Localization
Translation and localization: what is the difference?
Understand when accurate wording is enough and when your audience needs wider adaptation.
Translation conveys meaning in another language. Localization also adapts content to a particular market. Before starting a project, decide whether the reader only needs to understand the text or must use a product, complete a form or respond to a campaign.
Look beyond sentences
Review dates, units, contact details and examples. A reference that is familiar to the original audience may need explanation elsewhere. Mark brand names and product identifiers that must stay unchanged. Do not change prices, eligibility conditions or business promises merely to make the wording sound more local.
Separate language from decisions
Give translators context for buttons, messages and short labels. Explain character limits and where each phrase appears. If a change affects a commercial offer or a workflow, ask the responsible person to approve it. Language adaptation cannot resolve an unclear product decision on its own.
Check the real experience
Review the translated page or document in its final layout. Read headings, instructions and calls to action together. Check that links and contact routes lead to the appropriate destination. A good localization project ends with a usable experience, not only a translated text file.