With uniformed platforms where all users can easily get their desired applications or software such as Play Store, developers must mold their creations while keeping the global audiences in mind. Today, you need to globalize your software to reach out to new markets, expand your user base, and propel your business to new heights.
Globalization is the process done by software translation services that adapts your application or software content according to your target audience’s preferences. It is an effortful and time-consuming procedure that can only be done under the supervision of experts or professionals. Now, a question that might arise in your mind is this:
Is It Worth Taking Your Software Global?
The simple answer is yes. In detail, offering the software in one language limits your access to specific regions only. Today, developers and software companies are creating apps for a wider range of audiences from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds. This requires translating the software into multiple languages to resonate with the diverse target audiences and build a strong connection with them. It helps in expanding your reach to new markets, getting more downloads, and a high return on your investment.
Even though the benefits of globalization are enticing, it is crucial to explore the challenges that you might face while tapping into new markets.
Below are the potential problems and their solutions that will help you figure out the problems beforehand and take compulsory precautions.
Challenges You Might Face While Globalizing Your Software
- Localization Woes
Imagine you invest your precious time in creating a user interface to attract your potential audience but fail to do that. That’s because your content or text has flaws such as grammatical errors or culturally insensitive references. This happens because you tried to do the localization or translation yourself, used machine translation, or hired some incompetent freelancers. Now, think for a minute, would you like to use an application that contains mistakes or has a complicated user interface? You won’t, and nobody does so.
- Character Encoding Chaos
Languages are the medium that helps people communicate with each other. But wait, there are more than 7000 languages in the world and nobody knows all of them, do you? No? okay! Different languages use different character sets. If you are creating your software and stay restricted to one language, it means you are losing a large number of audiences by not providing the software in their local languages.
If your software is not equipped to handle different character sets, you might end up with garbled text or symbols displayed incorrectly. As a result, this can be a frustrating experience for your users and damage your brand image.
- Right to Left Languages
By that, we mean languages that follow the right-to-left script such as Asian languages, Urdu, Arabic, and Persian. The software’s UI layout might need adjustments to ensure a proper user experience in these languages. There can be differences in text length, font size, or space.
- Diverse Regulations
Data privacy varies significantly from country to country. Misinterpretation can cause miscommunication. Failing to comply with local regulations can lead to hefty fines and legal repercussions.
- Testing Challenges
It is normal to miss out on loopholes during the development process. This leads to unforeseen challenges such as misinterpretation of cultural norms, colloquialism, and humor.
Let’s Explore the Solutions
- Ditch Machine Translations
Localization is the basic requirement for globalization. Therefore, do not rely on machine translations and invest in professional translation services. MT often misses the mark with nuances and cultural contexts. Hiring native translation companies for the accurate delivery of your message and understanding of the cultural subtleties.
- Embrace Unicode
Ensure your software uses a Unicode character encoding standard like UTF-8. It is a versatile encoding scheme that can handle a vast array of characters from most languages. Additionally, during development, thoroughly test your software with different language inputs to identify and rectify your encoding issues.
- Navigate the Regulatory Maze
Every region or country has specific regulations. Before launching in a new region, meticulously research its data privacy regulations. Add on a little effort and get knowledge about the legislations like GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act) to ensure your software adheres to user data storage, collection, and practices.
- Formatting for the World
Be careful when your target audience includes speakers of right to left languages. Utilize built-in libraries and translation options within your programming language or implement code that can automatically adjust formats based on user location.
- Building Bridges with Feedback
You might have created outstanding software but no one better than a target user can tell whether your product is perfect or not. Once you are done with the development procedure, hand-pick a few random users from your target region. Give access to your software to them and get authentic feedback to find out the loopholes and where you need to give extra attention.
Acknowledging the above-mentioned pitfalls and implementing the solutions can help you to ensure a successful globalization journey. Keep in mind that globalization does not only include the translation of software content, it’s the procedure of adapting it to a diverse audience while meeting their linguistic and cultural preferences. Good luck with your journey!
