Continuous Localization is Invaluable for Mobile App Developers
How important is a quick time to market in your industry? In today’s fast-paced marketplace, you need to get updates out to your international audience as soon as possible or risk losing users. This is possible with agile localization. Here’s what you need to know:
1. Change the Way You Think about the Localization Process
Continuous localization is a type of agile localization that keeps your products ready for release throughout the development cycle. Mobile apps that require constant enhancements and updates to stay relevant after their release commonly use this type of localization.
Most of the world still runs their localization using the waterfall method. With this, the localization starts in bulk after the engineers are done coding a project. The problem with this is that the codes would break, and developers ran into hiccups that could have been avoided with earlier localization.
Many of the software world leaders are getting on board with continuous localization, including Intel and Cisco.
In order for continuous localization to work, everyone must be on board. This includes recruiting key players within your organization to promote your internationalization efforts.
The key players in your localization team must be able to collaborate on and own the process. This can be done by using internal platforms for communication (a must for successful continuous localization) and share resources.
2. Budget for the Added Cost of Continuous Localization
You may have been able to guess that continuous delivery costs more than the classic bulk approach. In fact, you might end up paying up to 50 percent more over time. Yet, when you can get localized products out to clients on a weekly basis rather than every few months, you inspire trust and loyalty.
Additionally, development teams can find problems with their code much quicker than before since they can test and prove their internationalization faster.
Localizing in this way may cost more, but you will save when it comes to catching issues with your products much faster, and you can count on increased sales from a customer base that knows they can rely on your organization for quality.
3. Stay Agile by Collaborating with Experts in Continuous Localization
If you want to stay agile, you will need to lean on experience and expertise. This will mean prioritizing flexible workflows. Teams must be adaptable and able to move forward with results. In addition, the workflows need to adapt to the team’s style.
When it comes to something as specialized as localization, your internal processes only go so far. You will need help from experts. For instance, you want to make sure your code supports bi-directional locales. This cannot be tested using source code. It is a visual thing that requires experience.
Collaboration between your engineers and the localization expert should take place before the code is written and after the interface has been designed. This will help the development team understand how the programming style must be adjusted for the project.
An expert can then work with your team as the project moves forward to make sure they stay on track. Eventually, they can be more hands off.
4. Make Sure Your Team Understands the Time Pressures
There is no getting around the fact that there are time pressures involved with agile development. This is one of the top pain points for development teams as they expand globally. Time constraints are especially tough for teams that are used to the localization process coming at the end of a project.
There is little time to do extra work with the tight timelines for quick iteration. The localization team must work with the development team to determine whether it is a good idea to localize products and content right away or to move forward at a later date.
5. Use Solutions Based in Education
Finding solutions that match a team’s problems requires education. If developers have little experience with coding that supports a specific international need, they may panic and have a knee-jerk adversarial stance toward changes. A localization expert can assuage any fears and walk them through the details.
Engineers learn to relax and understand that the changes are not that big of a deal when they have upfront education. This comes from a proactive, rather than reactive, approach to addressing changes that will need to be made to the programs.
Localization industry insight leaders CSA Research and Globalization & Localization Association are both reporting that continuous delivery of localization is the wave of the future.
The growth in popularity is only going to make processes easier. The primary driver in the shift from the waterfall approach to agility is the growth of the mobile apps industry.
Accelingo is well-aware of the latest trends. We have adapted our software and approaches to better serve clients who want agile language services.
