How Long Does Localization Take? It depends; The Answer Nobody Wants to Hear

The other day I took my car to the workshop for a check-up. I told the mechanic to take a quick look because it consumed more oil than I thought it should. When he told me he would look at it, I asked him how long it would take, and he said "depende" (it depends) 

He had other cars to look at before mine; then, it would depend on when he started disassembling my engine's oil pan, etc. He found it difficult to give me a completion time for my car. I left my car there feeling a bit frustrated, as the mechanic couldn't give me a completion time.

As I walked home, I couldn't help but reflect on the situation. Suddenly, it dawned on me - I do the same thing! When people ask me how long it takes to localize a game, I say, "It depends." And when someone asks me how long it takes to do Localization QA on a website, my response is the same: "It depends."

OMG, I'm like the mechanic!!!, and that's when I realized that knowing how long it takes to do something, whether checking oil consumption or localizing content, depends on many factors. Those are the factors I'm going to analyze in my weekly post. So when someone asks us how long it takes, we can explain what it depends on... like the song from the legendary Pau Dones... “Depende” It depends.

Factors that make the localization duration "it depends”

• Quality of source material: The quality of the source material greatly affects the speed and ease of Localization. Factors that impact the quality of source material include:

• Consistency: Consistent terminology, phrasing, and formatting will save time and reduce the likelihood of errors.

• Source file format: The format of the source files can impact the ease of Localization. For example, files in XML or HTML format are easier to localize than files in a proprietary format.

• Use of placeholders: If placeholders are used in the source files, the localization process is faster and more accurate.

• Source language quality: The quality of the source language, such as grammatical correctness and clarity, affects the speed and quality of Localization.

• Availability of context: The availability of context, such as screenshots or style guides, can help the localization team understand the intended meaning of the source material

• Translation memory: A translation memory will always help the localization process to be faster and more consistent, as previously translated content can be reused.

• Availability

Whether you have an in-house localization team or outsource, it can affect the speed of Localization. An in-house team may work faster as they are familiar with the product and company culture. Still, they may also be on vacation or sick, causing a bottleneck and making it difficult to know when the content will be localized. On the other hand, outsourcing offers better scalability, and the vendor manager of the LSP can find translators to help with localization tasks, or there may already be external freelancers collaborating regularly, but they may also be busy at the moment. Both situations will make the response to how long Localization takes "it depends."

• The complexity of the content to translate

Some content is harder to localize, which will definitely impact the time it takes to adapt those contents. For example, for texts that will appear on a website and be very visible, we will need to spend more time localizing them to find the right words than we would spend to find the right words to translate a printer user guide, for instance. And what about localizing marketing content versus a web FAQ section? These require different levels of time and effort. Marketing content will always be harder to localize since we must consider multiple factors, such as 

1. Cultural sensitivity. Marketing content is filled with culturally specific references, images, and tone of voice that may not translate well or be culturally appropriate in other countries. Translating marketing content requires an understanding of cultural nuances and the ability to adapt the content for a new audience.

2. Style - marketing content is designed to evoke emotions, such as excitement, trust, or desire. Translating these emotions into another language and culture can be a real challenge, as the same words may not have the same impact.

3. Visuals - Photos, videos, icons, colors, everything we can consider as visuals are a big part of marketing, but they can also be difficult to localize. Images and videos may need to be modified to fit local norms and customs, which can be challenging.

• Localization tech framework

The type of technology setup we have also affects how quickly software can be localized. For example, having a system that makes it easy to transfer content from a content management system (CMS) to a translation management system (TMS) and vice versa can save much time compared to using spreadsheets and email. Believe it or not, some companies still use this 20-year-old method for Localization. However, if you have a CMS/TMS and a process for organizing your content structure, Localization can be much more efficient.

A well-organized setup for your content, such as tagging, labeling, and storing inconsistent file formats, will greatly help speed up the localization process. 

•  Output quality desired

The desired output quality also affects the time it takes. If we want a premium-quality translation, it will take longer than if we settle for a machine translation with post-editing

• Reference material for the LQA phase

The reference material used during the localization quality assurance (LQA) phase, including test plans and test cases, will directly impact the time needed to verify the linguistic quality. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to provide test cases to LQA teams! Test cases can identify and correct any errors or issues before the product is released.

• Availability of test automation tools

Using an automation QA tool in software localization can help speed up the process and save time. The tool can automate certain tasks, such as checking for spelling and grammar errors, ensuring text fits on the screen, and verifying translations. This tool can reduce manual tasks, and the localization process can be completed faster and more accurately.

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In conclusion

So, what can we do to speed up the localization process? Well, it won't come as a surprise if I tell you that the more best practices we incorporate into our localization strategy from the paragraphs I explained above, the easier it will be to estimate the speed of Localization. Of course, there will always be uncertainty and factors that make the answer "it depends ", but it's not the same to give heads-up than not, it's not the same to have test cases than not, and it's not the same to have an API that connects to the product's tech framework that we are localizing than not. So next time someone asks you how long it takes to localize something, we may still answer, "it depends," but at least we can explain what it depends on.

@yolocalizo