It was in the 1980s that localization in the IT industry started and since then it has become an ever-evolving industry. Today, when everything has turned digital and we rely on digital products for our technical to basic chores, a global understanding of such digital products is necessary. This is where the best software localization services enter and take center stage. It is software localization that transforms these digital products for the easy understanding of the global audiences so that these software are not limited to one market only. Other than that IT software companies also get to take hold of the global market, showcase what they have and earn revenue based on those skills.
Software localization and its current status is the focal point of this read. We are going to talk about the current market status as well as the future of this huge industry.
Software Localization
The adaptation of digital products such as software and apps as per the linguistic and cultural factors of the target audience is called software localization. It is not an easy process at all. Most people confuse software localization with translation. Translation only deals with the linguistic content of a digital product such as a website, software applications and many more. Localization considers cultural and graphical elements like menus, display buttons, time and currency symbols, etc. Other than that, the best software localization services are also responsible for localizing the multimedia content, error messages, and other notification buttons that are part of these digital products.
Hence, it is a huge umbrella term that takes complete care of a software product and makes sure that the user doesn’t feel alienated when using such products. So if you wish to launch your software in a foreign market, software localization should be your ally.
Current Market Size and Trends
In 2022, the software localization industry generated revenue of more than $5.9 billion, and in 2023 this market was valued even above that. Today, there has been a sudden demand in software localization depending on the rise of the internet and digital devices. More and more digital devices are apps and being made which makes it necessary for developers and app companies to enable understanding for the global users. This is why mere translation isn’t enough. Imagine you are using a translated app and it works perfectly for you but suddenly some malfunction arises which is in another language. How can you as a user understand what to do? If that same app is localized not only the normal functioning will be in your language but also these messages and notifications that make you aware of the malfunction. And then you will be able to know how to deal with them. Currently, the software localization market is on the rise. In the IT sector, the software localization industry is thriving. And all the credit goes to a software translation agency, for accelerating the demand for professional software translators.
Influx of Digital Devices and Internet Penetration
The internet penetration today has reached more than 67.5%. It means that this much audiences is daily internet users. This increased use of the internet brings about the importance of digital devices such as mobiles and laptops. Hence, the more the number of these apps and software, the more the need for localization to turn them into consumer-friendly software.
Rise of AI in the Software Localization Industry
Despite the role of a software translation agency in delivering accurate software translation solutions by human translators, there has been a high demand for AI translation solutions. The rise of AI is because of the Neural Machine Translation (NMT) and the fast translations that resemble the work of human translators. There are AI tools that pinpoint errors and ensure maximum accuracy rate. If you take a look at the Google Play Store stats, you will notice that more than 1200 apps are created every second. Imagine what happens when audiences want to use these apps and they aren’t in their language?
This will not only decrease the download rate of such apps but rather get infamous in the market for not fulfilling the demands of the users. So to make sure that these apps are localized as soon as possible, AI software translation is used. Later with machine translation post editing (MTPE), these apps are edited by human translators to maintain the quality of the task.
Impact Made By Businesses
One of the core reasons behind the influx of software localization is the globalization of businesses. To get a permanent place in the foreign marketplace, businesses localize their digital assets such as apps, software, and websites. To gain a competitive advantage over your rivals you can also hire software translators from the best translation agency and boost your business on a global level.
Future Image of Software Localization
According to the predictions of industry experts, this software localization industry is bound to generate a revenue of more than $15.6 billion by 2032. We already know how much digital products are in demand so it is for sure that in the future the software localization industry will reach far up in the sky. Artificial intelligence, machine learning, and human translators all add up to elevate the current level of software translation.
Final Words!
To sum up, software localization is the trend these days based on the fact that it is the most used tool by businesses. And in the future, software localization will gain even more revenue because of the current increase in internet penetration and the accelerating creation of digital products.