How do you know of brands like Coca-Cola, Netflix, Apple?
All three of these brands were born in the USA but are now household names around the world.
These brands didn't achieve international recognition by accident. It is the result of a successful localisation strategy.
Why localise content?
When a brand seeks to expand their products and services into a new region, they may need to translate their content for the market to engage with the local audience. However, translation is not enough to successfully capture market share. takes the cultural context, nuances and colloquialisms of the target audience and integrates them into the content, ensuring the message truly resonates.
For example, if you say “that’s the bee’s knees” to someone in Australia, they’d instantly understand that you mean something is excellent or of high quality. This idiomatic expression translated directly into Japanese for example, would not hold the same meaning; underscoring the importance of not just language, but culture when tailoring your messaging to different audiences.
To succeed in the global market, brands must localise their content. If they don’t, their products or services won’t sell. In fact, Harvard Business Review reports that localised, in-language content is a critical component to reaching international customers. The takeaway is clear: to build trust and ensure repeat customers, localisation is essential.
What is AI localisation?
AI localisation is the process of automating the translation and localisation of content through . Such technology includes for quickly translating content, machine learning and language processing to ensure AI systems understand the context and cultural nuances, and translation memories (TM) that store previously approved translations for re-use to aid consistency across translated content and efficiency.
How AI is changing localisation
When it comes to localisation, humans will always be the key component of the solution. However, AI is transforming the industry in numerous ways, particularly in improving workflows, increasing speed, and enhancing output quality. While AI can handle mundane and repetitive tasks, it cannot produce original or unique content. The key to optimised AI localisation lies in establishing a well-defined process that integrates technology with human emotion and expertise.
AI has revolutionised the role of humans in the localisation process. Rather than translating from scratch, human input has now been shifted "upstream”, focusing more on tasks such as quality assurance, accuracy, and fine-tuning. One notable development is the rise of machine translation post-editing, a role that professional human translators now undertake to ensure that machine-generated content meets the necessary standards.
Machine Translation (MT)
2M’s secure AI translation tool translates the source text into the target language/s.
Human post-editing
Professional human translators review and refine the AI-generated translation.
Translators exercise their professional judgement to:
- Correct errors
- Ensure cultural relevance
- Maintain terminology consistency
Translator feedback is then integrated into 2M’s MT engine to improve future translations.
Quality Assurance (QA)
QA checks are performed by both 2M’s QA tool and 2M project managers.
Final review and delivery
Final review and delivery to client.
Thanks to AI's fast learning ability and automated workflows, the localisation process has been significantly sped up. Businesses can now quickly localise content at scale, reaching global markets more efficiently. With faster turnarounds and higher volumes, localisation has also become more cost-effective, delivering a higher return on investment for businesses.
However, these results cannot be achieved without human input. AI, on its own, is unable to create truly accurate or culturally nuanced content. Human expertise is essential to ensure that localisation is done correctly, highlighting the continued need for collaboration between humans and AI in the localisation process.
How using AI in localisation elevates your brand
In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, staying relevant in global markets is more important than ever. Localisation, enhanced through AI technologies can help your brand stay ahead of the competition.
Why localise with AI? The answer is simple: everyone around you is already doing it. Powerful global brands such as Coca-Cola, Netflix and Apple are using AI to build and maintain their market share, quickly adapting their content to different languages and cultures, and fostering genuine customer connections. And it’s not only the household name brands that have jumped on the AI localisation bandwagon – local companies have also realised the benefits of AI localisation in shortening time to market.
AI also enhances localisation efforts by improving local SEO. By tapping into culturally and geographically relevant keywords, AI helps optimise content to reach the right audience, increasing visibility and driving engagement. This means your brand’s message is not only heard but resonates deeply with local consumers.
Case study: Racing and Sports
Racing and Sports is a sports technology company that provides horseracing information, race predictions and comments to major sports betting companies globally.
2M has been working with Racing and Sports to translate their betting information in real time into Japanese.
Racing and Sports required a way to keep Japanese customers informed on betting outcomes.
This is a particularly tricky case as many phrases commonly used in the industry do not have direct translations, or accurate cross-cultural meaning such as “handicap” or “hat-trick”. The source text featured plenty of jargon, such as:
| Jargon | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Pineapple Miami (1) is consistent and has a good chance with a quick return | “Pineapple Miami” refers to the horse and the number (1) means it’s the first choice or it’s starting in the first position. “Consistent” means the horse has been performing well in recent races. “Good chance with a quick return” means the horse has a good chance of performing well again, even though it hasn’t had much rest between races (quick return). |
| He has a weight advantage with a 4kg claim | In horse racing, horses carry weight based on their past performances. A “claim” refers to a reduction in the weight the horse carries. A “4kg claim” means that this horse will carry 4kg less than other horses (i.e., reduction in the amount of weight the horse has to carry), which could give it an advantage in the race. |
| In the last race, the horse came from the middle of the pack and finished 2nd out of 12 runners at Gumly over 2000m, losing by 4 lengths to Diamond Princess with 58kg, priced at $17 | In the last race, this horse finished in the middle of the field and finished 2 out of 12 horses. The race distance was 2000 m. It lost the race by 4 lengths, which means it was just a little behind the winner. The $17 price refers to the odds of this horse winning in that race, meaning it was a bit of an underdog. |
With our advanced and customisable AI technology, 2M has empowered safe and responsible gambling by offering a real time solution for racing and sports.
As the notifications appear on the screen in English, they are followed by the localised Japanese translation.
This promotes informed gambling and fosters a sense of community understood by all participants.
"Our AI localisation solution has proven to be a game-changer for our client, seamlessly enabling real-time translation of betting information. The system’s speed, accuracy, and robust security measures ensure that language barriers no longer impede communication, while also safeguarding sensitive data. This technology is a pivotal asset for businesses looking to stay ahead in an increasingly interconnected world." — Thomas Lespes, Chief Technology Officer
Why use 2M to localise your content?
AI localisation is quickly becoming the norm, and working with 2M ensures that your business can stay ahead of the competition.
2M leads the way in ethical and sustainable language AI, offering a trusted solution built around professional human translators. Combining advanced AI technology with the skills and expertise of professional human translators, 2M offers accurate, high-quality localisation. Our streamlined workflows provide a rapid and cost-effective solution to global market entry.
With support for a wide range of languages and dialects, 2M ensures inclusivity and accessibility, all under the expert supervision of industry leaders in translation, interpreting, technology, and AI.
Our AI translation software leverages machine translation to quickly convert content, while our advanced machine learning algorithms analyse context and cultural nuances. This combination enables the creation of a personalised, high-quality translation library that ensures precise and culturally relevant localisation.
AI complements the work of our professional translators. By involving translators early in the process, we improve quality assurance, reducing the need for revisions and maintaining higher standards. This blend of AI efficiency and human insight drives market expansion, fostering better cultural connections and building stronger brand identities.
