SandVox

Category: Articles

  • Top 5 Benefits of Having a Localization Strategy in 2021

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    We live in a world where the human being is not limited to a specific geographical area and the concept of localization strategy is nothing new anymore. The phenomenon of globalization has gained its momentum due to the development of technologies and customers around the world expect not just have access to a variety of on-demand goods and information, but also to have them in their native language.

    If in the past the best way to satisfy the worldwide customers was standardization from start to finish, nowadays it is kept only at the level of execution processes. From the communication point of view, however, if you want to conquer a global market, you will have to adapt to different local markets. Just translating content or an app from one language into another is no longer enough. You must be prepared to provide global users with tailored local experience through marketing localization.

    How can you do this? One method is localization. This concept admits that consumers have different values, traditions, cultures, languages, and dialects that are shaped by the geographical region they live in. Localization is not a synonym and does not replace translation, but it completes and adds a touch of authenticity to this service. Of course, translators are a critical component of every localization project, but the process means more than replacing phrases and texts from one language into the other.

    According to the Can’t Read, Won’t Buy research series, customers prefer to make purchasing decisions in their native language. In fact,

    • 40% won’t buy in another language,
    • 65% prefer content in their native language,
    • 73% want reviews of products in their language,
    • 75% of respondents want product information in their native language.

    It’s no wonder that many global companies decided to take their localization processes very seriously and augment their brands with local elements to attract clients.

    Here are key 5 benefits of localization in business in 2021:

    • Easiness to entry on new markets and better connection with customers
    • Increased revenue
    • Increased business credibility and builds brand loyalty
    • Competitive edge
    • Enhanced visibility in local search

    Localization reduces the barrier to entry on a completely new market and helps you to better connect with customers

    Localization vs globalization is not a new debate. Yet, when you want to get clients in a foreign country or expand your business globally, you will find that you face a few barriers. Regardless of the product or service you offer. Legal issues due to different legislations, logistical obstacles, as well as challenges caused by linguistic and cultural differences can slow you down or even block you permanently.

    Although localization cannot completely remove all these problems, at least it will help you overcome communication obstacles, which can affect both your brand image and your sales. If you plan your localization strategy in the right way, your business gains a new market much faster. Besides, when done correctly, embarrassing translation mistakes will no longer be a problem.

    A great example is Coca-Cola, which is known as Kekoukele in China. And this because the original name translated into Chinese meant “female horse fastened with wax” or “bite the wax tadpole”, both being inappropriate and offending. So, as part of Coca-Cola’s global strategy, the brand had to adapt to the local market, starting with its own name. They chose to be known as the Kekoukele label, because it means “tasty fun”, being close to the original name.

    This strategy dramatically changed Coca-Cola’s image in the Chinese market and helped the company connect with locals in a more appropriate and personalized way.

    Localization strategy helps you to increase revenue

    Every culture has different values and norms and like it or not, you should be able to adopt them if you want to expand your business in a specific region. A bigger target market translates into a great potential for more revenue. So, if you develop and implement an effective localization strategy, you’ll also be able to see an increase in your incomes.

    In fact, providing personalized localization brings extremely high benefits that play a critical role in the way people relate to and perceive a brand. According to some research, only 25.3% of the global population is using English to surf the internet. This means that if the content on your website, mobile and web apps, and other communication materials is not translated and localized in clients’ native language, then you’ll lose a big number of potential customers.

    According to other studies, businesses that localize their content are twice likely to grow their revenue and have 125% more chances to increase their earnings year-over-year.

    Magnify business credibility and builds brand loyalty

    Nelson Mandela said:

    “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language that goes to his heart.”

    And for sure he was right. If:

    • you provide your clients with an excellent user experience
    • they’ll feel that you’ve taken the time to research their wants and needs
    • and you did your best to find a way to communicate in their language and not just presented them with a one-size-fits-all translation,

    then your brand will go to their hearts.

    You’ll start to gain their trust, which is essential for brand loyalty and they are likely to stick around to become true advocates of your product(s) and/or service(s).

    At the end of the day, people will not buy a product or a service or even download an app or a game if they don’t know what they’re spending money for. Seems logical, doesn’t it? Having a localization strategy and providing personalized experiences is a foolproof way to push your organization’s global expansion.

    Stand Out From Your Competitors

    Assuming you have a monopoly on the market, you would be in a more than happy (and absolutely unique) situation of not being forced to compete with other businesses to attract your customers. However, we can say with certainty that this is not the case now, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated digitization by more than 10 years.

    Countless companies are looking for new customers around the world and competition against them can be tough. But going up against local businesses is even tougher, as they can gain the trust of an audience much easier than an external player.    

    If you localize your content, then half the battle is already done. Whether it’s your app, product, or marketing materials, the more tailored they are to your customers, the more competitive you’ll be over similar businesses. Seeing familiar imagery and graphics, reading content and messages that are relevant to them and match with their beliefs increases trust and makes them more likely to buy.

