Market Distribution Concerns To Keep In Mind When Creating Software.

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.