{"id":46196,"date":"2018-03-26T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-03-25T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gengo.com\/uncategorized\/translation-vs-localization\/"},"modified":"2019-10-23T18:03:36","modified_gmt":"2019-10-23T09:03:36","slug":"translation-vs-localization","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gengo.com\/business-insights\/translation-vs-localization\/","title":{"rendered":"Basics: Translation vs. Localization"},"content":{"rendered":"The language services industry loves making things complicated.\r\n\r\nWhat\u2019s transcreation<\/i>? What about localization<\/i>? Are they the same, and which service do I need for my business? To add to the confusion, these concepts are often abbreviated into numeronyms<\/a>, or called something different by each provider. What fun.\r\n\r\nHere are five of the industry\u2019s most common concepts, explained:\r\n

1. Translation (or t8n<\/i>)<\/h3>\r\nTranslation is the process of expressing text in another language. Text is expressed word for word, with attention to grammar and syntax. Depending upon the service\/technology you choose to use, translation may or may not take into account cultural nuances and idioms in texts. \u201cEasy as pie\u201d in English, for example, could be translated literally and badly, as in \u201cas straightforward as a baked dessert\u201d or idiomatically and correctly, as in \u201cit\u2019s very simple\u201d.\r\n

2. Localization (or L10n<\/i>)<\/h3>\r\nLocalization involves translation, but its broader goal is to make content (or a product) feel as though it were created specifically for a specific target market.\r\n\r\nFor example, you can translate a website\u2019s content from Japanese into English, but there are other considerations that won\u2019t always be included in the translation process, like converting currency from Yen into the local currency, formatting addresses and dates, and adjusting the website\u2019s layout itself according to cultural and technological preferences, changes in word\/character counts and more.\r\n

3. Transcreation (no one actually calls this t11n<\/i>. Yet. Phew!)<\/h3>\r\nTranscreation, also known as \u201ccreative translation,\u201d is a form of copywriting where the original content may be changed completely to align with the desired message. Relative to translation, it is far more expensive, but is one good way of preserving and perfecting messaging across different markets.\r\n

4. Globalization (or g11n<\/i>)<\/h3>\r\nWhen it comes to products and services, globalization is a broad, strategic process of which translation and localization are small parts. Globalization involves addressing all challenges a company encounters when expanding into new markets\u2014from researching and selecting target markets to meeting local business requirements abroad.\r\n

5. Internationalization (or i18n<\/i>)<\/h3>\r\nInternationalization is the technical process of planning and preparing products and services for easy localization into target languages and markets. It should take place before translation and often involves updating existing infrastructure to adhere to international standards, support multiple scripts and more.\r\n\r\nOnce you get to know these terms, you\u2019ll be ready to go global in no time!\r\n\r\nGo global with Gengo’s people-powered translation platform.<\/strong>\r\n\r\n