    Localization helps enhance your local SEO

    Even if you are not a marketing or SEO expert, you are aware (in one way or another) that more informative content which also matches people’s search intent ranks higher in Google’s search results.  

    Creating new content requires a significant investment of time – and most marketers and business writers say they’ve spent an average of one to six hours per piece. Under these conditions, translating your texts into other languages can bring a major SEO boost to your website, because search engines see these translations as unique content. This is the good news and proves the importance of localization in business.

    The bad news? When a German-speaking home-buyer wants to buy a property in the USA and Googles “Immobilien New York” but the website of your real estate agency is just in English, guess what? This user will not land on your web page through search.

    Don’t imagine you can only get away with using a free online tool to translate content. As your goal is to improve ranking in Google search results, content must be translated and adapted having the target audience in your mind. And even though artificial intelligence has developed greatly in recent years, it still cannot interpret things with the finesse and accuracy that only the human mind can do.

    What’s Next?

    Ambitious globalization plans fail when they are not accompanied by effective localization strategies. If you don’t pay attention to the cultural and social preferences of other target audiences, you may risk doing things that bother your potential customers. If the actions of your brand irritate consumers (such as the failure to convert the price into local currency or to translate the instructions for using the application in the native language of users), then they are very likely to opt for your competition’s products and services.

    Trying to capture an international audience? An efficient localization strategy is key to expand your business, increase your revenue and become a global brand. Learn more about how SandVox can help you pave the way for global growth or book a free consultation to see what localization solutions we offer.

  • Translation, Localization, and Transcreation – Which Is The Best?

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    Translation, localization, or transcreation? Which language service is the best option for your communication needs?

    Whether you are an established brand at the global level or are just planning to expand on the international market tempting to reach new customers, you need to create that engaging content that appeals to your audience. As a marketer or communicator, you need to know who your audience is, which are its characteristics, and what resonates the best with your prospects.

    But how do make your branded content attract, engage and convert an international audience into paying customers? Because for sure a Japanese audience will digest your content in a completely different way than your American or French potential customers. A campaign that is very successful in a country or a region can sound occurred and offensive somewhere else.

    Well, the answer is not hard to find as due to translation services you will be able to convey your message in the right way to any audience worldwide. In fact, as the world is becoming increasingly interconnected, the market for the translation and localization industry reached 49.6 billion US dollars in 2019, double than ten years earlier. 

    Source

    Generally speaking, translation is the process of converting content from one language into another, replacing word-for-word. Pretty simple, easy, and straightforward, right?

    Well…. Not quite. This definition tells just a part of the story. Because of all the processes involved, translation is somewhere at the border between science and art. Depending on your target audience, industry, budget, and business goals or communication channel, translation word-by-word might not be exactly the best approach. You would need to move forward with additional services, such as localization and transcreation. 

    But what exactly do they mean and how can help each service to convey the right message to your potential customers? Let’s break down these terms and find out why they are significant for your marketing activities.

    Translation

    While the process is simple, a literal translation often does not capture the cultural or locale-specific nuances of the target audience. Translators make sure to adapt the content into the new language so that it can be easy to understand by the local customers without injecting any creativity. The translation must keep the meaning of the original text by using different words and phrases where translation word-by-word is not possible.

    Translation implies replacing words in the source–language with the equivalent words in another language. It involves keeping the content essentially the same. The content will reflect the signification of the original text and provide the same meaning to the readers in the translated language.

    For instance, localization considers the format of dates, times, and currency. It considers whether users read from left-to-right (Western culture) or right-to-left (certain Middle Eastern and East Asian cultures). Images, graphics, and colors must also be adapted as they may convey different messages in different contexts. For example, white in European and American cultures represents the symbol of purity and innocence. On the other side, in Chinese culture, it also symbolizes purity and innocence, but white is associated with death and is a color commonly worn at funerals, too.

    Localization

    What is localization and how can it help you when writing for a global audience? In its pure meaning, localization is part of translation, but making a step forward and sometimes, it can be a standalone service. Besides translating the words, localization takes into consideration the specific locale. In other words, this means you need to better understand the cultural, political, and legal standards of your target foreign audience and make sure your content doesn’t offend in any way their culture, values, and norms.

    In many cases, certain words or expressions can be accepted in one region but stunned by the another; or some specific colors or symbols might represent something good in the original context and something offensive by the receiving reader.

    Localization, therefore, means to take into consideration all the local elements and adapt the original content in a such way that is suitable to the local market.

    Transcreation

    While localization considers the specific locale, transcreation goes one step further. It implies the normal translation process but adding an additional creative twist. It takes the original message and adapts new wording, phrases, and images to make it relatable to the target audience. Transcreation takes a message and recreates it in a way that aims to get the same emotional response as the original.

    Transcreation allows plenty of freedom of changing when adapting to a new audience. The goal is to restyle a message while maintaining the same emotions as the original text.

