration as it can streamline the process. Therefore, your localization service provider should have the capability to integrate their systems with your CMS to automate the flow of content needing translation.

Why CMS integration matters:

• It automates the export and import of content, eliminating the need for manual handling.
• Facilitates quick updates and changes, which is especially crucial for dynamic websites.

Quality Assurance Software

Quality assurance (QA) tools automatically check for errors in grammar, punctuation, and even adherence to localization guidelines. 

Here are some key features of QA software that your website localization partner should provide:

• Automated error detection tools to scan for common linguistic and technical errors.
• Feedback loops that allow for quick corrections and continuous improvement in the localization process.

Say your company is doing multilingual marketing for its website, and it needs to go live simultaneously in multiple countries. Here, the combination of personalization tools and software becomes invaluable. 

For instance, when translating your marketing material from English to Spanish, the TM system can pull up past translations for common phrases, ensuring speed and consistency. 

Meanwhile, the CMS integration ensures that any new updates in English are promptly queued for translation into Spanish. 

At the same time, QA software runs the final checks to catch any overlooked errors so that the Spanish version is as polished as the English original.

7. Customer Support and Communication

Effective communication means establishing a clear, open channel between you and your localization provider. Early and clear discussions can help clarify project scopes, objectives, and expectations, avoiding missteps down the line.

Also, markets evolve, and so do marketing strategies. Continuous communication ensures that any necessary adjustments can be made swiftly.

Quick and clear communication is also vital when issues arise, allowing for immediate action to mitigate any potential impacts on the project.

A good localization service will offer ongoing support throughout the entire process. This includes regular updates and access to a team that can answer questions and resolve issues as they come up.

What to look for:

• How easily can you reach your project manager or support team? Look for services that offer multiple contact methods like email, phone, and instant messaging.
• Does the provider give regular updates without you having to ask? Proactive communication can be a game-changer.
• Evaluate their track record in resolving client issues. A provider that can demonstrate effective problem-solving is invaluable.

Make Website Localization Hassle-Free With GlobalLink Web

Website localization isn’t tricky when your service provider offers non-negotiables. One such company is GlobalLink Web which can help your website speak the local language both literally and culturally, without the hassle. 

We’ll streamline the whole process, fitting right into your existing workflow. This means less stress for you and a better experience for your global audience. 

So, if you want to expand your reach without getting tangled in complexity, GlobalLink Web could be the partner you need. 

Simple, effective, and ready to help, we make going global a smooth ride.