XTM Insights

4 signs you need to upgrade your technology stack
4 signs you need to upgrade your technology stack illustration
Aleix Gwilliam
AuthorAleix Gwilliam
Reading time 8 minutes
Intro

Localization is an industry which is constantly changing, and technology is one of the main instigators of its evolution. The latest technology of today may be yesterday’s news in a matter of months, and therefore if you want your localization program to stay up to date with current industry trends and to be able to accommodate any future expansion plans your company may have, it’s worth evaluating your current technology stack to ensure that it is equipped not just with everything you need for today but with everything you will need to be more efficient and grow in the future. The important question then becomes how to know when it’s time for a change, something which is not always easy, especially if your program is performing well.

Here is a true story of a localization stakeholder who realized too late that they needed to update their technology stack. At first, they were very happy with the way their program was working. Their time-to-market goals were being met, their localized output volume was manageable within the set time frames and the overall localization costs were approved by management, so there was no reason to change anything or assess if any improvements needed to be made. However, the company decided to expand to 10 new markets and 14 new languages and go to market for all of them in the space of 90 days—all of a sudden the current localization ecosystem was sent into overdrive.

Their existing technology could not sustain the new output volume without incurring extra costs for word count and licenses for new linguists. Plus, the current localization team did not have the capacity or time to perform the same tasks they previously did for all the new languages (e.g. manual import and export of translatable files into the content system). With all the new suppliers involved to localize content into the new languages, having overall visibility and keeping track of the costs was proving to be an arduous, time-consuming challenge. The program was being overrun and the technology could not cope with the new demands. The short-sightedness and lack of vision of the localization stakeholder was jeopardizing the company’s global strategy, and every delay was costing the company money and any competitive advantage they could’ve had in their new markets. Here are four tips that will prevent you from making the same mistake and help you realize when it’s time for an upgrade.

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