Localisation vs Translation: What’s the Difference?
Are you looking to expand your business and break into the global market? If so, you’ve probably heard the terms’ localisation’ and ‘translation’ before, and you may have assumed they’re interchangeable. It’s a common mistake outside of the translation world, but it turns out they do mean different things.
You could hurt your business by opting for translation when what you really need is localisation. If you don’t want nonsensical, unprofessional, and maybe even offensive content attached to your business, then you need to make sure you know the difference between the two.
So what is localisation in translation? What are the differences, and where’s the overlap? When it comes to localisation vs translation, who wins — if there’s any winner at all?
In this blog post, you’ll learn all about those differences, and why it’s crucial to choose the correct option. You’ll be able to place your bets (on what’s right for your business, that is) in this heavyweight title fight of localisation vs translation.
What are the differences in localisation and translation?
Translation is a simple term that means ‘converting text from one language into another’. It’s the simplest form of language conversion, and involves adapting the general message of the original text to suit the new target language, all whilst ensuring it still makes sense.
Localisation is translation’s bigger brother, involving much more than just a direct and literal translation. It focuses on the intended platform and the locale of the audience it’s aimed for, so the content makes sense contextually as well as grammatically.
When it comes to localisation vs translation, it’s all about paying particular attention to different aspects of the translation process.
What is localisation in translation?
Translation and localisation are both very different beasts, and there are some key differences between them.
Translation is a part of localisation, but they’re certainly not the same thing. It’s a bit like football vs sport. Think of translation as football and localisation as sport; they’re not the same thing, but they’re also not totally different. Football is a sport, and sports can include football, but it also includes a lot of things that don’t really overlap with football at all.
So, what is localisation in translation? In short, it refers to the role that localisation plays during the translation process. This is the part of translation that includes things like regional differences in spellings and sensibilities.
This isn’t just confined to translating from one language to another, as localisation is more about the geographical nuances. Something as simple as adapting a UK text for a US audience can also involve localisation. For instance, if you’re writing copy aimed at the US market, and you mention a ‘draft’, it could easily read like a sports reference (just like our ‘localisation vs translation’ fight). However, in the UK, a ‘draft’ would be a preliminary version of something, such as a document or email. There are no football ‘drafts’ in the UK — and we won’t get into the football vs soccer debate here! As another example, a ‘pavement’ in the UK is a ‘sidewalk’ in the US, or consider ‘sweets’ vs ‘candy’, ‘chips’ vs ‘fries’, and ‘crisps’ vs ‘chips’!
These examples show how different cultures and countries can use different words to describe the same thing — or, in some cases, use the same word to describe entirely different things.
The difference in localisation vs translation is that localisation adapts for cultural nuance. In purely translated text, ‘draft’ would be translated literally; it wouldn’t be grammatically incorrect, but it also wouldn’t make sense in context. With localisation, the linguist would alter it to something similar, but more in line with the target audience’s culture and understanding.
And localisation refers to anything about adapting for culture, so images and colours can also require alteration!
Why do you need localisation?
Localisation is essential for some content. Websites, apps, emails, social media, and marketing content all require localisation — but why? Opting for a simple translation service can have many pitfalls, including, in a worst-case scenario, offending your audience.
Localisation vs translation basically amounts to looking at your content, finding its purpose, and choosing the best way to get that purpose to your audience. In that case, then, localisation targets the finer details of communication in a few very specific ways.
Localisation prevents you from offending your audience
Do you know the difference between casual and polite verb conjugation in Japanese? How about getting pronouns or terms of address correct in any of the myriad languages that have multiple options? Well, your localisation expert knows.
Getting something as simple as a pronoun or modifier wrong could offend your audience, meaning you lose potential business whilst tarnishing your image.
There’s even more to it than just grammar, though. Would you reference pork consumption when targeting countries with predominantly Muslim populations? Well, you probably shouldn’t, as it’s prohibited in Islam, so suggesting it could lead to offence!
