A Localization Sphere of Influence is something that can be extremely useful both to give visibility to the Localization activities we carry out and to provide us with professional development opportunities.

In this post, I explain the different phases you need to go through in order to create one and go into why it is important to have a Sphere of Influence (SOI) in your Localization strategy.

A multi-market expansion strategy for any product is most effective if the various Globalization (i.e.Localization, Internationalization) activities are understood as a cycle that runs parallel to the multiple phases of software development; This cycle repeats during the various product upgrades. It is not an activity that is executed as if it were a process once the home market version (usually in English) is finalized. It is not a transaction that simply sends files to a professional localizer shortly before the global release. No; Globalization is not a process. Globalization is a cycle that runs multiple times. It is a cycle that runs in parallel with the product research, design, and development phases.

Going global is tough. It is difficult to break into markets where you are not already present. How can we know which market has potential if we are not able to invest a lot of resources to assess which markets are the right ones for a product?

Copyedit is the process executed by a professional in the localization industry in which the editor looks for gross errors in the content they review. But how do you know you need copyedit?

On January 15, 2016, in a small but cozy hotel in London, this blog was born. In this post number 202, I make a summary of all the things I have learned by publishing a new post almost every Sunday in the last few years.

Sometimes hiring directly the services of several freelancers to carry out the Localization tasks of your project can be the best option. However, there are cases in which outsourcing all your work to an LSP/MLV may be the best localization strategy for your product.

Dealing with cultural diversity in Localization management in our industry is a dilemma in communication and stakeholders relationships. Such multicultural diversity puts in front of challenges that greatly hinder getting the best out of areas such as team dynamics or building alliances. The good thing is that today many resources can help us (a lot) raise our cultural competency and improve our cultural awareness.

Building Transparency in the Translation Supply Chain. How can we do it?

The localization industry is largely fragmented, and that fragmentation does not help achieve transparency and trust throughout the supply chain. Is this something that can change? It is not easy, but those who are in a position to buy services linguistic services can take the first step 

Involving the Localization team in Playtest might be a great idea! Find out here why ☺️

Making your way as a localization professional in the video game industry might be tricky at the beginning. But it's obviously not impossible! In this post, I share 7 ideas so that all those who want to work localizing, testing, or managing video games will know where to start.

Is there anything more human than language?

Is there anything more user-centric than giving the user the product in their native language?

There is a better way to approach it, and that way is to understand that Localization is User Experience.

And in this post, I explain why (and how to do it!)

Can generic MT engines be used for business?

MT has come a long way in the last few years, but there is still a long way to go for stakeholders who are not very familiar with this technology to understand if the valid option for their global expansion is to use a generic MT engine or if a custom mt is what is needed.

In the second part of the LQA design post, I explain to you how to make LQA part of the design process

Building a digital product is an iterative process that includes several phases. Different localization activities to a greater or lesser extent are carried out throughout the different phases. One of these activities is Localization QA (LQA). LQA is traditionally done in the deployment phase; however, it is too late in most cases.

Much has been written and talked about the ROI of Localization and the reality is that localization activities by themselves do not generate a profit.

In this post, I analyze the different phases necessary to develop software. At the top, we can find a summary of the typical tasks/deliverables that the Product Development team performs. In the bottom part, we can find the different Globalization activities needed to create a digital product Global ready from the beginning. They are executed in parallel. Working side by side. Not as an afterthought

The role of the Internationalization engineer is one of the most unknown and complicated jobs in the #localization industry, and yet it is one of the most important because thanks to their work, they contribute to making the localization phase more accessible.

For those of you who like programming, technology and are interested in languages, specializing in this area can be an excellent option to build a promising future, as it is a role in high demand.

Culture Fit can lead to misunderstandings if it is not explained well because it can be interpreted as only hiring similar people. That's why I believe that better than Culture Fit is to embrace a Culture Sum mindset. 

Culture Sum is all about understanding that people who are different can achieve great things together by relying on shared values.

Localization ROI has never seemed to me a good metric to measure the impact of a Localization team. However, Sentiment Analysis feedback can give more clues about how the work of a Globalization professional contributes to the success of your product.

A big part of the customer-centric experience is related to the language, culture, the localized price per market, and payment methods

A company that really wants to reach a diverse audience has a potent weapon through hyper localization.