Software as a Service (SaaS) allows companies to efficiently deliver their products through the Internet so there’s no need to run complex software or to maintain one’s own infrastructure at the customer’s premises.
That said, being present in international markets entails much more than just putting your product on the web.
An application that performs flawlessly in one market isn’t necessarily going to offer the same great user experience overseas. Users have different needs that must be translated, they may use foreign languages, local currencies and different formats for dates or payment methods.
That is why, nowadays, SaaS localization plays an increasingly major role in the international expansion. It enables software companies to tailor their products to the tastes and needs of local customers. At the same time, however, the software itself must be able to handle the localization requirements on top of the development work only being carried out when a business starts expanding into a new market region.
Through the combination of software localization with SaaS internationalization, companies have the possibility to develop products that can be easily adapted to local markets, are user-friendly, and have a good readiness for international roll-out.
What Is SaaS Localization?
SaaS localization is a process of making a software product fit into the linguistic, cultural and functional aspects of a different market. Apart from translating buttons, menus, help documentation, there should also be an adaptation to match the local standards in terms of date displays, monetary units, etc.
A project management platform entering the German market from the United States requires not only a German interface but also locally appropriate date and number formats, euro prices, and the payment methods favored by German consumers.
They will also be looking at other elements like the onboarding tutorial, customer care, notifications, and promotional messages to check that they are relevant to the local population.
Good localization allows a product to seem to the user as if it is just another local app. The user should not be able to tell that the app was developed in another country.
Requirements will vary greatly with the target markets you are targeting. If a company decides to operate in several European countries, it may be required to produce the same product in several different languages, have various currencies and set up regional settings, however, a company that expands a business to only one speaking country English would not have so many changes.
Software Localization vs. Software Internationalization
In spite of their close meanings, these two words refer to the separate steps of the globalization process of a software product.
What Is Software Localization?
Localizing a software means tailoring that product for the culture of a language or the habits of a locality. It entails changing the text of the interface, setting different formats, editing content, and getting an understanding of local user habits.
SaaS platform of accounting could be presented with the option to show monetary prices in British pounds, choose UK style format of dates, and give support materials tailored to British customers all at the same time as an example.
The process of turning a product into a localized version specific to a market is known as localization.
What Is SaaS Internationalization?
SaaS internationalization, usually abbreviated as i18n, is all about making the software adaptable to different languages and local requirements without massive modifications in the code.
Some tools that developers may use are external translation files, Unicode-compatible text management, fluid display structures, and local date and time library. These factors simplify the addition of different languages and regional settings.
One developer can set up the user’s billing page to reveal different currency signs and calendar formats in accordance with settings instead of the hardcoding of US-specific values into the whole application.
Do SaaS Vendors Need i18n & l10n?
On one hand, internationalization lays the groundwork so that the software is technically accessible. On the other hand, the process of localization is more like a product tailor-made for a given group of customers.
Imagine that a new language is going to be supported. Internationalization allows developers to just add the language pack without touching any interface elements or the majority of the code. However, without localization, users in new geographic areas would not get the feeling of familiarity from a software that is technically flexible.
The W3C Internationalization initiative Working Group aims at helping developers to prepare their products for global use by making them suitable for international languages and regional support.
They explain that considering international language and regional support is a key factor in early product design. Hence, it is better that software development teams have such knowledge at the start to avoid issues and extra work later on.
1. Design Software Interfaces for Multiple Languages
A major step for globalizing a SaaS product is localizing its user interface.
While it is common for interface translation to seem simple, languages differ not only in grammar structure and word order but also in word and sentence length, and even writing system direction. For example, a button that looks good in English might be too small to fit the text when translated to German.
For that reason, developers should steer away from setting text size limits assuming that all translations will be the same length
They must make sure that menus for navigation, user forms, buttons, alerts or a dashboard elements are all designed in such a way that they can easily handle different text sizes.
Arabic and Hebrew are right-to-left languages, which adds a few more aspects to consider for the interface. Maybe the layout of the screen needs reversal or maybe the design icons and navigation controls have to be adjusted.
