What is the difference between translation and localization of texts? They appear to be two very similar activities, yet they have substantial differences. Let’s find out together what they are.
What is text localization?
LingoYou offers a professional, high-quality translation and localization service. But what is the difference between the two processes?
Offering a high-quality text localization service means making available to the customer all the skills needed to convey a certain message to the public of a certain country. The social, political and cultural influences that each people has encountered have conditioned their habits and customs.
In a globalized world like ours, doing a simple translation is no longer enough: to convey a brand’s message that reaches straight to the hearts of customers, it is essential to ensure that a specialized interpreter knows the most suitable terms and idioms to the context of the target language. Warning: text localization can respond to any need, from advertising on sites and social networks to website localization.
What does the translation process consist of?
Starting from the etymology of the word, “translate” derives from the Latin “traducere”, “transport”, “transfer”.
Literally, therefore, the translation process consists of transferring a certain text, grammatically and in terms of meaning, from one language to another. Once translated, the text could be subjected to further readjustment, to be more pleasant and 100% fluent in the target language.
In fact, you need to be very careful when translating with automatic translators: the translation would inevitably be “false”, “decontextualised” and possibly incomprehensible in certain points.
When to use localization?
In most cases, localization will follow translation. This is because, initially, the text will still have to be translated into the target language, with the aim of highlighting any inconsistencies or incompatibilities due to the translation process.
During the text localization process, the translated text will then be transformed to adapt to the nuances of the target language, the geographical area taken into consideration and all those terms which do not have a precise correspondence in the target language, and which require be represented differently to convey the message correctly.
If we really want to simplify everything, the translation will be ideal for technical manuals and documents; text localization will instead be fundamental for websites, advertising texts and identities on social media. Especially on the latter, one must never risk hurting or offending the reader; when translating a Latin language into an Asian one, for example, certain terms can completely distort the meaning of the target text. A valid translation agency must necessarily have staff capable of identifying as many languages as possible and ensuring localization is as efficient as possible.
In conclusion
The localization process is nowadays fundamental for every company that wants to make its brand known to an international audience. In fact, there are no insurmountable barriers to a language, just choose a well-organized and professional text translation and localization service.
We at LingoYou are always ready to work alongside you, offering maximum professionalism and experience in text localization and website localization processes.
Contact us now!
It will be a pleasure for us to offer your company the service you are looking for.