    As the name suggests, it’s a blend between “translation” and “creation”. For example, the SandVox team is made of native linguists who are not just translators but also copywriters with great creative thinking. They will translate your original content and infuse it with their own creativity and local cultural knowledge while promising to keep the existing tone of voice, the intent of your content, and style. This way your project will be translated to meet a specific audience’s needs and get the same reactions and emotions as the original one.

    When to Use Translation, Localization, and Transcreation

    When is it appropriate to use each of these three techniques? The answer to this question depends strongly on your goals. Below we’ll list a few examples of which situations would be most suitable for each of the techniques:

    Translation: All three methods utilize translation to some degree. However, a word-for-word or literal translation should only be used for simple content pieces. In translation, images, formats, and layouts all will typically remain the same – only the language changes.

    Types of content that need translation:

    • Technical documents
    • Product files
    • Legal documents
    • Manuals
    • Medical documents

    Localization: This option is preferred when you want to convey the meaning to a different audience in a culturally relevant way. Therefore, your target audience will be more receptive as the text, formatting, and images are all adapted to their locale.

    Types of content that need localization:

    • Website content
    • Apps and platforms
    • Video Games
    • E-Learning materials
    • Graphic images, icons, and ads
    • Any other kind of advertising document

    Transcreation: The key element that is not found in either translation or localization is emotion. Transcreation is ideal when you want to fully adapt and connect with your new market. Content like film or artistic media – content meant to evoke emotion – might be good candidates for transcreation.

    Other types of content that need transcreation:

    • Sales and marketing collateral
    • Advertisement texts
    •  Stories
    • Video Games
    • E-Learning documents
    • Website content
    • Blogposts.

    Solution

    SandVox is a premium one-stop-shop translation and localization agency addressing the gaming industry. Our team of expert translators and project managers put quality first and promise to produce great content that speaks to people from different cultures and boosts your game in particular and business, in general, all over the world.

    If you’re planning to translate and match your content to people from the multilingual public, get in touch today and we’ll help you to get the service that best suits your needs.


  • Top Marketing Trends for Gaming Industry in 2021

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    In recent years, the gaming industry has been characterized both by a huge increase and by consistent disruptions. Gaming enthusiasts have experienced it all: from increasing digital sales of esports and games to free-to-play revenue model adoption, cloud gaming platforms and live streaming. 

    Also, the COVID-19 pandemic crisis has shaped last year in unforeseeable ways, and the gaming marketers have had to prove their creativity and adaptability by reshaping and adjusting their overall strategy to the new market situation. As 2021 came with new challenges and expectations, they must design and implement the best methods to create buzz around their apps. According to Newzoo’s market report, the global video game market generated revenues of $159.3 billion in 2020, with over a 9.3% increase YoY. Also, the number of gamers will keep growing, reaching $200.8 billion by the end of 2023.

    Source

    In this post, we cover the most important marketing trends that will continue to shape the mobile gaming industry in 2021.

    1. Video Game Advertising

    The total worldwide smartphone gaming revenue was $82.6 billion at the end of 2019, while in-game ads contributed to 17% of that revenue. And, as that number is expected to triple by the end of 2024, it’s safe to say in-game ads one of the top gaming industry trends.

    41% of mobile gamers are more likely to pay attention to ads placed in mobile games than online (17%), print magazines (15%), or to outdoor advertising (15%). This way you have a great opportunity to send your message directly to your audience and to engage users that might be interested to try your app. 

    There are different types of in-game ads. 

    • Video ads:  like your landing page and ASO, videos make sense as mobile gaming ads. Your product has been designed to be visually appealing, so it’s perfectly normal to take the advantage of it.
    • Playable ads: voted as the most effective in-app ad format by U.S. professionals, they are a great way to drive installs for mobile games. This try-before-you-buy approach lets the prospects play a section of your game and have a clear expectation before they install, lowering the churn rate. 
    • Rewarded video ads: This is a gamification ad format where users can choose to view your ad and receive in-game rewards for their time. For example, a user can be rewarded in-game currency for watching a 30-second ad. Rewarded videos are considered by the Video ad network Unity Ads to be the “hottest revenue generator” on the market, and studies show that for the gaming industry biz, this is a smart way to attract users. 

    2. Gamer Demographics

    The traditional stereotype of a teenage male gamer is no longer the case in 2021. In fact, 45% of American gamers are women. Additionally, 35-44 years is the average age range of game players.

    Hyper-casual games are a significant factor in broadening gamer demographics. They are designed to be simple to play, engaging, and addicting. The minimalistic UI attracts gamers from all demographics. Hyper-casual games will continue to assert themselves in the coming years, drawing wide appeal from gamers. Gaming companies will look to the success of hyper-casual games as they look to develop new games in 2021.

