Localization is a key step for associations that are elevating their services and expanding their market and membership reach globally. Why? Translating their materials will help prioritize the experiences of members and help associations stand out amidst the crowd within global markets. A localization company provides this competitive advantage via scalability and a comprehensive understanding of target audiences’ languages and cultures.
Best Fit for International Members
Word-for-word translation is not enough in this global age. Instead, associations looking to provide international members with experiences that feel fully native and customized, need to take advantage of localization. It is no secret that each profession and each market niche has its own vocabulary, style, and tone. To truly tap into global markets, it is essential to preserve those elements while reaching larger audiences.
Through localization, associations can share documents, journals, websites, training materials, videos, and more with their members across the globe. A localization agency will ensure that the member experience is culturally and linguistically appropriate by considering not just the word choice, but also layout, design, graphics, cultural references, figures of speech, and local formats; including currencies, time, date, and units of measure. By carefully considering the target locale along with its preferences and consumption habits, and preserving the spirit of the original content, members are left feeling that the content has been specifically designed for them and their needs. No matter which language is used to access the content, the message will be preserved consistently while feeling fully personalized to each international member.
A Scalable Model
Membership societies and trade associations offer countless benefits to their members. Since associations represent members from virtually every industry, they provide comprehensive knowledge, networking, research, and advocacy. In fact, the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) recently estimated that the United States was home to over 92,000 trade and professional associations, including the National Safety Council, AARP, and the National Education Association.
Members are privy to problem-solving, strategizing, and business planning on a much larger scale due to workshops, newsletters, and online forums sponsored by the association. Additionally, members also benefit from sharing contacts, protecting common interests, and lobbying for government support. Given the global reach of many associations, a partnership with a localization agency is an important step to ensure that all members reap these benefits.
While associations have multiple options when it comes to translations, a localization agency can offer key benefits that surpass in-house translations. A major benefit is the use of translation memory during the localization process. Translators work in professional translation tools to conduct the translation, enabling them to build a Translation Memory. It is not machine translation; however by translating within a translation memory tool, it enables the translator to create language pairs known as translation units that allow the source text and the corresponding translation to be stored. This linguistic database is then used by skilled translators to produce quality content while maximizing efficiency, which yields a faster turnaround time and a competitive edge. Translation memory can also prove to be cost effective for associations whose content includes documents and manuals with phrases or messages that need to be translated once and then can be repeated multiple times.
In addition to translation memory, localization agencies can take content from any sector and adapt it to new language markets. An experienced and robust team can handle multiple languages with translation and localization expertise spanning most modern languages. Associations looking to grow their communications effort by providing web localization, documentation translation, and multilingual desktop publishing, will find partnering with localization companies to be deeply advantageous.
Ongoing Success by Partnering with a Localization Agency
A localization company like Interpro is adept at handling projects of all sizes. As a scalable business, the team can help associations in all stages—from those that are just venturing out into the global market to others who are looking to grow their presence across multiple continents and in dozens of languages and cultures.
Whatever the content, market analysis, and company growth model, accurate localization will convey an association’s message more clearly to global audiences throughout the implementation of strategies like simultaneous translations, experienced localization professionals, and in-country partnerships. These efforts ensure that the message and information from each association is preserved and conveyed accurately during every step of the expansion process.
Final Thoughts
Working with a professional localization company provides associations with incredible benefits. Not only does it provide a more scalable business model, it also allows associations to enhance their audience’s experiences from a linguistic and functional standpoint. Partnering with a localization agency is a strategic way for any global association to make a lasting impression on members in new language markets as they look to share content accurately and authentically.