If you want to expand your business to a foreign marketplace, you have to first figure out how you’ll go about your brand localization. Typically, there are two ways to localize your brand. One is in-house localization through localization management software or manual localization. The other is outsourcing localization projects through a language service provider platform. Depending on your brand localization goals and the markets you are targeting, you can choose any of these two methods to localize your brand.
If you are not entirely outsourcing your localization operations, you can still outsource some processes to relieve the burden on your employees. In this article, we’ll discuss the significance of outsourcing your localization project, and what are the benefits businesses could get through outsourcing.
Difference Between In-House and Outsource Localization Management
In-House Localization Management
In in-house localization management, you assemble a team of localization professionals, including translators, developers, editors, and project managers. Because all localization operations are managed in-house, you must have all resources and tools required. Companies that do in-house localization management use a cloud-based translation management system, or professional localization management software to automate their everyday localization operations. The localization departments are entirely responsible for the execution and successful completion of a localization project.
Outsource Localization Management
In localization outsourcing, you partner with a third-party localization service provider and let some or all of your localization operations. These LSPs work with different clients simultaneously, and they have experts and state-of-the-art tools to effectively manage your localization. In this case, your service provider is responsible to deliver the expected outcomes to meet your localization goals.
Top 5 Advantages of Outsourcing Your Localization Project
Outsourcing your localization operations comes with a lot of advantages. It’ll relieve your burden and allow you to get professional-level localization services from a credible service provider.
Reduce The Localization Cost
In-house localization project management could be very expensive, it requires building up your team of localization experts, buying the latest tools, and developing a separate localization department altogether. In outsourcing, you are hiring another agency that has to establish localization processes and have the best resources. It would significantly reduce your localization cost; you have to pay relatively fewer prices to your localization partner. So, you don’t have to break your bank to carry out brand localization for different countries. Depending on your budget, you can select your localization package accordingly. Moreover, hiring a third-party service provider makes it much easier for companies to scale their businesses in foreign markets.
Not Need for Staff Training
As you target new markets or bring in more technological tools, you need to upgrade the skills of employees. You have to conduct training sessions for your in-house employees, so they understand how to use the equipment the right way. Similarly, whenever you are entering a new marketplace, you have to train your employees on how to modify the brand to that particular marketplace. You may need to hire cultural experts to train your employees about the cultural intricacies of different markets and what mistakes they must avoid in the first place. In outsourcing, you only pay for the services and get your brand localization done by experienced professionals.
No Need to Invest in Expensive Tools
For localization purposes, there are many advanced tools and cloud-based translation management systems available to automate the localization process. You have to pay a monthly subscription fee to your vendor, in addition to all the other expenses you are having on employees and other resources. When you outsource a localization project, you don’t have to acquire any expensive equipment or CAT systems. Moreover, maintaining these tools requires extra effort, which is again a hassle on your side.
Better Quality Management
Efficient management skills and advanced technology go hand in hand to achieve desirable outcomes. You have to get away with all localization challenges and issues within limited resources and tools. In-house localization project managers are typically experts in one area and ignore the other localization domains totally. Moreover, because of complicated processes and increasing demands, you may overlook the quality.
Outsourcing, on the other hand, ensures higher quality outcomes because everything is managed in a more systematic way. Your work is managed by experts, and there are hardly any issues related to quality. However, you have to make sure that all the instructions and requirements are clearly delivered to localization teams. This way, there will be no gaps in the understanding of localization goals.
Enhance Innovation and Agility
In-house localization teams are more resilient to changing their processes and bringing in new technology. People get used to going things in a certain way. Upgrading the processes is not only expensive but requires a lot of staff training as well. Lack of innovation can make you leave behind brand localization, and you wouldn’t be able to cope with the changing localization demands. Professional language service provider platforms keep themselves up to date to meet the changing demand of their clients. It would be easier for you to bring in more innovation and agility in your localization processes through outsourcing. There is relatively less risk in trying out new things and doing trial and error to figure out the right way to localize your brand. Outsourcing is indeed the best option to avoid research and development costs, and share the innovation cost with the vendor.
Final Words!
Outsourcing helps you get away with localization chances and achieve more value by investing less money. No matter whether you have a large- or small-scale localization project, outsourcing allows you to bring out the full potential of your brand in a foreign marketplace. You can partner with any reliable language service provider platform to manage your brand localization project in a more professional way.
They are responsible for delivering the expected outcomes, in case the work is as desired, you can always ask for edits and improvements. So, if you want to go global, and don’t have an in-house team yet, outsourcing your localization project is the most cost-effective and smart way to spread your roots internationally.