Raghav Kansal is the CEO of ET Medialabs, a company that specializes in performance-driven Online Advertising (Facebook Ads, Search Ads, Display ads etc) & analytics. He also works directly with many companies as a Consultant to help them with their Digital Marketing Strategy and Roadmap.
It has been almost two years since the Covid pandemic took the world by surprise and forced the masses into precautionary confinements. While it was initially laughed off by most as a month-long holiday, everyone has realized the seriousness of the circumstance in the last two years. With the global population stuck at their homes, the ways of the world have witnessed a revolution. Everything from education and employment to shopping and entertainment has switched to online mediums, more out of necessity than choice, in these two years.
This revolution has not left the fields of commerce and marketing untouched either. While local, offline marketing is still a useful tool for a business, the surge in importance and use of digital marketing in recent times cannot be overlooked. Digital marketing, as the name suggests, is the online marketing of goods and services. Even though online shopping and digital marketing have been growing in the world for the past decade, it has attracted more people and growth than ever before in the pandemic era. The knowledge of digital marketing has now become a sought-after skill in the business and employment sectors worldwide. With this increased popularity of the concept, digital marketing too has evolved to become more comprehensive. Two principal ways in which digital marketing has developed to become more suitable to the world population are translation and localization.
Meaning and scope of Translation and Localization
As is commonly known, translation means the interpretation of one language in another. Localization, on the other hand, means making something idiomatic as per the region. While translation pertains to the language, localization is much broader in horizon and covers the entire culture of a place. Thus, localization extends to include the concept of translation among other things.
Importance of translation and localization in Digital marketing
Digital marketing is a key aspect of global marketing. Most of the businesses succeeding internationally, are doing so through digital platforms. However, it is not without its challenges.
In today’s day, robust globalization has opened up several business opportunities for enterprises looking for growth. However, it has also made various choices available for the consumers who now have higher standards. Thus, it has become necessary for businesses to go the extra mile to win over and retain customers. It has therefore become crucial for companies to consistently move ahead and develop skills in the field. That is where translation and localization come in handy.
Translation and localization work closely together to enhance the familiarity of the masses with the business. A website that takes into account the linguistic and cultural norms of a region creates a very positive and trustworthy image in the mind of its customers of that region. It is a psychological fact that humans appreciate the feeling of being made to feel special. By making the website content available in a local language through translation, businesses can communicate their commitment to customer service in a non-verbal way. Additionally, the availability of websites in regional languages allows businesses to reach a wider base of customers who may not be able to benefit from the products and services of the business in the past due to language barriers.
Localization too acts the same way. By making minor adjustments to suit the cultural norms, companies can appeal to the exact set of requirements of the natives of a region. This technique can spell out a strong and trustworthy foundation of a company in an otherwise foreign land. A popular example of the use of this technique can be observed in the working of an E-commerce giant in India. This famous E-commerce website has made a spectacular mark for itself in the gigantic market of India by making the website content available in six local Indian languages including English, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Telugu. It has also localized its products and advertisements to suit its Indian customer base. Every product from clothes to home decor is made available as per Indian cultural norms. The website also displays the prices in the Indian currency rupee. All such minor alterations have made the leading e-commerce platform the go-to shopping destination for Indians for all their needs. This same technique can be used by other businesses using digital marketing to gain momentum in foreign areas.
Summing up
With the world turning towards digitalization at a rapid speed, it is safe to say that digital marketing is the most promising marketing trend of the future. However, simply adopting digital marketing is not enough for efficient online marketing of the business. It is important for businesses to make an active effort to improve and upgrade their marketing practices to stay at par with the norms of the day.
Translation and localization have come forward to be popular and helpful trends in the field of digital marketing in recent times. As the world trade barriers get dissolved and technology reaches all, it is important to have a USP that appeals to the regional and native audiences. Making services and products and their information available in regional and local languages can spell a deep-rooted foundation of trust for a business in that area. Also, as a business tailors itself to be in alignment with the cultural norms of a place through localization, it is likely to gain the acceptance and confidence of the people.