Going global: Getting started with content localization

Have you been asked to deliver your content in another language but don’t know where to begin? The decisions you make early on when designing and developing your content can make or break your translation and production processes. It’s very hard (and expensive) to make changes as you run into problems during translation or production. It’s even worse when the problems are discovered by the consumers! Let’s begin with some definitions and then take a look at what you can do to prepare for localization and how translators perform their work. Localization (abbreviated as L10N, or L – the next 10 letters – N) is the process of adapting a product for a specific international market or locale. It involves file analysis, translation, proofreading, reformatting, and testing for appropriateness in the target locale.