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GLOBAL8 min

Localisation Depth: Beyond Google Translate

Machine translation is a starting point. Culturalisation, matching the buyer's mental model, is what actually converts.

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  1. 01.Translation vs culturalisation
  2. 02.Screenshot re-shoot criteria
  3. 03.Native reviewer QA
  4. 04.Hidden costs
  5. 05.Prioritisation
01

Translation vs culturalisation

Translation carries the words. Culturalisation carries the meaning: local proof (a testimonial from a local user, not the translated US one), local social norms (family imagery in South Asia; individual imagery in Northern Europe), local capability framing (privacy in Germany, family safety in Brazil, professional status in China).

02

Screenshot re-shoot criteria

Re-shoot when the on-screen data (names, currency, dates) would break credibility in the target market. Re-shoot when the depicted user (avatar, name) reads as foreign. Do not re-shoot when the screenshot demonstrates a capability with no cultural coding.

03

Native reviewer QA

Every localised listing is reviewed by a native speaker in the target market, not a bilingual second-language speaker. Catch: idiom failures, unintended second meanings, brand-name conflicts, cultural taboos.

04

Hidden costs

Teams often underestimate screenshot re-shoot production and ongoing review response in the local language. Budget both from the start.

05

Prioritisation

Prioritise metadata, screenshots and onboarding localisation according to each market's observed install share, value and support capacity. Discipline over ambition.

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