    3. Growth of streaming in the Gaming Industry

    As viewers state they emotionally invest in streamers who actively build authentic communities, streaming has become an important marketing strategy for companies in recent years. The gaming influencers have an almost celebrity-like status, gaining popularity on various platforms like YouTube and Twitch. 

    Because they have the ability and ease to start and entail in live conversations with their fans, streamers generate extremely high audience engagement. Marketers are looking to collaborate with them to move their brands forward. By partnering with a streamer, you tap into a loyal fanbase that can drive up your brand awareness and increase revenues. 

    4. Free-to-Play Model

    The free-to-play model is hugely popular with gamers in the US, with an estimated 67 million users. This type of model allows gamers to play the core of the game for free. Game developers offer gamers an option to pay for in-game incentives, such as no ads, in-game currency, and other beneficial game features. Marketers should understand what gamer behavior indicators they’re measuring to then augment that data into their marketing efforts, which in turn will help them reach the audiences who are likely to spend.

    Being here to stay, this model will only grow in popularity with technological advances in 5G and augmented reality.

    5. Using social media to build the gaming community

    Social media is an excellent promotion channel for the games industry, allowing you to connect with your audience and build an engaged community. As the average user spends about 136 minutes on social networks, it is essential to make sure that your game is present where players spend most of their time. 

    This way, you create interest and emotion, while improving the user experience with a social element. For example, Angry Birds’ official Facebook page hosts different contests and shares advertising materials with their users, so they can connect with the brand.

    SandVox is a premium translation and localization agency that helps gaming companies market their products to an international audience. We have a team of professional marketers and linguists who understand the latest gaming industry trends, ensuring you meet your communication goals.

    Contact us today! We’d love to be part of your next project!

  • Danish Localization: What You Should Know

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    The Danes are some of the most demanding customers in Europe. With high purchasing power, the Danish consumer is not afraid of opening up their wallets to quality products. In 2018, Denmark ranked 7th in purchasing power among all European countries. Consumers are increasingly spending money online, purchasing products like fashion, electronics, media, and games.

    The potential to break into the Danish market and increase revenues is great. However, you need to be strategic and understand the Danish consumer before attempting to do so. Simply translating your product into the Danish language is not enough. You also need to consider other factors like their culture, consumer profile, context, and more.

     

    Sophisticated Consumers

    Consumers in Denmark are incredibly sophisticated when it comes to making purchasing decisions. Approximately 81 percent of the population aged 25 to 64 have secondary education. Nearly 37 percent have tertiary education. 

    As highly educated consumers, Danes love to research extensively before making a purchase. They will often do their research before stepping foot in a store. This is why quality localization is vital when marketing to the Danish market.

     

    Healthy Economy

    Denmark has a robust modern mixed-economy centered around the agricultural, services, trade, and manufacturing industries. It has a high standard of living and is the 60th largest economy in Purchasing Power Parity (PPP). With its economic influence, Denmark acts as a gateway to many of the Scandinavian and Baltic nations. Therefore, tapping into the Danish market could help businesses look to expand to neighboring countries further.  

     

    A Digitized Nation

    Denmark is ranked 4th as the most digital country in the world. They have the highest number of Internet users in the European Union, with the most popular online activities is listening to music, gaming, and watching videos.

    Marketing via social networks plays a crucial role in reaching Danish consumers. Consumers typically look to online reviews and social media influencers for product recommendations. While Danes are open to foreign products, they often prefer local products with a long-established brand reputation.

     

    Doing Business in Denmark

    The World Bank ranks Denmark as 4th highest globally and 1st in the EU in ease of doing business. Factors like ease of starting a business, trading across borders, paying taxes, and obtaining credit all contribute to making Denmark an attractive country to conduct business in. 

     

    Passionate Gamers

    The Danes love their online games. But, there is one particular gaming industry Denmark is known for: eSports. Denmark has one of the largest eSports followings in the world. Some of the top eSports players originate from Denmark, including Dane Johan Sundstein (i.e., “N0tail”), who leads all eSport players worldwide in total earnings. Moreover, in 2019, there were 410 active eSports competition players in Denmark. The gaming market is steadily growing, especially since the COVID-19 outbreak, with more players purchasing video game content online.

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  • Top Reasons To Consider Dutch Localization

    When talking about translation and localization, you might think these services are essential only for large markets, such as the US, China, Japan, South Korea, Germany, or France. But due to globalization, businesses are expanding all over the world. Therefore, localization for smaller audiences, such as the Dutch market, also has its own benefits.

    In this article, we’ll explain why it’s essential to consider Dutch localization for your game and include this market in your localization strategy.

    Reach a Large Number of Dutch Speakers

    Dutch is the official language in six countries: Netherlands, Belgium, Suriname, Aruba, Curaçao, and St. Maarten. With 23 million native Dutch speakers around the globe, it is one of the top 40 languages spoken worldwide. Moreover, outside of Dutch-speaking nations, you can find 220 universities in 40 countries where people learn this language. Considering game localization in Dutch and creating a consistent localization strategy, you are potentially reaching a sizable number of Dutch-speaking customers.