Every culture has different religious beliefs, moral sensibilities, and approaches to life, and they can be offended if not handled with care and addressed appropriately. These cultural variations illustrate exactly why most content requires localisation.
Localisation means you won’t confuse your audience
One of the biggest faux pas of translated content is not adapting things like colloquialisms, idioms, or culture-specific terms to suit the target audience better.
Translating a text literally with no localisation can cause a whole host of issues with clarity and comprehension. Would you understand what someone meant if they told you to ‘blow little ducks’? This is a literal translation of the Latvian idiom’ pūst pīlītes’, which more contextually means ‘talking nonsense’ or ‘lying’.
Perhaps you want to suggest that a customer ‘don’t add fuel to the fire’, or grab themselves a ‘bap’. The reality is that no one other than the original target audience will be able to make sense of it. It needs to be localised.
Localisation ensures your content will perform better in international markets
Localisation allows you to better connect with the target international market, so your business can accurately portray itself and its purpose. You’ll be reaching out to your new audience in an effective way, cutting out communication issues and speaking in terms they’re familiar with.
Doing this will, in turn, ensure that your business performs better in reach, engagement, and conversion. No one likes to be spoken to like an outsider, after all.
The 4 main benefits of localisation
Localisation is highly beneficial to your business. Content that is localised performs much better than non-localised text. You’re going up against native-speaking companies within your target country, so it’s essential you can swim with the sharks.
Let’s get a little more specific about the benefits.
1. Localised content is more engaging
When content is appropriately localised, your audience is more likely to understand and resonate with it. It engages better because it speaks to them on a personal level. When you engage your audience, you increase the likelihood of conversion, which is essential to driving sales or enquiries.
2. You’ll make perfect sense across cultures
If you localise your content, you can adapt the original so that it carries the same meaning, but is more relevant to your new audience. This means you can accurately translate just about any text without altering it beforehand.
You don’t need to overthink whether the original content will translate well, because a localisation specialist will do that for you.
3. It fits better — literally and figuratively
Not only does localised content better fit a culture and country, but it’s also more likely to fit the page better. As we know, certain languages have longer average words than others, so the original message won’t fit when purely translated.
Localisation condenses certain words and phrases in languages with longer average words, such as German, or takes into account the space saved when translating to a logographic writing system like Chinese, where a single character can express an entire word or concept.
4. Localisation looks more professional
Using the correct currency or a suitable unit of measurement makes you look like you know your stuff. Professionalism is essential, and what may seem like a minor error — such as using dollars when it should be euros or displaying the date in the wrong format — can be misleading and unprofessional. If you were advertising a new product launch with the European date format of 01/12, your American customers wouldn’t be expecting it until January!
Localisation vs translation: which one do you need?
Both localisation and translation have their place, but it’s important you know the difference. Translation is often considered appropriate for texts that don’t contain cultural references or nuances — basically, texts that are likely to read in exactly the same way between one language and another.
Translation is used for:
Technical documents
Scientific journals
Medical documents
User manuals
Localisation is recommended for:
Websites
Apps
Social media
Blogs
Emails
Marketing materials
Contracts
Localisation vs translation: the finale
On the off chance you’re still asking yourself ‘what is localisation in translation?’, we’ll do one last summary: localisation in translation is taking translated text and making sure it fully suits the nuances of the regions you want to engage. Whether that’s text or design, idioms or spelling differences, localisation is about knowing the details of your target audience, no matter where they live or what language they speak.
It turns out the heavyweight title fight of localisation vs translation ended in a draw — they’re both equally important, just in different ways!
You need localisation for most things your audience should connect and engage with. Lack of localisation can make your business look unprofessional and can confuse readers, making it challenging for you to succeed in international markets. Localisation experts refine and perfect your content to ensure it makes sense across borders, and retains the original message and effect.
ZippyLingo has a host of professional localisation experts, experienced in making your international content shine and helping your business reach its true global potential.
Want to know more about what we can do for you? Contact the ZippyLingo team today and begin your international journey to success.