Businesses are also advised by industry experts to ensure adequate font and character set support. Unicode-compatible devices have been proven to support apps to display characters from various writing systems without confusion.
One effective solution is to decouple text displayed to users from code. Rather than having developers hard-coding English labels as part of the components’ code, they can instead opt for storing such interface texts in separate translation files, then the corresponding language is only loaded when it is called upon.
With such solution, future translations are very easy to make and, in addition, it reduces chances of getting mistakes made when a product is in revision mode.
2. Adapt Currency, Pricing, and Payments
The cost plays a pivotal role in customer satisfaction, particularly for companies which adopt the subscription model.
Displaying all prices in dollars, for example, may result in a US-based SaaS business creating a situation where their users who traditionally pay in euro, or British money, etc., are bewildered. Presenting cost through a familiar currency allows the buyers to have a clear picture of the overall transaction.
Nonetheless, currency localized doesn’t only involve changing the symbol that is used to indicate currency.
Businesses must take into account currency codes, decimal separators, rounding rules, billing intervals, taxes, as well as payment methods available in different markets.
Imagine, a US price of $49.99 being shown differently if that American company is selling subscriptions in the UK. The firm would first of the options of using localized pricing, currency conversion, or region-specific pricing strategies.
The company needs to clearly state the currency that will be charged at checkout.
It is advised that programmers utilize trustworthy money-formatting or payment system modules rather than changing manually in an ad-hoc style the currency symbols or the calculation of Exchange rates in the interface. Financial computations involve significant digits, therefore, the decision-making of the business regarding pricing also needs to be done keeping into consideration the processing fees of payments, taxes, and requirements of business in a particular region.
A localized checkout procedure will prevent a buyer from getting confused and can be helpful to international customers in comprehending the total price before making a purchase decision.
3. Support Local Date, Time, and Number Formats
Date and time format are small details that when software is used internationally can cause really big problems.
For example, 04/05/2020 can refer to either April 5 in one area and another, May 4 in a different area. A case scheduling system that does not account for the user’s location when showing the appointments date information is an issue for customers to possibly misunderstand, the day of the appointment, deadliness, or the invoice generation day.
A SaaS platform that is going to succeed globally should be capable of presenting and representing dates with different regional formats and local times.
In addition, the format of numbers might differ. Some countries use a period, whereas, countries at large, others use a comma for the decimal separator. And, the separators between thousands can be different as well.
The number 1,234.56 can look like 1.234,56 in many countries in Europe for example.
Date and time storage inside should be done consistently and different display formats for it should be applied based on user’s locale and timezone. They also need to figure out, when, calendar date, the moment, they mean a calendar date, when, there a timestamp representing a particular moment.
Changing to daylight saving time for instance can complicate planning applications like calendar scheduling and setting deadlines for projects etc., a lot more.
Adopting existing internationalization libraries not only helps teams handle the different formatting requirements of different countries more reliably but it also saves them from having to manually create and keep up with a vast set of formatting rules for market-specific features.
4. Improve the User Experience for Local Audiences
A product that has been localized properly will give the users the feeling as if it was tailor-made for them. Only translation of the interface is not enough for a great user experience.
This means that companies have to consider the whole customer journey of the users right from signing up to the customer support service to the billing details.
For example, an analytics company expanding to a new territory may need to adapt their onboarding, tutorial, default settings, and terminology.
A product which was designed keeping in mind a particular language speaking consumer may contain elements that the user of the other language would have no idea of. That’s the thing with the user experience.
User experience is also about the visual aesthetics. Because of different writing systems users in those systems might require certain elements like text spacing, alignment, text styling and the placement of the UI components to be changed according to the language of the UI.
One of the worst things that a business can do is to assume that every user group worldwide, without fail, will prefer their product or services delivered in exactly the same way. Payment channels, methods of communication, and availability of customer support may vary greatly across different markets.
Local user research may detect problems that automated translation could not find. By involving users in a feedback workshop, doing an usability test, or conducting a series of interviews with the target audience, the product team can get the impression if the localized version is still very easy to use.
