Localization and Multi-language; Strategy Makes all the Difference
March 31, 2009
BALTIMORE, MD—As larger organizations mature, they are often surprised at the difficulty of taking their web strategy to a truly international, multi-site, multi-language level. Often this is because they haven’t understood all of the strategic and tactical steps necessary to make this change. As a result, budget and timeline expectations may be wildly out of alignment with reality. Another contributing factor are localization firms—whose "by the word" costs and promises of quick turnaround time can often create the impression of an easy process—obscuring the very significant impacts for an organization undertaking this step.
The key to successfully transitioning to a multi-language, localized set of web sites is a clear, phased strategy, which allows an organization to get a clear handle on the following:
- Prioritization of Sites. It’s very unlikely that even a large organization will have the time, staff or budget to jump into a complete set of international sites, however desirable to make a big splash. Also, there is a benefit from allowing at least the first few localization projects to occur in series, allowing the organization to get a sense of the challenges and process before committing to simultaneous localization projects. Calculating the ROI of localizing sites can certainly play a part in this process.
- Picking a Localization Partner. Most large organizations use one or more localization firms to aid with the organization, translation, and data entry in the course of the process. Picking a localization partner can be difficult, weighing options and capabilities of firms with different processes, strengths and terminology. In some cases, more than one partner is needed, given that some localization firms can be stronger in one language, culture, or market than another. Also, if the localization firm is doing content entry, their experience with your chosen content management system (CMS) may be an important consideration. As in any purchasing decision, it’s important to get a feel for the people you’ll actually be working with, and talk to real references.
- Workflow and Content Management. A major hidden cost in any localization effort is the re-creation of site templates, structure, and business logic within your chosen CMS platform, and creating the practical structures to make for a maintainable implementation long term (for instance, with ongoing translation of new pages). This is where choice of CMS has a huge effect. Some CMS products have the ability to manage parts of templates as assets, allowing for workflow to be applied to the process of translating navigation and graphics, which is usually a manual process. Other CMS products have robust multi-site or localization workflow systems, allowing for “parent-child” relationships between primary and translated contents. Yet others allow for XML export to translation formats, so that site content can be seamlessly re-imported once it has been translated. So there are a number of complex decisions to find the CMS, and localization processes that fit your organization’s needs.
It is important to approach the change to an international or localized strategy with care and maximum information, given that the effort involved can go smoothly or be very difficult. More than anything, it is carefully and thoughtfully assessing the process and technology that are a right fit for YOUR organization. As always, The Berndt Group is available as an experienced partner that can take its clients through the process of discovery, selection and implementation that will make for the most advantageous—and least wasteful—outcome.
About The Berndt Group
The Berndt Group has been a leading Web design, development and brand communications firm since 1991. The firm provides an integrated set of creative services, including strategic consulting, brand and application development, software implementation, web site design, and internet marketing. Based in Baltimore, MD, the firm services a diverse international and regional base of over fifty active clients, including: The National Aquarium, Johns Hopkins Institutions, SafeNet, Inc., Raytheon, U.S. Immigration, The Federal Aviation Administration, The U.S. Forest Service, The Abell Foundation, and many others. For more information, visit www.berndtgroup.net.
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Michelle Géczy
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phone: 410.889.5854 x 12
email: michelle.geczy@berndtgroup.net