    People Acting On The Dutch Market Are Willing To Pay For Quality

    Dutch customers are highly sophisticated and have excellent purchasing power. In fact, the Netherlands is in the top 15 for GDP per capita at $54,422 in 2017, and US News ranks the Netherlands in 7th place with the highest living standards.

    As the quality of life and sustainability are essential to the Dutch market and fundamental to Dutch culture, this audience does their research before deciding to buy. As a result, they are willing to pay higher prices for quality and products that matter to them. Providing your potential customers with software localization and website translation into their native language will show them that you also care for them.

    Local Competitors Have A Decisive Advantage

    Keep in mind that there is fierce competition, not just with other foreign companies trying to get their potential customers’ attention, but also with the local businesses. And this is because local businesses know their market very well and know how to communicate with their potential customers. Take for granted that your local competitors also use SEO localization. giving them a competitive edge. To reach this highly sophisticated market, you should first answer the question “What is localization?” and “What part of my business should be localized?”. You may also consider both product localization and content localization as the main components of your business strategy, depending on the market specificities.

    Growing Economy

    The agriculture and food, energy, logistics & transportation, and manufacturing sectors are some of the largest industries in the Netherlands. However, the Dutch economy is also seeing growth in other areas, such as e-commerce, high-tech systems, and even the gaming industry. In the Netherlands gaming industry alone, app-based gaming generated $422 million in 2020 and it’s expected to grow by $460 million in 2023.

    As you can see, the demand for these products will not go away soon. And even if you choose internationalization for some production processes, by offering Dutch translation for your target market, you’ll glean the benefits of entering into a growing economy.

    High English Proficiency

    The cultural and linguistic differences between the English and Dutch language may not be as significant as it seems. Strong English proficiency is a hallmark of Dutch speakers, especially in the Netherlands. Studies estimate that 90 to 93% of the Dutch population speaks English. Dependence on international trade and the collaboration between television and the media in English-speaking and Dutch-speaking countries contribute to advanced English language knowledge.

    This high proficiency can make content translation for the Dutch-speaking audience easier than for other target markets, especially when you want to implement web content localization.

    SandVox: Your Translation and Localization Agency

    We aim to be the one-stop-shop professional translation service agency for game developers, by offering you the best translation services in all major languages. Made up of native translators from around the world, our team of professional linguists and localization experts will help you with quality translation services and language support. We help you expand your business to the desired target market, whether it’s into America, Germany, Japan, or the Dutch market.

    Contact us today for more information. We’ll be happy to assist you!

  • Why Dutch Translation is Important

    When it comes to video games, Dutch translation is really important. Lots of people are happy to play games in their native language. But there are a lot of gamers who want the option to play in other languages too.

    Developers who provide Dutch localization for their games can open up a whole new world of opportunities for their players. Players will be able to enjoy the full game without worrying about language barriers. In this blog post, we’ll talk about why it’s so important and how it benefits both gamers and developers!

    Table of contents

    Dutch Gaming Market Overview

    The Dutch gaming market is a significant and growing market in Europe, with a strong focus on online gaming. Consider Dutch translation of your games to reach your players in their target language.

    • Mobile gaming is growing: The mobile gaming market in the Netherlands is growing rapidly.
    • Competitive video gaming, also known as esports, is getting more popular in the Netherlands. The country has several professional esports leagues and tournaments. Dutch gamers also play many different types of esports.
    • Online gambling: The Dutch government passed a law in February 2021 to legalize online gambling, creating an opportunity to create a safe betting environment. The Netherlands has had strict advertising regulations since the opening of its gambling market in 2021. These regulations have caused a substantial decrease in advertisement expenditure from €890,000 in November 2021 to €319,000 in August 2022. It is expected that in 2023 non-targeted advertisements for online betting will also be prohibited.
    • The Dutch Gaming Authority (DGA) regulates the Dutch gaming market. This agency is in charge of enforcing laws and regulations about gambling and gaming. They want to protect consumers and prevent gambling problems. They have taken action to make sure the gaming industry in the Netherlands operates responsibly.

    High English Proficiency

    The Netherlands is renowned for its people, who speak English mostly fluently. According to the English Proficiency Index, the Netherlands is ranked number 1 worldwide. While Dutch is the official language in the Netherlands, almost everyone understands English. You will notice loads of ads and texts with English words across the Netherlands. In Belgium, it depends on the region. In the region of Flanders, most people speak Flemish and Dutch, while in Wallonia, it’s French. Inhabitants of the former region, the vast majority understand English.

    This high proficiency can make content translation for the Dutch-speaking audience easier than for other target markets. This is especially the case when you want to implement web content localization. However, there are still compelling reasons to translate video games into Dutch.

