New Suite of Localization Maturity Research Reports and Guides Available for Glo

bal Businesses
Research by Common Sense Advisory helps companies localize products for new coun
tries more quickly and cost-effectively.
Boston, MA -- February 05, 2011 -- What is localization? Companies often define
it as adapting their products and services into the languages and needs of local
markets. Translation comes with the territory. But, as a new collection of rese
arch from Common Sense Advisory shows, localization is a more complex process, o
ne that requires business adaptations for companies to market, sell, and support
products in other countries, or in communities that use other languages.
The new research, which consists of two reports and four guides, introduces Comm
on Sense Advisoryâ s updated localization maturity model and shows global businesses
how they can move from one level of maturity to the next. Based on a global surv
ey of 157 organizations, the reports also reveal detailed information about the
average time it takes for companies to move from one phase to another.
"Now that weâ ve charted the typical timeline for moving through the phases of maturi
ty, we can easily identify when a company is lagging behind or moving ahead of t
he curve," explained Common Sense Advisory founder and Chief Strategy Officer Do
n DePalma. "Through the findings we present in this research, companies can lear
n exactly what they need to do in order to localize more quickly and cost-effect
ively, gaining a distinct advantage over their competitors."
Key findings include:
* More than half (52.83%) of the companies surveyed favor a corporate-wide model
for localization management.
* Localization managers commonly oversee the language conversion of content for
online help, websites, technical publications, and marketing materials, but they
also deal with mobile applications, packaging, customer care, employee informat
ion, and other content types.
* Top drivers for localization efforts include increased product and country rev
enue, improved customer experience, and greater market share.
* More than three-fifths (63.6%) of respondents had heard a senior executive tal
k about translation or localization in a company speech, and nearly three-quarte
rs (73.8%) had read about localization in a broadly distributed corporate commun
ication such as a newsletter, blog, or intranet posting.
"One major trend we identified in this research is that localization is steadily
gaining visibility at the corporate level," DePalma explains. "Executives are m
ore aware than ever before of localization as a revenue enabler."
The research includes:
* Drivers and priorities for localization and how they change with time and expe
rience
* Detailed suggestions for speeding up the process of building a mature localiza
tion practice
* A set of key performance indicators (KPIs) for localization maturity
* The roles that vision, execution, and mastery play in localization maturity
* A discussion of where and how industry suppliers can help companies become mor
e mature
For additional information about Common Sense Advisoryâ s localization maturity repor
ts and guides, visit www.commonsenseadvisory.com.
About Common Sense Advisory :
Common Sense Advisory, Inc. is an independent research and analysis firm special
izing in the on- and offline operations driving business globalization, internat
ionalization, localization, translation, and interpretation. Its research, consu
lting, and training help organizations improve the quality of their global busin
ess operations. For more information, visit: www.commonsenseadvisory.com or www.
twitter.com/CSA_Research.
Contact:
Melissa C. Gillespie
Common Sense Advisory
Boston, MA
+1 760-522-4362
melissa@commonsenseadvisory.com
http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com