Localization

Focus
The language of unicorns
Jacob Stempniewicz
Jacob Stempniewicz is vice president of marketing
at localization provider Andovar. He speaks four
languages and has lived in Asia for over a decade.
Theoretically, a startup is not restricted to any industry or type of
business, but who would use that name for the new grocery store
down the road or a car wash? We’ve come to understand this term
applies to only the cool and the innovative, and those that take
advantage of the latest technologies. So if you add an eCommerce
channel to the grocery store and a mobile app to book that car
wash, now we’re talking startups!
This distinction matters because traditional businesses are tied to their
physical location and have no need to localize. On the other hand, eCommerce
and mobile apps are accessible from anywhere and by anyone, including people
who don’t speak your language. Startups have localization in their DNA.
When should startups think about localization? Right from the beginning.
But the thinking changes along with what you can afford.
What if you have no money?
Ahh, the magical land where unicorns roam! In this case, meaning a startup
company valued at over a billion dollars. Which startup founder doesn’t dream of
joining those billion-dollar beasts one day? But until that fantasy becomes reality,
the waking hours of a startup can be split into two phases: before and after getting
funded. It’s the difference between bootstrapping in someone’s living room barely
able to pay salaries, to hopefully moving into an actual office with cash that gives
you some breathing space.
Investors are looking for ideas that
can rapidly scale, and your pitching
deck should show the way localization
will enable that once the money
men loosen the purse strings. Bonus
points if the slide you show immediately
following this explains how
you’re planning to do it.
However, professional localization
can be too costly to consider until
you get funded. What other options
do you have?
In-house. You may have employees
who speak the languages you
need. While this may seem like a
free way to get translation done by
people who know your product best,
consider the following. First of all,
it’s only free in a certain sense, since
it takes away from the time when
they should be doing their regular
work. Secondly, how many of your
staff are experienced translators?
April/May 2016
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