The ultimate purpose is that we retain a product’s essential part while tailoring the rest to different markets or groups that the product aims for.
5. Ready the Software Architecture for Global Scaling
Internationalization of SaaS product should be part of the initial phases of product development rather than starting it only when a company decides to localize and launch products in several countries.
Adding support for other languages/currencies in a product which has not been designed for the world is a big engineering effort. This is true especially when original product code assumed a singlelanguage, a currency and a region of usage.
This way the developers prepare the code that can be reused and the part dependent on geography stays apart from the product logic.
Beside separating the code into a universal and a localization specific part, developers do various things like preparing external resources containing translations, using a locale aware API for formatting, ensuring application support for Unicode and also doing away with fixed assumptions about text length or geographic information.
One of the great features of the tool is that it will enable teams to introduce different languages to the product without the need of a complete interface overhaul.
Internationalization is definitely a big aspect in big SaaS platforms, as it may affect databases, APIs, email templates, billing systems, reporting tools, customer support integrations, among others. A thorough evaluation of such components is a must to avoid conflicting functionalities within the same platform.
Moreover, companies need to ask themselves questions as to whether storing of the data, legal aspects related with data privacy and service availability will differ depending on the market.
Ahead the business development is a sign that a market is ready for expansion.
6. Translate Product Content and Documentation
Users of the software don’t only depend on their interaction with the application. In addition to that they require assistance in the form of, help articles, onboarding emails, guides, product announcements, troubleshooting procedures, etc.
If such resources are only provided in English, it will be a major handicap not only to non-English speaking but even to native speakers who are not fluent enough to rely on technical jargons. Even if the user interface of the product is adapted to their language they might face difficulties when the supporting documentation remains in English.
Software as a Service (SaaS) businesses should focus on the kind of content that is most relevant and beneficial for the new users. It makes perfect sense to start with registration instructions, billing explanations, account security guidance, and troubleshooting articles that address the common issues.
Computer-assisted translation, using AI-powered tools, has proved useful in the preparation of the first version of the texts, especially when huge amounts of documentation require translation. However, one of the basic rules of terminology management is to ensure a single source across translations, and therefore technical instructions shall be double-checked to the best of the human capacity.
By way of illustration, incorrect translation of a particular software term (e.g., “language setting”) may cause the customer a confusion that results in an unintentional change of the wrong settings.
Having glossaries that include the correct product names, feature names, and technical terms in different languages is a great way to ensure the consistency of terminology across the translations. Companies ought to also make a review pipeline in place for the translated versions when new product updates come out.
Regular updating of the localized content that accurately reflects the latest software versions is a key to keeping customers well-informed and, thereby, minimizing user support inquiries.
7. Consider Local Payment Methods and Subscription Expectations
Payment habits and preferences of customers vary quite a bit across different markets. Credit cards might be the popular choice in one area whereas consumers living in another might favor direct bank transfers, digital wallets, or even locally backed payment services.
Before a SaaS company brings a subscription product to the market for the first time, it has to investigate what payment methods the customers of the new region most probably will use. The ordering system should include information on billing frequency, conditions of renewing, taxes levies, accepted modes of payments, and cancellation rules clearly.
Businesses have to take into account also local companies’ purchase patterns. There might be some regions where an Annual invoice is more popular choice while in others monthly subscription is preferred.
These customer preferences might influence not only the conversion rates but also the level of customer satisfaction. Payment service providers can enable companies to accept different currencies and various kinds of payments though the service is subject to location and also merchant and provider regulations.
Chefs that understand the local cuisine will create a menu that pleases both the locals and visitors. On the contrary, chefs who are not familiar with the cuisine, they try to adapt their recipe but eventually the food just doesn’t feel right to the guests.
Therefore, a well-localized billing system can be one of the factors that eliminate obstacles and help you sell your product easily.
8. Test Localization Before Launching in a New Market
We can develop the product and think that it looks perfectly fine while the localization issues might still remain and cause major disruptions when customers use it.
Frequent localization problems are text overflows, leftover translations, dates not matching the locale, layouts that are not broken in other ways, etc. A few issues can only show themselves when a user switches languages or uses a specific type of a device.
