The overview of the localization maturity model

Due to the high level of digitalization, businesses more and more often successfully implement the localization to contact users from different parts of the world.

When starting localization, companies can imagine this process as something which should end soon and will be "taken out of the box" if new tasks come. But, localization is inseparable from the general processes and should run like clockwork. Suppose you already implement localization in your business processes, and it works. In that case, it is time to evaluate how it really performs in your organization, which gaps you have, and what should be improved. To correctly understand the situation, you need the right tool. In this article, we discuss one of the great solutions - The Localization Maturity Model (LMM) prepared by CSA Research.

Localization maturity model conception

The Localization Maturity Model (LMM) is a framework that evaluates and enhances an organization's localization processes and abilities. It aims to help businesses assess their current localization maturity level and identify improvement areas. The LMM utilizes a structured approach to evaluate an organization's localization practices in different regions and assigns grades accordingly. The phases have two directions - maturity (five steps) and immaturity (four stages). In the ideal picture, the companies are going smoothly to the fifth stage by improving localization processes. Let's overview the levels in detail.

Maturity levels:

Level 1 – Reactive. This is the first level of your localization journey. Your team already translates something, but the processes are chaotic and not transparent. Companies at this stage don't have the strategy and planning, roles and responsibilities for team members in localization.

Level 2 – Repeatable: Some of the processes on this level start to be recurring and are documented. The team members use them regularly. Companies are planning the nearest strategy.

Level 3 – Managed: At this stage, companies may feel that the localization works perfectly - the processes are transparently documented, and some technical solutions and providers are used. Companies have sufficient planning.

Level 4 - Optimized: The company has a transparent localization workflow used by all the departments related to localization. All the roles and responsibilities are fully defined. Companies use comprehensive technical solutions, and operations are fully optimized.

Level 5 – Transparent: It is the final phase of the LMM. On this level, localization is fully integrated into the company's processes; all the functions, roles, documentation, and operational things are transparent. The localization is included in all business planning and strategies - all releases and new features development are closely connected to it.

These five levels of LMM are necessary for companies targeted to build a robust and transparent localization process. Let's check the stages of immaturity shortly. They are the following:

0 — Negligent: At this point, companies do not perceive the necessity for localization.

-1 — Obstructive: This is the phase where companies allow budgetary constraints to hinder their localization efforts.

-2 — Scornful: This is a common occurrence when individuals have attempted the procedure previously and were unsuccessful.

-3 — Discouraging: Individuals who are firmly against localization.

How does LMM support your business?

All localization tasks are of the proper priority. In the comprehensive planned strategy, part of mature localization, the team members have a planned direction and scope of the functions. Transparent processes and clear roles and responsibilities allow loading team members by considering their skillsets and task prioritization.

Save time and budget. The precise and automated processes ensure that the time spent on some routine tasks will be cut-off. As a result, in the long-term localization road, you will save more and more money.

No bottlenecks. It is okay to have the person responsible for the list of different tasks and strategies. Still, it isn't okay if other team members don't understand the general direction and have no idea about the processes in other departments related to localization and plan their tasks independently from the general vision. With the transparent principle of localization building, the team members hold more understanding, and no one will be a knowledge bottleneck.

Hack the ROI. Before LMM involvement, the business couldn't count the localization ROI correctly because, without transparent processes, it is hard to get precise figures. After all, localization is not only about translators but developers, project managers, designers, CMO/CTO, etc. All of them are spending the time which should be counted as expenses. If strategic planning and a proper localization process are not implemented, the ROI may not be clear, and the profitability may suffer. With the LMM approaches, you can significantly increase the profits from localization efforts through deep planning, time, and budget-saving.

How can Lingohub help with LMM implementation?

To reach the fifth level of LMM successfully, you should implement the technical solutions that integrate localization into your other processes and help automate, control, and manage the entire process. Good news - you shouldn't go long to find such a tool. Lingohub is a comprehensive solution that successfully covers automatization and management tasks in addition to powerful CAT tools.

Manage every-localization-thing

From the project's progress to payments and transactions, from flexible roles to API, Audit Logs, and control of each small text segment's edit. All information is in one UI. Get notifications about changes, errors, and essential discussions to be always on call.

Integrate localization in your CI/CD process

Lingohub provides the ability for сontinuous localization workflow building. Thus the development, designing, and translation teams will work simultaneously on the product.

The smooth integrations with popular repositories like GitHub, Gitlab, etc., ensures file synchronization - all edits will be visible to team members without additional communication. Moreover, the branching support will facilitate the process for developers.

Communicate efficiently

Building a localization process is impossible without communication. But using different messengers can not always be as effective as wished. That's why Lingohub provides the discussion features to talk about your project. The first advantage is that the single UI prevents team members from switching between different applications and becoming distracted. The second one - the discussion tool was built precisely for localization, so it is possible to mention the segments, projects, and team members, and share files there, simplifying the process of issues/question describing.

Save time and budget by speeding-up

Various CAT tools include machine translation, term bases, style guides, translation memory, and quality checks, among others, designed to reduce the workload on translators and provide them with as much context as possible. The automated translation, suggestions, issue detection, prefill, etc., are helping to eliminate many manual tasks and save time. The two-views editor with a general and targeted overview created to help concentrate on specific segments or see the entire project picture.

Conclusion

The Localization Maturity Model is a robust framework for companies looking to enhance their global presence and effectively build the localization process. Understanding the strong and weak points allows organizations to improve efficiency and effectiveness, prioritize budgets, and create transparent processes.

Besides the deep involvement of the team, the LMM implies localization tools that can automatize the entire process, and Lingohub could be such a system. For more than a decade, our team has been targeted to provide comprehensive solutions for content translation and adaptation, and our slogan - "You create - Lingohub translates," speaks for itself.

To get more information about Lingohub, schedule a short demo call with our team or try it for free.