The Importance of Localization/Translation in the Manufacturing Industry

One of the biggest elements that support the global economy’s development is commonly measured by the growth of the manufacturing industry. The process of producing finished goods from raw materials is the key factor of every manufacturing company.

The manufacturing industry falls under the secondary sector and plays a very important role in the economic development of any country. Apart from all the other benefits of providing employment in remote villages, reducing the significant reliance on people’s agricultural income, and so on – this sector is considered to be the backbone of economic and social development.

The Rise of Manufacturing Communication in the Digital Age

Companies from all sectors have always found it difficult to reach their right audience/customers for growth purposes. While sectors like hospitality, medicine, e-commerce, and education have already digitalized themselves and consider communication to be their key factor for new customer acquisition; manufacturing companies have still relied on their old methods of marketing and advertising which solely depend on references within the industry.

As the world is moving towards consuming the majority of its information through websites, emails, and social media platforms – manufacturing companies have started to realize that digital communication is the next step they need to explore to reach the global marketplace.

Many companies are not only updating their website with the latest type of logos and colors, but they are also paying attention to the content; putting efforts to cater to each local region within the same country. As the competition in this fierce industry is growing, many companies have opted for translation/localization to increase their customer engagement and SEO rankings to appear at the top of various search results.

Digital marketing teams within these companies have also received higher budgets to incorporate translations as one of their tools to increase traffic through not only marketing collaterals, social media posts, brochures, etc, but also through their translated websites.

To achieve a successful website translation project, it is essential to adhere to the recommended best practices outlined in the following 16 steps, which involve numerous processes, tools, and procedures:

1. Review & Analysis of Source Website Assets
2. Best Practice Multilingual Workflow Based on CMS (content management system)
3. Project Kick-Off
4. Subject Matter Training and Research
5. Cultural Correctness Assessment
6. Glossary & Style Guide Development
7. SEO – Keyword Research & Localization
8. Translation, Editing, and Proofreading (Transcreation-Copywriting)
9. Localization of all Graphics
10. Localization of Documents
11. Localization of Multimedia
12. Basic Online QA & Testing
13. SEO and Internet Marketing
14. Launch Language Versions
15. Final Delivery
16. Final Edits and Archiving of Files

It is always recommended that any company choose the localization process over translations for their website translation needs. Localization (L10N) involves translating and localizing the front end of your website into different languages ensuring all content (text and graphics) is translated in an accurate and culturally correct manner.

In addition to the content of a website, when deciding to present other languages, the structure of the site must be reviewed. The structure of the site should be language-independent. Since dates, addresses, and phone numbers can vary in format based on the country, it is important to make sure that site functionality is not dependent on how these are entered.

Finding the Right Translation Partner:

According to a recent source, there are approximately 1.8 million translators across the globe. Hence, finding the right one that meets your expectations and satisfies your needs through the best quality and cost could be challenging. While some corporations have an in-house team of translators, for many companies, outsourcing translations to an agency makes sense. There are many nuances to language and a professional language services provider (LSP) has the expertise to help you navigate the pitfalls.

Here are some key elements that can help you find the right partner for translations:

• A professional translation agency must be ISO certified.
• Should have expertise within your field/subject matter and should provide references/case studies when requested.
• Should follow the best practices of localization by using tools and processes like Translation Memory (TM), Glossary Creation, Online QA, etc.
• Employ professional, native, and subject matter experts for translation. Remember, anyone who speaks a particular language may not be an expert in translations
• Must be familiar with key terminologies within your industry and be willing to get on calls with your stakeholders to discuss the style, tone of voice, and preferences of the translations.
• They involve you in the translation process. This gives an opportunity for those companies with bilingual staff to provide feedback on specific terminology being used within the organization.

While these elements may seem a lot to verify, their benefits will serve you in the long run by helping you save costs on repeated content, shorten turnaround times, and provide optimum quality of translations, and SEO rankings.

Conclusion:

With the rapid growth of the manufacturing industry around the globe, it is crucial for every company to be on top of its game when it comes to marketing and advertising. Thus, through translations, you will always have a competitive advantage compared to other companies that would still be using only one universal language to reach out to the global audience. As marketing experts say, customers always buy products where they feel more comfortable and welcomed, so, what other way would be as beneficial as presenting your services in their local language?

References:
Importance of Manufacturing Industries – GeeksforGeeks