Don't stop at English. Expand your market! When developing software here are 3
key things to keep in mind.
1.
TARGET - Most probably your target is not just the U.S. Keep in mind future growth and where that growth will come from. Who
are your targets? Where do they come from? Who will be using your product? Over
two thirds of buying power comes from foreign countries.
2.
LANGUAGE OF YOUR TARGET(s) – Now and future sales need to be considered
when developing your software. Is there
room for an expanded language, have you thought about adding software translations? Does your new market target use Latin, Cyrillic, Asian
or Arabic characters? Is your technical writer and software designer aware of the
complexities of adding other languages? Can your software handle bi-directional
or Asian characters?
https://www.census.gov/hhes/socdemo/language/data/language_map.html
The Census Bureau developed an interactive map to help you access what
languages you might need to include in your marketing efforts for the U.S.
http://www.sba.gov/content/explore%20-exporting
The U.S. Commercial Service has an export readiness assessment tool online.
This is a good start to help you determine where, what languages, etc.
3.
INDUSTRY – Will you be selling your software
across Industries? Is your terminology general enough or too specific to easily
translate to other industries? We have a client with an asset tracking tool that we are
translating into several languages. This tool can be utilized across vertical
industries. Instead of naming the specific asset the software tracks currently,
we developed a more generic term that still conveys understanding in several
languages for different industries. Initially, the client took the time to help
us understand what they are doing now and where they wish to go in the future. Because we have met with them, talked with
them about future value and vision of their company and products, our translators created an effective communication
tool to be utilized across several platforms. Helping your Translations team
understand what you are working on now and what you see as a future application
will enable better communication now. This step will save you money and time as well as the
headache of re-working your software to fit new markets/regions.
To learn more about developing International ready software
contact me at linda@allcleartranslations.com
or 866-489-9109 to talk about increasing sales.
