The Evolution of Localization with New Tech

Technology has changed practically every industry in the world, and the translation industry is no exception. Localization with new tech means that service providers are increasingly becoming better equipped to provide quality translation and localization services. Each new technological development enables localization to become more personalized, more targeted, more efficient, and more accurate.

Translation Through the Years

Technological advancements have brought many benefits to the task of translating from one language into another. Over time, translation has evolved from a person-to-person activity to a business-to-business and country-to-country enterprise.

• In ancient days, translation was the work of scribes who would manually translate books and scrolls from outdated languages to contemporary ones. In the Middle Ages, translation became an essential tool for different governments to communicate with each other. Again, the work was manual and time-consuming.
• In more modern times, translation began to be used as a tool form businesses to communicate with customers in other regions. Technology gave commerce the power to automate translation services and provide localization that respects different cultures. This has helped companies to reach their target markets faster and be more responsive to their customers’ needs.

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Six Ways Localization with New Tech has Helped the Industry Evolve

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1. Localized Information is Available in Seconds

With the reach of search engines increasing dramatically every day, companies now have access to comprehensive information about their customers down to the nth degree. Social media has further improved access to nuanced details about the target market, its cultural beliefs, the specific vocabulary and slang of its people, its geographical location, and more.

2. Digital Dictionaries are Faster

Advancing technology equates to speed. These days, online dictionaries use software which can search for, find, and dynamically update unknown words or words with obscure meanings. This is happening across languages making it extremely easy for translators to quickly find synonyms or alternatives for words in the local language. What used to take days or even months now takes just a few minutes or even less.

3. The Cloud has Improved Collaboration

In this age of dynamic information exchange, not working at top speed can lead to delays in bringing a product or service to market, which could be the difference between a successful business and an unsuccessful one. Many cloud service providers now offer in-context review features (such as Intelligent Character Recognition (ICR) which allow translators, linguists, quality assurers, and clients to collaborate on projects and quickly create the best content.

4. Improved CAT Tools Provide Higher Quality Translations

Computer Aided Transcription Systems (CAT) have always been a translator's best friend. Now CAT tools have been integrated with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) technology. This integration has improved the functionality and efficiency of CAT and, in turn, the quality of translations. AI brings with it many helpful features like optical character recognition (OCR), voice recognition, speech synthesis, sentiment analysis, and more.

5. SSO has Made Localization Services More Secure

The integration of both role-based authorization and Single Sign-On (SSO) into cloud services has improved security. These authentication tools limit data access to a few, select individuals ensuring that the client’s confidential data and newly translated material are kept away from unauthorized persons.

6. Technology has Provided More Scope for Careers

With more new tech being integrated into the localization industry, translators, linguists and reviewers all need to be better certified and more-skilled. This means more applicants will learn web design, AI and ML, and other software skills, giving them greater scope for job advancement and movement.

The Future of Localization with New Tech

Localization with new tech has taken the translation industry forward by leaps and bounds. It’s safe to say that technology will continue to advance the further evolution of the localization industry.

Why Use Localize?

The world is changing dramatically as we speak and Localize has a hold on this challenging future. We are dedicated to keeping ourselves updated on all translation innovations that will enable your business to succeed in the new tech world. Contact us and join the 500 plus companies that we are already helping with their increasingly complex translation and localization requirements.