Cultural localization is becoming the bulletproof way to grow a business in today’s interconnected world. Customers have got a taste of the beauty of localization, and can now tell a good localized product from a poorly translated one.
The scoop for today is all about the strategy of transcending both languages and culture in the way of growing your brand or business.
Let’s find out…
What is cultural localization?
Cultural localization is when you cater your product, service, or platform specifically for a particular culture in a geographical region.
It is a detailed type of localization that requires a deep understanding of the target audience’s language as well as their local customs, values, traditions, folklore, and history.
When working with cultural localization, you want to make sure that your product or service feels like a native brand, rather than a foreign brand trying to invade their market.
Customers can tell the difference in a blink of an eye!
When you put cultural localization first, you guarantee increased engagement with the customers in the target region as well as a firm bond that leads to loyalty and trust. If you do not implement cultural localization, many valuable things could be lost in translation.
Therefore it’s more than translation, which is largely about finding the best alternative of words to evoke the same meaning.
Why does cultural localization matter?
When you consider the target audience’s culture, customers will show more interest in the service or product you are providing. This will help you create a relatable product, and it will also increase positive feedback on your products, hence increasing the product’s sales, its predictive cycle.
You also make sure that your linguistic structure is not prosaic or lacks imagination and originality.
Additionally, make sure that your content will resonate with the target audience; by making its content relatable and familiar, your business becomes more credible in the market, making you more trustworthy in the eyes of your customers.
Moreover, when using cultural localization, you make sure that you are staying away from any offensive language and any miscommunication in a potential cultural clash. When you fail to acknowledge the region’s culture and you simply rely on given stereotypes, you will face a very high risk of miscommunication, ruining your reputation for good.
And we see many high-end brands falling in this classic error.
Strategies for cultural localization
What is a cultural localization strategy?
A cultural localization strategy is simply the company’s plan or approach to display or adapt its content and services in new countries. This means that when crafting a strategy for your project, you need to address the differences in not only the languages but also the cultural and social norms of a country.
Your strategy should include:
1) The languages spoken
2) Cultural and societal attitudes of the target country
3) The country’s purchasing habits and behaviors
One language, different dialects
Knowing the country or the region is simply not enough for you to localize your product. For instance, it is easy to assume that Russia and Ukraine both speak Russian.
However, if you attempt to localize your product using the Russian language in Ukraine, it will not just be inaccurate, but also offensive due to political unrest in this region.
It is also very important to take into consideration the fact that some countries speak more than one language depending on the area. These may include countries like India and China, where people speak multiple variations of Indian and Chinese.
Cultural and societal attitude of the target country
You must take into consideration things like the country’s climate, style of living, and social norms, to make sure that not only the language is suitable for the audience, but also that your product is suitable for them.
The country’s purchasing habits and behaviors
Much like the country’s cultural and societal attitude, the country’s purchasing habits and behaviors are crucial for your localization strategy. It is important to fully understand the target audience’s purchasing habits and behaviors and to know the time of year when people are most likely to buy your product.
Obviously, local competitor research at this point will be rewarding.
How to implement cultural localization?
Maximize translation and localization
Language is the main derivative in your localization strategy. It is one of the most common means of understanding between people and different populations.
By localizing your product, website, or service, you ensure that you are directly communicating with your audience without any barriers. This includes techniques like translating your media for example. It is very important to make sure that you are integrating visuals that are suitable for the target audience. For instance, you can not depict a snowy Christmas in a South African country, where people usually celebrate Christmas when it’s 30 C degrees out there.
Use multilingual SEO
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a very important tool to keep your website relevant and easily detectable on the web. Hence, it is pivotal to use a multilingual SEO, to ensure that people can reach your website when they look it up in any language. This will increase your reach, engagement, and sales. You want the locales to find you next time they search for the service you’re offering.
Instead of other competitors showing up to them, you could lead the rankings by spending time on SEO.
Maintain Brand identity
It is crucial to adapt your brand identity to the region’s market demands and trends. But you should always remember that the original identity was first made for your product’s country of origin.
According to a Google study, around 82% of consumers prefer to buy from companies that share the same values as they do. When you adapt your products to fit the customers’ values, you will make sure that you stand out in the market with a unique and durable identity.
