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Learn how CMS localization can boost your online presence, expand your reach, and optimize for international success with our informative article.

CMSs: industry state and how to localize them best

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AI (artificial intelligence) technology in the machine translation industry has made a huge jump during the last decade. Just in 2016, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Neural_Machine_Translation" target="_blank" rel="noffolow">Google released GNMT</a> (Google Neural Machine Translation), one of the first widely used MT(machine translation) on AI, and already today, people are using ChatGPT and other similar bots that can greatly understand the context and partly replace humans for some tasks, including paraphrasing and translating. In turn, NMT translating systems also did considerable work (for example, in Google, the accuracy for English-Spanish translation reached 90%, which is an outstanding achievement). This fast development of technology has inspired us to explore the AI translation systems landscape more deeply to understand their current capabilities and future potential.


## AI translation: overview, pros and cons

The AI translation market was valued at <a href="https://www.verifiedmarketreports.com/product/ai-translation-market/" target="_blank" rel="noffolow">$2.17 billion</a> in 2023, and the prediction for 2030 is <a href="https://www.verifiedmarketreports.com/product/ai-translation-market/" target="_blank" rel="noffolow">$5.72 billion</a>. The Google Trend reports also show how the search for AI services has increased over the last two years.

There are a few reasons that explain such forecasts and popularity:

- **The world is constantly moving toward blurring borders**. Globalization has been a central component of success for countries and companies in recent centuries, and in the 21st century, the WEB became a new power. Businesses need tools to communicate and efficiently work with customers and partners worldwide. 
- **There is an increased demand for accurate and fast translation**. Traditional translating systems were more effective than people with dictionaries but needed help understanding context. That required more time for proofreading even simple sentences. Businesses need and are ready to pay for more accurate alternatives.
- **There is high competition between tech giants**. AI is a vector of development for all the big technical corporations, which leads to the release of new features and increases user interest. For example, the AI software vendor Appen got <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/09/06/appen-which-helps-amazon-and-google-train-ai-is-reeling.html" target="_blank" rel="noffolow">80%</a> of its revenue from Microsoft, Meta, Apple, Amazon, and Google. These tech giants continuously buy promising AI startups or partner with them, giving users new abilities sooner or later. This race of large companies popularized the topic of artificial intelligence in general and in the field of translation.

 
Let's sum up the main pros of the AI translation, as we touched on many of them above.
- **fast translation**;
- **better context understanding** in comparison with traditional translating systems;
- **perfect scalability** - one tool can be used for different purposes (languages, types of projects, etc.)
- **affordable cost** in comparison with a live translator;

 
But nothing is perfect under the sun; otherwise, all translators would have lost their jobs by now. So, the **cons of AI translation are**:
- **Limited language support**. Any AI language model requires a lot of content for "studying," so additional languages require more power and more training materials. One of the most popular AI ChatGPT today can "speak" 11 languages and know a few additional languages on the low level. 
- **Quality of training material**. The information for the AI translating model is taken from the web, and no one can check the quality of all these documents. So the system can study mistakes. 
- **AI is training constantly**. The AI model can learn incorrect information during communication with users. 
- **Legal issues**. Translating sensitive or confidential information with AI services is risky as data can be shared with external servers.
- **Cultural sensitivity**. AI translation models can't understand all the cultural nuances, which can lead to offensive content.
- **Ethics**. All AI models are trained on subjective data and will inherit biases. So, the quality and ethics of AI translation depend on the development team. 
- **AI models can't work independently of humans**. No matter how well the AI translator is trained, it should only be used with control. Every business bears responsibility for each word on its business pages. Thus, the proofreading stage will always exist. 


## Human translation: overview, pros and cons

Human-only translation is a less popular method. It requires more resources (time and cost) for an equal volume of data than machine translation. However, there are many situations where it is preferable to use only human efforts for translation. For example, the research made with <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326861883_COMPARISON_OF_HUMAN_TRANSLATION_WITH_GOOGLE_TRANSLATION_OF_IMPERATIVE_SENTENCES_IN_PROCEDURES_TEXT" target="_blank" rel="noffolow">7 imperative sentences</a> showed that the equation between Google Translate and human translation was only 29%. 

Such a low figure explains the vast number of translators worldwide - more than <a href="https://www.mylanguageconnection.com/translation-industry-trends-and-statistics/" target="_blank" rel="noffolow"> 600K </a> - and proves that the translator's job will be requested for many years. Other areas where human translation is always required are:

- **Marketing and advertising**. Slogans, ad texts, and video scenarios cannot be translated for different audiences; they require adaptation with a deep audience understanding. Marketing and advertising are always focused first on attracting, informing, and retaining. For example, all of us will still remember some obsessive text from an ad song from childhood. Thus, the content for this industry is mainly [transcreated](/blog/the-importance-of-transcreation-in-localization) rather than translated. AI machine translation models are useless in this field as they don't have a high level of creativity like humans.
- **Confidential information**. Companies would be forced to implement a boxed solution with an AI translation model inside their company infrastructure to guarantee the data's safety, which is a very complex and expensive solution. Otherwise, there is always a risk that the data can be stored and sent to external servers. In this situation, businesses prefer human-based translation to minimize the chance of data breaches.
- **Specialized content**: tech documentation, manuals, medical reports, guides, math or physics documents, etc. These types of content cannot be translated with AI as the terms and data are narrowly specialized. For example, content related to the mineral resource "lead" can be mistakenly translated by AI to mean "leader."
- **Literary works**: сreative writing often contains wordplay, other literary elements, or deep cultural references. All of this requires an understanding of the context and the initial author's idea. 

