Why a Localization Agency is Essential for Cultural Competency

In today’s world of global consumerism, it is hard to understate just how important it has become for businesses to cross cultural boundaries. This is where a localization agency comes in. Localization can be defined as ‘an act or process of adjusting for or adapting to differences in language and culture.’ In this narrow space between two worlds, products, services, and content designed for one region are adapted to make them culturally consistent. This goes beyond translation because while translation resumes the same functional aspect in another language, localization adapts the product or service to a new culture. What makes localization crucial for businesses looking to make a compelling impression on a new, international audience? It’s precisely this cross-cultural agility that can set businesses apart from their competitors. Creating a cultural base allows companies to connect strongly with localized markets and engender trust. While local languages are essential, they are not the only things that need to be considered: burial customs, restaurant customs, clothes, saying ‘yes’ and ‘no’ – sometimes simply using our national language can be a mistake! Without the localized expertise of an agency, businesses run a real risk of coming across as making careless and thoughtless mistakes at best and alienating their customer base at worst, which is another reason why they are so integral to global commerce.

The Importance of Cultural Competency in Localization Agencies

• Understanding Cultural Nuances

With localization agencies, cultural competency becomes a soft skill that can be applied and a hard requirement. Localization professionals – project managers, for example – would typically be dealing with different cultural groups almost daily. In such multicultural environments, a deep understanding of cultural differences is often required to avoid communication mistakes and mishaps and, more importantly, to build relationships. Several models help us articulate cultural differences, such as the Lewis Model, which highlights three significant groups of cultures: linear-active, multi-active, and reactive cultures, and it identifies different kinds of approaches to communication for each of these groups. This model is just one example that helps us work with and, in many situations, understand and respect the differences in different cultural behaviors.

• Impact on Project Success

The correlation between cultural competency and successful projects is undeniable within localization agencies. Those project managers who are culturally competent are more likely better able to process the needs of their teams and of their clients. Such competency allows communication strategies to be implemented with an eye to the cultural backgrounds of the various stakeholders, which in turn enhances collaboration and efficiency. Conflicts are better anticipated and mitigated before they arise, project execution runs smoothly, and business relationships are stronger and more respectful. It’s not just about avoiding cultural missteps; it’s about leveraging diversity to add texture to interactions and to outcomes in the global marketplace.

Challenges Faced by Localization Agencies

• Language Barriers

Beyond the strict translation of a language are the dialects, accents, and linguistic variations that localization houses often have to navigate. The language spoken in Argentina differs from that spoken in Bolivia and Chile. The same word can have a different meaning in Colombia. The exact spelling of a word can create different pronunciations based on where it is spoken. The same term could be used differently in two parts of the country. And if it comes to the same city, depending on the sector or circle of influence, localization specialists might have to improve their grip on the thesaurus.

• Cultural Misunderstandings

Adherence to cultural sensitivities matters a lot in localization. Misinterpretations of colors and otherwise innocuous symbols, or even culturally embedded norms, can dramatically alter the intended meaning of the content. A color or symbol that is culturally definitive in one culture might be offensive or serve as something entirely different and unrelated elsewhere, alienating potential customers and destroying a brand’s hard-earned reputation.

• Miscommunication

Good communication between a localization agency and its client is critical to a successful project. Poor communication can often be challenging, resulting in delays and increased expenses. For example, if project details are not clearly defined – such as the dialect or culture nuances necessary to convert the source language to a relevant target version – it causes a significant setback in production. Furthermore, poor communication can lead to ineffective marketing as the content is not emotionally as appealing to the target culture as it could have been, making it not worth the time and expense of the campaign.

Strategies for Enhancing Cultural Competency

There are many strategies for improving cultural competency at localization agencies to improve efficiency and best performance in global markets. These strategies include hiring culturally competent employees, employee training programs, and new localization tools.

• Hiring Culturally Competent Staff

It is necessary to recruit personnel capable of translating linguistically, technically, and culturally fluently, able to move inside complex cultural settings, integrating the needs, knowledge, and practices of the agency with those of the displaced or refugee population with whom they interact. This would entail hiring managers asking candidates to demonstrate their cultural fluency and ability to work across the complex fraying of culture. This would involve recognizing all elements of an applicant’s experience, including their cultural identities. It would require a complement to a robust candidate bank or database of people with the requisite expertise and a more focused, nuanced, and detailed selection criteria.

• Continuous Training Programs

However, maintaining these competencies also requires regular training and the same goes for protecting and improving an agency’s cultural competence. Localization agencies should invest in frequent training courses that inform employees of the value of cultural awareness and sensitivity, teach us to work with different communication styles and negotiation techniques and remind us about the value of cultural respect in professional contexts. Routine training will ensure that team members have the cultural competence to meet the challenges of global interactions and can adjust to new cultural norms as they emerge. 

• Utilizing Advanced Localization Tools

Another strategy we can take is to ensure the adoption of advanced tools that support a culturally appropriate and accurate translation. These tools are intricate; for instance, when translating from Middle English into modern-day English, we must take into consideration the fact that historically, the English language had a limited vocabulary: if you wanted to say something, you had to say it with far fewer words than we have now, and the context of confusion was entirely supported by your lesser vocabulary. This is just one context in which we would use tools that support cultural nuances and expressions, so localization agencies must adopt software that integrates with cultural nuances.

Adopting these measures can help increase a localization agency’s cultural competency, thus improving interactions and delivering successful, culturally sensitive projects in the global marketplace. This leads to better relationships with clients and can place the agency at the forefront of culturally competent practice. 

The Future of Localization Agencies

• Evolving with Global Trends

The industry is set for a boom, with new markets rapidly opening up worldwide and predicted growth for localization services. Localization agencies such as Taia are already expanding their use of AI and ML solutions to further revolutionize the localization process, automating localization processes to drastically improve the cultural relevance of the converted content. Furthermore, as localization inevitably becomes increasingly interwoven with multilingual SEO, understanding the nuances of each country’s tastes and tendencies will become vital to many businesses’ multilingual digital presences. This would mean that SEO agencies would be better equipped and better positioned to deliver personalized services that are becoming vital to companies wishing to negotiate the changing landscape of online markets. These agencies become invaluable components of any business looking to improve the international side of their business.

• Embracing Technological Advancements

Technology, for example, is changing the localization landscape. NMT and NLP (natural language processing) are already standard, and other AI technologies, such as the recently launched OpenAI Whisper tool for voiceovers, herald a return to more dynamic, responsive localization. AI-powered translation management systems also quickly accelerate localization projects and ensure the content is culturally relevant and resonant. Taia and other agencies like it will continue to help clients in their enthusiasm to step beyond translating and transcribing to engage and resonate with every person in every market. 

Conclusion

Since the beginning of this article, we’ve discussed several aspects where localization agencies play a role in driving cultural competency and the obstacles (languages and cultural differences) that make this important. The common idea linking all these points is that we’re more than just translators. We are also cultural ambassadors. We work on understanding the cultural nuances that, from a distance, can be used against us. In the same way, we need to update our word sets; we need to update the best cultural competency practices. The overall message is that we need these experts in localization agencies to help businesses survive and thrive in the global market by connecting with their audiences.