Customers Push Global Software Developers to Deliver More Products in More Languages

Common Sense Advisory report provides insight into how global product localization is changing in the face of increased customer expectations.

Boston, USA - July 20, 2010 -- There is no let-up in the exploding demand for products in more and more languages, nor in the ever-increasing need for speed to reach local markets from day one. Common Sense Advisory‘s latest report, “Global Product Localization,” serves as a wake-up call to global product developers who are worried about staying competitive.

The new report underscores the need for software development organizations to focus on the transition to worldwide scalability for their global product development process, including localization. Explains Common Sense Advisory senior analyst, Rebecca Ray, “Customers require local language content on demand, according to their lifestyles and business requirements. Tweaking current globalization models will not provide enough flexibility to stay ahead of local and regional competitors that are laser-focused on becoming global brands.”

Global software developers are predicting high levels of demand for their products over the next year. One-third of those recently surveyed by the research firm perceive that the demand from markets that have not traditionally bought their companies‘ products is currently greater than normal. More than 50% expect this new market demand to continue over the next year.

The report focuses on how organizations can build the collaborative ecosystems that will enable them to scale worldwide and provides guidelines on how to leverage a Gen-Y localization model. Based on analysis of data from 150 people responsible for global product localization, the 43-page report also covers:

· Seven strategies that companies are using to release localized products more quickly

· How localization for mobile devices, SaaS, and web applications differs from more traditional localization

· Seven drivers that are pushing tighter development timeframes

· Top six language groups for emerging markets

· Seven ways in which the application of Agile is changing the localization process and decreasing delivery times

· How teams can break out of product development and localization silos to build ecosystems that will allow them to scale their processes worldwide

· Best practices that developers should adopt to ensure localization-ready deliverables for their localization colleagues

· How the convergence of global software product development and localization services is affecting localization engineering

Adds Ray, “Gen-Y localization is upon us in the form of collaborative tools, shared processes, and user communities. Social media phenomena such as Facebook and Twitter are reinventing the localization process. This is great news for smaller companies, software developers new to the global products game, and companies from various industry sectors outside of high-tech. It will allow them to achieve faster-time-to-market with their multilingual products, which is critical to remaining competitive these days.”

For more information about Common Sense Advisory‘s research on global product localization, visit www.commonsenseadvisory.com.

About Common Sense Advisory:
Common Sense Advisory, Inc. is an independent research and analysis firm specializing in the on- and offline operations driving business globalization, internationalization, localization, translation, and interpretation. Its research, consulting, and training help organizations improve the quality of their global business operations. For more information, visit: www.commonsenseadvisory.com or www.twitter.com/CSA_Research.

Contact:
Melisa C. Gillespie
Common Sense Advisory
Boston, USA
+1 760-522-4362
[email protected]
http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com