Information for this blog post was obtained from Gulf Business, Weglot, and Oxford Learner’s Dictionary.
Have you ever seen a poorly translated street sign or advert while traveling abroad and just laughed or cringed at how wrong it was? Or a beautiful tattoo written in Chinese but its true meaning being the Tuesday night special at your local Chinese restaurant? This faux pas is the result of insufficient translation, of course, but also a lack of localization.
What is Localization?
According to the Oxford Learners Dictionary, localization is “the process of adapting a product or service to make it suitable for a new area.” When it comes to social media marketing, this means taking the content used in one country and adapting it to fit another country’s language and culture.
Localization can help salvage already created content for one certain region/country and transform it into culturally and linguistically appropriate content for another region or country to enjoy as well, saving companies time and headaches.
What's the Difference Between Localization and Translation?
Translation is step one of localization. Translation is the act of changing words directly from one language to another, without altering the message for clarity. Translating is a difficult task that creates the possibility for localization to take place as well.
After translating the individual words, it is time to localize the message by ensuring that the desired message and effect are achieved in the second language. By altering slang, cultural differences, and stereotypes, the content is sure to be well-received and understood on a deeper level. In a nutshell, content can be translated perfectly, yet a lack of localization can make the message impossible to receive in the way it was intended to be.
We are all familiar with mistranslations creating miscommunications, localization can make such a difference, it can affect a message without any spoken language involved.
Take for example Gerber Baby Food’s attempt to expand its products to Africa. As mentioned on Gulf Business, the company’s iconic image of the Gerber Baby is placed on every single one of its products, and this remained the same during its launch in Africa. However, due to poor literacy rates, products often have photos of their ingredients on the label so people know what is in the goods they are buying. Sales plummeted and the Gerber team discovered that it was because the public found the packaging eery due to the cultural standards in place. Not to mention, the name Gerber is French for "to vomit," so the company was in for a struggle no matter what.
Had the Gerber team invested more time and money into localization correctly, this scandal could have been avoided and maybe Gerber would be the top baby food seller in Africa.
How Can We Localize When Marketing on Social Media?
According to WeGlot
1. Hire native speakers or people on the ground
Campaigns have a higher probability of hitting home for customers and increasing customer’s trust in a brand and overall brand awareness when local experts are involved. Using translators who are native speakers or experts who have lived in a certain area for a period of time is a surefire way to guarantee the correct message. Avoiding a poorly translated joke can be the difference between a viral and inactive campaign.
This tip doesn’t just apply to translators but also to brand representatives. Using local celebrities or influencers ensures that your message is one that locals from that region or country would be willing to listen to since there is one of them who has agreed to stand by it. This level of trust is key when expanding abroad in order to convince a new market that your product is the right one.
2. Carefully consider which platform should be used
Most college-aged Americans use iMessage, Snapchat, and Instagram to speak to their friends, however, Europeans use more WhatsApp and Chinese people use WeChat. Knowing these key differences in platform and media can make or break how something is received.
3. Use different accounts for different languages/regions
Grouping content by general language/geographical area can help guide consumers to content that is tailor-made for people from their specific country. Everyone knows that Google Translate leads to misunderstanding and frustration. Being able to avoid potential customers clicking on the auto-translate button not only makes them feel like their service is appreciated but also makes them really understand the brand’s motives and goals.
4. Stay up-to-date on current news
Reading the room is key when it comes to knowing what advert is appropriate and when. If something happens in your target market’s country, it’s important to know before pressing the publish button to not accidentally offend your potential customers.
This also applies to a country’s important anniversaries and holidays. Research and local experts are the only things to ensure refraining from posting about a sale on a very somber and significant holiday or altering previously used content in order to properly celebrate a country’s specific holiday, therefore leaving their citizens feeling seen and valued as customers.
5. Localize 100% of data
Besides from a cultural and linguistic point of view, localization can manifest itself also in a numerical form. By localizing important numbers like dates, times, and units of measurement, you can avoid excluding anyone from the fun.
Think of all the international brands from around the world that have to underline the difference between January 5th and the 1st of May in order to adequately promote their event or drop date without confusing us Americans. This type of localization can often be overlooked but could seriously cause an issue if not properly dealt with.
6. Monitor Local Trends
Local trends give us so much insight into a potential market. By replicating a trend at the right moment, a company can make itself stick out as something that is “in”, but posting the same content a couple of days too late can cause a cringe response similar to listening to your mom attempting to use modern-day slang. Looking at previous trends can show how quickly current trending topics go from being relevant to out of style, and using this insight can keep your brand consistently on top and fitting for the time and place being marketed for.
Overall, localization is the bread and butter of international expansion. Mastering its ways gives your brand a real chance of making it big all around the globe.
If you want to reduce the headache behind your social media marketing, head over to my colleague Reed's article here.
Resources
How to improve your localization strategy: Top ten tips and examples. Weglot. (n.d.). https://www.weglot.com/guides/localization-strategy
Localization. localization noun - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com. (n.d.). https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/localization#:~:text=%E2%80%8B(formal)%20the%20act%20or,out%20exactly%20where%20something%20is
Nagraj, A. (2013, April 24). Top 10 marketing disasters in the world. Gulf Business. https://gulfbusiness.com/top-10-marketing-disasters-in-the-world/
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