Localization test should not only focus on text quality in the language but also include the technical testing of software functions and hardware behavior.
Registration, onboarding, settings, billing, error message, and notifications are some of these essential workflows that teams need to check in every locale that they support.
Apart from that, changes in the language should be made sure that none of the user data, account permissions, and subscription details are negatively affected.
Automated testing can detect the lack of translations and formatting errors. However, it will take native translators to check whether the message is conveyed through the content in a natural way.
A limited-scale testing (e.g., beta testing in the target market with only one hundred) may give you some additional feedback right before the main launch.
Localizing content should be seen as a regular activity rather than a one-time event.
Localized content needs regular updating because when there are new features, changes in the interface or product updates, translation issues may arise due to not maintaining the translated content.
9. Market Strategy – Research Based International
Trying to reach out to every possible market at once will probably overload the company resources of a SaaS business and bring an additional load of complexity which is completely unnecessary.
It is a more realistic approach to only go for those markets where a company can easily attract and retain customers.
Besides, the teams can also assess how much the market’s needs are covered based on the competitors’ products, language, pricing, customer support costs.
The search volume, the location of the competitors and customers, as well as language needs, are also factors that a company may consider before entering a new market.
For instance, if a Project Management SaaS company is already recording traffic from visitors in Germany on your website along with the sign-ups for the trial, these data should support launching the localized German version of the product before rolling out several other language options.
A company should also check out the local market players’ products to see how they address regional customer needs.
Market research can be very effective in helping businesses differentiate between the markets which generate traffic for their website and have the real possibility to convert those visitors into paid customers.
The phased launch lets the teams evaluate how well the product was adapted by users, gather feedback, and refine their globalization methods before a larger rollout.
Common SaaS Localization Mistakes to Avoid
Some errors make international expansion much more expensive or less successful. Here are the most common localization pitfalls SaaS companies make and why international teams need to avoid them.
The use of literal translations only: A translated interface still may have unfamiliar vocabulary, inappropriate examples, or culturally incorrect messages.
Frozen regional settings: Hardcoded formats of the date or currency are a potential source of errors. If the company expands into new markets, some of the settings might not align with local users, leading to errors and customer dissatisfaction.
Not taking care of the local support: Customers might have an issue, e.g., with understanding how and when to pay, how to access the features of the product, and how to deal with technical problems – and they certainly want to do all this in their mother tongue.
Selling without pre-checking: Translational errors and layout defects will seriously impact your brand if you leave them unaddressed during registration or checkout.
Too ambitious a growth: If a company expands its presence in various regions at the same time without proper research, staffing, or testing, the quality of its products may decline.
Ignoring privacy and regulatory issues: Prior to entering a new market, Companies are advised to evaluate the legal obligations that apply to them, i.e., privacy of data, consumer protection rules, tax, and data-handling procedures, etc.
Taking care of the possible errors that might be committed will allow SaaS businesses to lay down a more lasting foundation for their international growth.
Conclusion
Getting ready SaaS products to be on a global scale involves technical preparations as well, language localization, and, of course, customer research. Enterprises, in fact, must have their software prepared to support languages, currencies, date formats, and user expectations different from those in their home territory but without affecting the performance or usability of their products.
SaaS internationalization basically enables software to be used across multiple linguistic and geographical regions. Localization, on the other hand, is the process of adapting the software to reflect the needs, language of the particular target market, etc., in such a way that it will be understood and accepted by that market easily. The combination of the two strategies not only helps businesses avoid the hurdles of the development process but also ensures that international customers get the most relevant and engaging experiences.
Successful expansion also hinges on the availability of local payment options, documentation in the native language, conducting quality checks, and continuously collecting customer feedback.
Instead of thinking of localization as a last piece to put before a product’s launch, SaaS companies ought to involve it from Day One as part of product strategy. This way they can seamlessly add more languages, polish the user experience, and adapt product offerings to new market conditions in time.
If companies prepare thoroughly, they will be able to develop software that can go beyond borders while simultaneously making a customer feels like a product is designed precisely for their needs.