    Dutch Consumers Are Willing To Pay For Quality

    For starters, the Dutch consumer market is highly valuable. They have high purchasing power and place a strong emphasis on quality, authenticity, and products tailored to their local context. Many Dutch consumers favor products and services created in their own language. Dutch translation of video games could be a great way to attract more customers.

    Access to a broader audience through Dutch Localization

    Dutch is spoken by around 23 million people worldwide, primarily in the Netherlands and Belgium. By translating into Dutch, you can reach a larger audience and make your content more accessible to Dutch speakers.

    Dutch translation is a decisive advantage in entering the market.

    Local Competitors Have A Decisive Advantage

    Not only can Dutch localization of video games help you reach more customers, but it can also help build brand loyalty. Customers may feel more comfortable playing a game they can identify with, increasing their enjoyment and appreciation of the game. This could ultimately lead to higher customer engagement and an overall better gaming experience.

    Translation is not just about converting words from one language to another. It is also about understanding and respecting the culture of the target language. By translating into Dutch, you can show that you value and respect the culture of Dutch speakers.

    Improved Visibility

    Translating into Dutch can help your App Store Optimization (ASO) and Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Google and other search engines prioritize websites available in more than one language. That’s the case, especially for people who are searching in languages other than English.

    Tips for Successful Dutch Translation and Localization

    Here are some tips to help you get the most out of your Dutch translation and localization efforts:

    • Work with a professional translation and localization company: Dutch is a tricky language with lots of little details. It’s really important to work with someone who is a native Dutch speaker. Additionally, they need to understand the culture to make sure your translations are high quality and according to your target market.
    • Use appropriate terminology: Different game genres use different words, and it’s really important to know the right terms for your work. A translation company should have experts who know all about the industry, so they can make sure your translations are perfect.
    • Consider the target audience: When you translate text and localize your content, it’s really important to think about your customer. A professional Dutch to English translation company can help you with that.
    • Test and review: Before launching your Dutch-language content, you have to test and review it. This means having native Dutch speakers look at it to make sure there are no errors or weird phrases.

    SandVox: Dutch Translation and Localization Agency

    We’re the one-stop shop for game translation. We offer you high quality translations in all major languages, like translating Dutch to English. Whether you want to expand your business into America, Germany, Japan, or the Dutch market, we’re here to help. Contact us today to see what we can do for you.

  • Finnish Localization – What You Need to Know

    There are many advantages to doing business in Finland. Therefore, including Finnish localization in your overall business strategy brings multiple benefits. With a population of 5.5 million people, Finland has seen growth in its information and communications infrastructure, along with the gaming, cleantech, and biotechnology sectors. Besides, the Finnish government is proactive in attracting foreign investment into this Nordic country.

    However, breaking into the Finnish market is not easy. Like most of their Nordic neighbors, Finnish consumers have high expectations when choosing brands and products. Moreover, the Finnish language is relatively complex. To successfully expand your business into Finland, you must specifically target the local audience and provide a very high-quality Finnish localization. 

    The Demand for Quality

    For Finns, quality is one of the critical factors when making a purchasing decision and it applies to both the products and the services. In fact, quality and specialized services are more efficient or more cost-competitive than in other countries. Finns are conscious of factors such as where the product came from and how it was made. That’s why even if you use internationalization as part of your production stage, in terms of communication make sure you have excellent content localization.

    To attract a Finnish audience, you must focus on providing a quality product and ensuring a positive customer experience – from start to finish. The Finnish government recognizes the importance of customer experience and invests in various companies and research institutions to improve it.

    A Growing Tech Sector

    Although Finland is traditionally known for its strong manufacturing industry, the tech industry has seen tremendous growth in recent years. Nowadays, this Nordic country is known for its export of technology and promotion of startups in the information and communications technology, gaming industry, biotechnology, and cleantech sectors. Over 300,000 Finns are working in technology companies and about 660,000 people work either directly or indirectly in the technology sector.

    This emphasis on tech offers an excellent incentive for companies looking to expand into the Finnish market and localize their products to the Finnish market. The culture of innovation and growth fosters running a business that will connect with tech-savvy consumers. Localization in Finnish will give you that competitive advantage you need.

    Internet Usage – One of The Main Reasons To Consider Finnish Localization For Your Online Content

    With 92.5% of Finns using the internet, the country has one of the highest Internet user penetration rates in the world. Additionally, there are over 3.32 million e-commerce users in Finland. Mobile device purchases are steadily increasing, especially among millennials.

    Therefore, you need to pay a lot of attention to digital marketing when reaching local audiences. Most Finns are on popular social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube. Younger audiences tend to use platforms like WhatsApp and Instagram. Targeting this audience requires meeting your consumers where they are by offering quality localized products and services. That’s why Finnish localization for your online content is a must-have.

    Linguistic Challenges When Tackling Finnish Localization

    Translating into the Finnish language is not an easy task. While considered part of the Scandinavian languages, linguistically, it is quite different. Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian belong to what is known as the Indo-European family of languages. Finnish is part of the Uralic languages.

