Localisation

Localisation is not only a high-quality translation of text lines in IT products such as computer programs and video games, web-sites, interfaces, and equipment configuration; in the broader sense it is an adaptation of a company’s products, processes, and strategies to the conditions of target markets where the language, sociocultural and historical traditions of customers can be vastly different from conditions in the original country. At the translation level, localisation often involves changing of names, graphic elements, colour solutions, symbols, currencies, number formats, dates, and addresses, as well as outlining variations, including hyphenation, abridgement or enlargement of text components if it allows us to make the intentions of source material more understandable and responds to the goals of the client. Localisation is carried out with regard to the country or the region where the localised products and associated texts will be sold.

Localisation is also tightly connected with such concepts as internationalisation and globalisation. Internationalisation involves designing products and processes from the beginning specifically so that they can be easily adapted to the different linguistic and cultural features of the chosen target country or region during localisation. Globalisation, in turn, goes one step further and is more complex; it means developing products and processes from the perspective of the global market and it includes the processes of internationalisation and localisation.

All this work is impossible without experienced specialists in translation and localisation who apart from quality translation and adaptation of texts to target countries or regions provide the customer with linguistic and country specific consultations. Apart from translators, editors, and proofreaders we engage linguistic testers and programmers, if needed.