Localization

Focus
Preparing your team to
localize more mobile moments
Rebecca Ray
Rebecca Ray is a senior
analyst at the market research
firm Common Sense Advisory
(CSA Research). Her primary
research focus includes enterprise
globalization, social
media, multilingual SEO and
global product development.
App stores provide competitive data. Source: Common Sense Advisory, Inc.
With a billion tablets
already online and four billion
smartphones predicted to
be in use worldwide by 2017,
mobile is the next frontier for
companies to implement and
fine-tune the global customer
experience.
Mobile phones represent more
than just another digital channel for
content as more and more people
throughout the world adopt the
devices as the principal sources of
communication, services and entertainment
in their lives. Fulfilling their
expectations requires organizations
to shift from simply delivering localized
content to enabling localized
experiences whenever and wherever
people expect them — all according
to their language, culture, personal
preferences and current physical
location.
So how can your team localize
more mobile moments? By selecting
the mobile app data that makes sense
for you, then easing into the mobile
localization scene. Based on in-depth
interviews with 36 localization
managers and directors at 29 global
companies, Common Sense Advisory
(CSA Research) provides guidelines
below to ensure your success.
First, choose the right mobile data
to support informed decision-making.
The language support required
for mobile may not be the same as
for web or desktop apps. Why? The
market you’re entering with mobile
may have different expectations or
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