    These differences can make Finnish a difficult language to translate. Varying grammar rules, length of words and characters, and the language’s evolving nature are some factors that make it so challenging. Therefore, you must have a solid content localization strategy even before effectively starting to enter this market. As mentioned, the Finns are some of the most demanding consumers. And you need high-quality localization done by professional translators to provide a positive experience to this audience.

    SandVox: Your Localization Agency

    SandVox is a professional agency providing localization services to game developers and vendors from all around the world.

    Whether you want to implement Finnish localization or want to conquer another country in the EU, Asia, or the USA, let us partner with you and help you to expand on the intended market. We’d love to be part of your next project. Contact us today for more information!

  • Formatting Date and Time For Different Audiences

    class=”entry-content” id=”pix-entry-content”> Formatting the date and time can be a tricky task. Different countries use different formatting, making it confusing to localize dates and times. To make things more complex, certain countries, like Canada, combine more conventions for different date formats. Here are some considerations to take when formatting the dates and times for different audiences.

    The Problem With Localizing Dates

    Different locales have different preferences for how to display dates and times. While they could look similar, the differences can be significant. For example, the US American date format looks like: 12/29/2021 (MM/DD/YYYY). On the other hand, the British-English format switches the month and the days: 29/12/2021 (DD/MM/YYYY). While the example above makes it clear which number refers to the day and which refers to the month (since 29 cannot possibly refer to a month), the following examples are not so clear:
    • US American: 10/08/2021
    • British-English: 08/10/2021
    As you can see, the dates above can cause confusion. Is the date October 8th, 2021 or is it August 10th, 2021? Well, that depends if you’re following the US American or British-English formatting. 

    Date Formatting in Different Countries

    The US American and British-English formats are just the tips of the iceberg. There are even more formatting conventions in different countries. Here are some other common date formats in various parts of the world:
    • Canada: YYYY-MM-DD (i.e. 2021-10-12)
    • Italian: DD.MM.YY (i.e. 12.10.21)
    • Thai: DD/MM/YYYY (i.e. 12/10/2021)
    • Spanish: DD-MM-YYYY (i.e. 12-10-2021)
    Even among these nations, there are variations and exceptions to these formatting conventions. This is why localizing dates. is often confusing. 

    Formatting Time

    There are not as many variations on the convention for time, making it less confusing. There are generally two accepted time formats:
    • 24-hour format: This format starts out with the hour and then the minutes. When it starts with a ‘0,’ it means it’s morning. For example, 02:23 would mean 2:23 in the morning. Most non-English speaking countries use this convention. 
    • 12-hour format: The 12-hour format only goes up to digit 12. It distinguishes morning and night with the Latin abbreviations AM and PM. For example, 2:23 AM. Most English-speaking nations (i.e. USA, Canada, and Australia) use this convention.

    Using the ISO 8601 Date and Time Formatting

    ISO 8601 is an international standard developed to help maintain consistency in date and time format. This standard is becoming more popular, with many countries adopting it as their primary convention. For dates, ISO 8601 formatting is: YYYY-MM-DD (i.e. 2021-11-20). For times, ISO 8601 formatting is: hh:mm:ss  This notation makes it easier for translation and localization purposes. There is no need for translating text strings (i.e. ‘DEC’ or ‘FEB’, etc.). It is easy to read and understand. And, finally, this notation is widely used by other nations already (i.e. Korea, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, etc.).

    Final Words

    Proper translation and localization require you to know how to use an international date format and to adapt it to the local standards. Clearly, thorough localization of any game involves making sure the main elements and the additional ones are easily understood by your target audience. As part of our full suite of professional translation and localization services, SandVox can assist with this process, including advising you about the date and time formatting. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you reach a global audience!

  • How to Handle Negative Online Reviews

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    Online reviews are a crucial aspect of any company’s success. Just take a look at these stats, and you’ll understand why:

    • Both negative and positive reviews influence the customers’ buyer decisions; whether we are talking about a local market or a global one for which you have to localize your products or services to fit different target audiences.
    • 82% of shoppers especially look for negative reviews; they spend five times more as long on a site when interacting with negative online reviews, with an 85% increased conversion rate 
    • Consumers expect approximately 40 reviews before considering them trustworthy
    • For every one-star increase, companies find a 5-9% increase in revenue
    • 51% of customers expect a response to their reviews
    • 91% of consumers aged 18-34 trust reviews as much as the personal recommendations

    As you can see, reviews are vital for your business because they provide you with social proof and are strongly correlated with the company’s sales and, implicitly, with your revenue.

    That’s why you need to know how to manage your online reviews. In this article, we will show you some tips and tricks that you can implement when you try to figure out how to respond to negative reviews.

    1. Respond to Each Review

    Each negative review deserves a response. This is not only good customer service but also shows those who visit your website that you care about what your customers think about you and the products or services you offer. The worst thing you can do is to ignore the feedback, even if they are online game reviews or related to an e-bookstore.  

