{"id":38290,"date":"2021-04-30T12:21:45","date_gmt":"2021-04-30T12:21:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/creative-words.com\/?p=21572"},"modified":"2025-07-17T14:31:00","modified_gmt":"2025-07-17T14:31:00","slug":"differences-between-translation-and-localization","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.creative-words.com\/en\/differences-between-translation-and-localization\/","title":{"rendered":"Context is the message: differences between translation and localization"},"content":{"rendered":"

Differences between translation and localization: while building a website or planning new content to offer online, it is not uncommon for a business to neglect giving translation its rightful place and importance.<\/span><\/h2>\n

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It\u2019s often seen as an expense that doesn\u2019t guarantee a large enough return on investment. I would be inclined to agree, but only because I\u2019ve mentioned translation<\/em>. If we stop to consider the etymology of the word, translating<\/em> literally means to carry across (but what? A generalized answer could be concepts<\/em>) from one language to another.<\/p>\n

1) What are the differences between translation and localization?<\/strong>
\n2) Let’s talk about the concrete benefits of localization\u00a0<\/strong>
\n3) The cultural aspect<\/strong><\/p>\n

It often doesn\u2019t mean carrying a website\u2019s contents from one source language to a target language in order to reach a new intended audience. We all know the reason why: what works for a given audience may not work for another<\/strong> (in fact, it\u2019s very likely that it won\u2019t work at all!), and a \u201csimple\u201d translation can actually end up alienating the target audience.<\/p>\n

A very simple example, made up on the spot: a sports betting website claims that \u201cyou\u2019ll feel like you just hit a home run\u201d. The translation in Italian would use the word \u201cfuoricampo\u201d for \u201chome run\u201d. Reading this sentence would make Italian users scratch their head, as \u201cfuoricampo\u201d often refers to something done \u201coff-screen\u201d or \u201coffstage\u201d. Even in the event that they know what is being talked about – it\u2019s likely that a regular visitor of sports betting websites in the very least would know a baseball term – they would still wonder why such an odd and out-of-place choice was made, and would immediately realise that they\u2019re reading a translation.<\/p>\n

Consequently, they would be abruptly diverted, if even for a short time, from the normal flow of the user experience that they expect to have. This is why I mentioned that translating is not enough; localization is needed.<\/p>\n

What are the differences between translation and localization?<\/span><\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

Let\u2019s try to localise<\/em> the claim from before: \u201cYou\u2019ll feel like you just scored a goal\u201d. This sentence, as opposed to the preceding one, would not make Italian users pause in the slightest and would allow them to continue their experience smoothly and effortlessly.<\/p>\n

So what are the differences between translation and localization? Translating means carrying the contents of one language across to another.<\/strong> \u201cLocalizing\u201d is simply taking translation to the next level<\/strong>: content must not only be conveyed but it must also be adapted. Adapting means making content more desirable to the target audience. Not only more desirable, but more familiar and more natural. The perfect online experience happens when users don\u2019t wonder about the language the site is in and when the experience is clear.<\/p>\n

Language is one of those aspects that make the user feel at home. Language is the most immediate way to communicate with those around us. It gives shape to our way of thinking, our ideas and our beliefs. Translating \u201chome run\u201d with \u201cfuoricampo\u201d is perfectly correct in Italian, and actually it would be wrong to translate it differently in this context. However, we need something more in this case. We give ourselves license to adapt the content in order to recreate in our target reader the same effect it had on the source reader.<\/p>\n

Localization is not limited just to this; it is any aspect of a website or content that can be adapted to a target market.<\/strong> This can include how to address customers (more formally or in a friendlier manner?), calls to action (more aggressive or more obliging?), even the structure of the site, its layout and colours, straight through to more obvious things, such as currencies, dates and units of measure.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s talk about concrete benefits of localization<\/span><\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

So, it\u2019s clear that localizing a website or an e-commerce business represents an important process in joining the market.<\/strong> In this hyperconnected world shaped by global forces, a glocal <\/em>approach seems to offer more success: having the world within our reach but also being on the smoothest road possible and clear of any obstacles. Let\u2019s look more concretely at what the benefits of localization<\/a><\/span> are:<\/p>\n