The ROI Benefits of Translation: 4 Big Ways to Grow

In the era of globalization, expanding into new markets is essential for growth. But launching a multilingual website or app takes a lot of planning, time, and investment.

Do you think the overall benefits of localization outweigh the costs to a business? The numbers might surprise you. Let’s explore some real-world examples of successful return on investment (ROI) metrics for localization.

The Impact of Localization ROI

Localization is the practice of adapting a product, website, or app for a foreign audience. For many global businesses, localization is synonymous with growth.

Studies show that localization has a great return on investment:

• Fortune 500 companies that invested in website localization and translation quickly increased their revenue.
• Companies that built localized mobile apps increased their app store downloads by 128%.
• According to research, localized ad campaigns got 22% more conversions than their English-only counterparts.

4 ROI Metrics for Localization

As you build your localization strategy, it’s helpful to think about how you can measure success. Measuring the impact of your localization efforts can convince stakeholders to invest in global expansion.

Need some inspiration on ROI calculations for your next localization project? Check out these impressive results from top companies that went global.

1. More Revenue and Conversions

Offering content in a new language is a great way to grow into different target markets. When people can read your site in their native language, they’re more likely to have a pleasant user experience. This gives you a much better shot at winning their business. As you plan your localization efforts, think about key performance indicators (KPIs) that you can measure both before and after localization.

Here are some real-world examples of big revenue wins from companies that tried localization:

• Verbling:This language learning app recently localized its website and web application in 7 new languages. After localization, they experienced a 5x increase in paying customers.

• River Island:This online clothing retailer localized its website and saw amazing results just a few months after localization: “add to bag” rates increased by 30.2%, resulting in a higher conversion rate. Plus, visitors’ average time on page increased by 10.7%, while pageviews increased by 18%.

2. Better Site Traffic

Only a fraction of people worldwide can read English, so multilingual content can give you a big traffic boost. Localized content improves international site traffic metrics and SEO while lowering bounce rates.

Here are a few examples:

• Ahrefs: This marketing software company increased its international traffic by 65% after translating its website and web app.

• Prodege: After localization, Prodege’s websites reached a staggering 40 million pageviews per month, doubling their total pageviews. Prodege also reported a sharp rise in global customer signups.

• coUrbanize: This technology platform launched 32 communities using 25 unique languages. As a result, they experienced a 61% increase in unique visitors.

• Aims Community College: This college had 25,966 Spanish-speaking prospective students visit its site since its localized Spanish site was launched.

• Europ Assistance: Soon after completing its localization project, this travel insurance company experienced a staggering 54% rise in overall pageviews. Translated webpages accounted for 47% of their total views.

3. Lower Translation Costs

Professional translation can be a costly part of the localization process. Fortunately, the right tools can streamline workflows and save labor, time, and money for better ROI.

An effective localization effort should include a reliable TMS (translation management system). A TMS can cut localization costs and simplify project management. Tools like integrated machine translation help teams minimize human involvement and save money during localization.

Check out these impressive cost-saving results from a variety of industries:

• Submittable: After investing in a high-quality TMS, this social platform company lowered its human translation costs by 40%.

• Mimeo: This digital content platform was quickly able to set up its platform for a global release in 15 languages. Using a TMS, Mimeo avoided strain on its valuable internal resources like developers and engineers.

• Cisco Meraki: With automated content detection and delivery, the localization team at Cisco Meraki saved over $14,000.00 (USD) on Japanese human translations for their help documentation.

4. Quick Launch Times for International Projects

Language translation is a notoriously complex and time-consuming process. But modern TMS tools make the process a lot faster—cutting translation turnaround times by up to 2/3. Features like translation memory, glossaries, style guides, and LSP integration can significantly speed up the localization process.

Here are a few companies that jump-started their international projects with effective localization:

• MyDailyChoice: This network marketing company translated over 55,000 words in a 7-day turnaround. Soon, they experienced a 100% increase in site visits on their international pages.

• CIC Health: In only two months, this healthcare company used a TMS to translate over 37,000 words. They quickly scaled to millions of site visits.

Conclusion

What do all these businesses have in common? They decided to think beyond their home market and expand globally with a smart localization strategy. And their investments paid off.With effective localization, these companies reached new markets, increased revenue, and boosted engagement. They also kept their translation costs low with savvy workflows and reliable translation tools, which helped companies like MyDailyChoice achieve 50% cost savings.As they all scale towards a bright future in more new markets, localization continues to be a top strategy for growth.