    2. Make it Personalized

    People can detect templates or predefined answers from a mile away. If all the replies to the negative reviews are the same, customers will question your sincerity. Address everyone personally (for example, “Hello Timothy …”), try to really understand the cause of their dissatisfaction and actually get involved in their problem.

    3. Apologize

    Apologize for how your customers felt about their experience. Note, you should do this even if you were not responsible. Whatever the case may be, your customer did not have a positive experience with your company. Empathy goes a long way in winning back your customer.

    4. Keep it Cordial and Professional

    Your first response may be to be defensive or combative over some things said about your company. This may lead you to post nasty attacks on your customer. Resist that urge. Remember, online reviews are on public platforms. Do not tarnish your company image by name-calling or using expletive language. Instead, be professional and courteous in how you speak when responding to negative reviews.

    5. Take it Offline

    After you respond with a personalized apology, you should take the issue offline with your customer. A public review forum is no place to figure out the details of what went wrong. Moreover, others reading the thread of responses can easily misinterpret the context of the situation. Instead, reach out to your customer either through phone or email to work on a solution.

    6. Go Above and Beyond

    Do what you can to win back your customer. Offer compensation for the hassle they had to deal with. This can include offering extra credits, a money-back guarantee, or free add-ons on their next purchase.

    7. Request Customer to Update Their Online Review

    After solving the problem with your client, request them to remove the negative feedback or update it with a positive review. This type of review is especially powerful because it shows you went the extra mile to resolve your customer’s issues. And also gives you the opportunity to find the best ways regarding how to respond to positive reviews.

    8. Improve Your Business

    Fixing negative online feedback does your business no good if you don’t learn from your mistakes. Take the negative review as a learning experience to improve your business.

    Bottom line

    Feedbacks are important, being directly linked to customer trust and creating social evidence. Simply put, they’re here to stay. Instead of being afraid of them, you should consider them as a way to get a direct line to your customers and learn how to answer the online reviews, both positive and negative.


  • How to Choose a Translation Agency

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    Considering the large number of options you can choose from, it can be difficult to hire the right translation agency. Most of them will promise high-quality translations at competitive prices. So, how do you choose the most suitable agency for your translation project?

    Let’s explore five factors you should consider when choosing a translation partner.

    1. Check Their Language Translation Capabilities

    The first consideration is to see what their language capabilities are. What language pairs do they offer? Do they match your project requirements? Not all translation agencies specialize in every language pair.

    If you can, try to do some research on the translation agency services and their translators. Usually, you can find both the description of the services and the bios of their linguistic specialists in the “about us” and “services” sections of their website. See what type of expertise they have. You will want to choose an agency with native translators who are well versed in both the target language and culture.

    2. Ask For Translation Agency’s Portfolio

    One of the most important factors to consider when hiring a translation and localization agency is their track record. The projects they’ve handled in the past are good indicators of the quality of their work. Therefore, check their portfolio during the stage of negotiation. Did they just translate the content or did they also provide the additional services (localization, graphic design, voiceover, etc), acting like a one-top-shop solution for their clients?

    Having well-known customers signals that they are more than capable of handling bigger jobs. Moreover, having clients that are similar to your company is a good reassurance that they can produce similar results for your project.

    When it comes to quality, don’t just take their word on it. Ask for proof in the past projects they have completed.

    3. Project Management Capabilities

    Quality management of projects is a great asset in ensuring the success of your project. Therefore, you should find out how the team that will handle your project is structured and clearly establish from the beginning the ways of collaboration between you and the translation agency and the information flow.

    Communication with the project manager must be transparent and open, because he is your point of contact and coordinates all aspects related to your project.

    Their project management capabilities are especially important when it comes to larger translation jobs with many moving parts.

    4. Specialization In Your Field

    Even if there are many generalist translation agencies, certain companies may specialize in a particular field. For instance, they may focus on areas such as:

    • Medical Translation
    • Technical Translation
    • Literary Translation
    • Game Translation
    • Financial Translation
    • And More…

    An agency for translation services specializing in your domain would understand your needs much better than a generalist one. Besides, they might also have extra relevant resources that would better cater to your project.

    Therefore try to hire a company you can partner with for a long time. 

    5. Pricing

    Compare quotes from different translation agencies. Prices should be comparable to market prices. Like anything else, in this case, you get what you pay for. So, do not immediately hire the company that offers you the lowest price. Cheap and low-quality translation could cost you more in the end (i.e. rework). Consider and analyze all factors before making a decision, including the agency’s reputation, expertise, service offerings, and prices.

    SandVox: Your Localization and Translation Agency

    SandVox is a localization and translation agency specializing in the gaming industry. We have a team of project managers, translators, and localization experts who have experience working on large and small projects. Contact us to find out more about getting your game into international markets!