Localization Depth and Corporate Language Strategy - Our Analysts' Insights
X

Our Analysts' Insights

Blogs & Events / Blog
23Jan

Localization Depth and Corporate Language Strategy

In 2018, CSA Research examined the language of content on 5.5 million webpages from 2,794 leading brand websites. We focused on 1,348 sites that yielded two or more languages to study the average depth of localization, defined as the percentage of source content translated into other languages. This research revealed that full localization is the exception rather than the norm and is usually something only enterprises with small and simple web presences pursue. Instead, major brands choose what to provide for each market based on economic opportunity and budget constraints.

As in many other areas of the language industry, English stands out. Localizations into English from other languages tend to be substantially more complete than for any other targets, as seen in the figure below. It is also the most frequent language found on major brand sites: The overwhelming majority of major brands translate into English if they aren’t authoring in it.
 

Figure02


On the flip side, for the eight source languages where we had sufficient sites to analyze, sites authored in English showed by far the lowest localization depth, as seen below. This indicates that corporate sites from the United States and other English-speaking countries tend to treat translation as an afterthought. Those authored elsewhere, particularly in Europe, see it as a much more important part of their market strategy.

Figure01


So how do enterprises decide what to translate? Our research finds that most organizations pragmatically start with general brand and marketing pages and then move into product-specific content over time and add support material if and when their market share justifies it. Taking this approach enables them to build brand awareness and develop a customer base in order to demonstrate a return on investment. They can then move on to additional content where there is a demonstrated need. CSA Research’s data can help localization strategists understand which languages to add and how much they should invest in them.

Ultimately the choice of how much to localize, and into which languages, is a critical business question for which different companies will find different answers, but access to data from a broad base of enterprises can help them benchmark their activities and find opportunities to differentiate themselves and identify gaps in their service. Combined with information from the Global Website Assessment Index 2019 and Top Target Languages by Vertical Sector: 2019, it provides a deep view into corporate language selection strategies.

About the Author

Arle  Lommel

Arle Lommel

Senior Analyst

Focuses on language technology, artificial intelligence, translation quality, and overall economic factors impacting globalization

Related

Localization Reinvention

Localization Reinvention

Back in the day when I first began working in localization, we didn’t have a translation management...

Read More >
Don’t Lose Big Money by Saving Pennies on Localization

Don’t Lose Big Money by Saving Pennies on Localization

It’s the end of 2023 and, rather than contemplating a bright and happy new year, many enterprise lo...

Read More >
The Coming Content Cataclysm

The Coming Content Cataclysm

Multimedia, transcribed audio, and AI-generated content in all the world’s digital languages join m...

Read More >
What Separates Language from Accessibility and Responsibility?

What Separates Language from Accessibility and Responsibility?

All companies have many regulations and business requirements to comply with today – plus additiona...

Read More >
Let Data Save Your Budget

Let Data Save Your Budget

It’s planning time once again, but this task is especially fraught this year as companies are facin...

Read More >
11 Guidelines for Budgetmeisters for Planning Season – and Beyond

11 Guidelines for Budgetmeisters for Planning Season – and Beyond

With no standard budgeting model for language teams, budget managers and directors continue to consu...

Read More >

Subscribe

Name

Categories

Follow Us on Twitter