William Shakespeare said that "words without thoughts never to heaven go." It does not matter how much content you write about your products or services: if the message is not adapted to the market, the words will be gone with the wind. This is why it is important to hire localization services (or l10n).
This specialization focuses on modifying or adjusting products and services to create equivalents that better resonate with the target culture. Therefore, it is necessary to not only have translation knowledge, but also the ability to perfectly understand different cultural aspects of a country. In this case, is it not transcreation the same as localization then? Even though they share some traits, transcreation is a term almost exclusively used in marketing and advertising, usually coupled with copywriting or SEO content creation actions. In turn, localization is a translation branch linked to computers, video games, websites, software, or posters.
Localization implies transferring original texts to a target language while considering market characteristics, from the cultural nuances to the technical or functional aspects. A very visual example illustrating its crucial importance is that, whenever a product or service is to be launched in an Arabic speaking country, writing should be from right to left. Therefore, it will be fundamental to retouch images and contents for them to slide in the right direction.
Other aspects that may need to be changed are the size and type of font since, in the case of Spanish for example, a text usually takes up around 30% more space than in English. Consequently, it will be essential to make sure the content and visual elements are appropriately displayed in every language. Additional details that should be taken into account are whether the price is shown in the right currency, the dates are adequately formatted, or the measures of a product are correctly listed, among other factors.
As you can see, localization covers a lot more than conventional translation. It does not only carry words from one language into another while keeping the intention and concepts of the original document, but it also adapts texts to respect the culture of each target audience. Through this service, your message will resonate with the right audience because they will perceive it as familiar and close to home.
At Pontis Translations we have the necessary experience in page and website localization to help you make your products and services connect with the Spanish market through natural, relevant, and persuasive content. We specialize in the fashion, retail, beauty, cosmetics, marketing, and advertising industries in the language combinations from English or French into European Spanish.
If you have any questions or want to receive a free estimate, please fill in our contact form or write to amanda@pontistranslations.com. We will analyze your project needs, sign a non-disclosure agreement to protect your information and start our collaboration with a previously fixed road map to verify we are reaching the set goals. Let's talk!