Besides the high quality of human translation and its versatility, there is also **a list of cons**:
- **Losing time-to-market**. Human translation speed is significantly inferior to AI or traditional machine translation. In today's business world, competing means having a quality product and being the first to launch it to reach the target audience.
- **Difficult scalability**. Finding professional translators is always a challenge, especially for rare language pairs. At the same time, even if you build the translators team, they can only cover a certain amount of work, and you can't scale their efforts 1.5 or 2 times. 
- **Human factor**. People can bring their interpretations into translation, which leads to different styles and interpretations. Also, the human factor assumes that translators can quit or get sick, shifting the schedule. 
- **Increased translation cost**. Because of all the points above, translation costs will steadily increase. The final price depends on factors like language pairs, content complexity, translation speed (urgent translations will always cost more), translators' experience, and expertise. 

The information above makes it easy to understand that the best method for content translation is somewhere in the middle. Optimal indicators for businesses can be achieved by combining AI machine translation speed with human context understanding. How to make that in the best way? We know the answer.


## How does Lingohub combine machine translation and human translation?

As a translation management service, we see the cases of different businesses and hear their needs in the first stages. Different feedback allowed us to build a system that perfectly combines the machine translation power and harmoniously includes translators to get all the best from both types of translation. 

First, Lingohub combined Google Translate, Microsoft Translate, and DeepL to produce the internal machine translation result. This decision was made because each of these engines has its own strong and weak sides, which we balanced by this solution. 

The Lingohub machine translation feature is provided in two ways: first, the machine translation tool, where the user can type the query or click on the segment to get the ready translation, and second, automated machine translation for selected segments via prefill. We will overview the [prefill feature](https://help.lingohub.com/en/articles/6686568-how-to-set-up-the-prefill-feature) in more detail, as it allows the pre-translation of a vast amount of data in a few clicks.

**Note**: Lingohub can use another language or translation memory besides machine translation to fill the empty text segments. 

So, how does the schema work? The localization manager can calprefill on its own or set up automatic prefill rules. Thus, translators will get machine translation results instead of working with blank spaces. Such an approach **saves a vast amount of time** because:
- Translators don't manually type translations for simple content, such as text segments with buttons like "Start," "Send," "Submit," etc. All they need to do - proofread and approve the text's correctness. 
- Translators have a starting point for complex texts and can lean on the pre-translated content. 

The next tool is designed to **set a fair and transparent price** for translations based on MT results. The thing is that some text segments can be fully translated via machine translation, and the translator's efforts are light in this case, but another segment will require much more time and effort. To solve this dilemma, Lingohub offers **EES (Edit Effort Score)**. We provided a detailed description in the blog article about machine translation post-editing; below is a brief description.

EES quantifies the level of editing by ranging from 0 to 100, where 0 is proofreading (no edits), and 100 is fully edited text. So, there are four effort levels, and customers can set the range and price for each. For instance:
- Proofreading - 0.02$ per word
- Low effort - 0.04$ per word
- Middle effort - 0.06$ per word
- High effort - 0.08$ per word

Thus, Lingohub **combines machine translation and human efforts** and provides all the necessary tools to manage this collaboration conveniently.  

The AI market is constantly growing, and we believe that one day, AI language models will cover a more significant amount of translating work. However, humans will always keep everything in the correct direction and be part of the translation process. With this understanding in mind, our team does our best to provide the optimal balance by using the strengths of each approach.

If you would like to get more information about Lingohub and our features, schedule a quick [demo call](/demo) with our team or sign up for a [14-day free trial](https://app.lingohub.com/sign-up) to try all the benefits of Lingohub TMS (translation management system). 


### Stay awesome, and let's localize together!



AI translating services have gained a high popularity. In this article, we overview the ability of AI in terms of translation quality and how to connect modern technologies with human efforts to get the best result.

AI vs Human translation. The future in the collaboration 

AI vs Human translation. The future in collaboration 

MTPE, or machine translation post-editing, is a current reality and trend in the localization industry. It allows for combining the speed of translating engines and human context understanding to provide quality results most shortly. The schema is simple: translators don't work "from scratch" - they have translated content by MT(machine translation), which should be proofread and edited. Thus, it appears to be a logical question - how can we count the translator's efforts during post-editing? How to understand if some text segments were edited or if they were good from the start? Fortunately, we know the answer. 


## The translators' efforts comparison with and without post-editing 

To demonstrate the problem more clearly, let's use some text segments and imagine that they should be translated into German:

"**I love cats**."

"**If you have any further questions...**"

"**lead**"

Working with a freelance translator, you most likely will have the rate per word, for example, **0.08$**. The three segments above have 10 words
So the final amount will be **0.08$.x 10 = 0.8$**

In the case of post-editing, the translator will have the following data from the start:

|English| German | 
|--|--|
|I love cats.|Ich liebe Katzen.| 
|If you have any further questions,...|Wenn Sie weitere Fragen haben,...|
|flat design|flaches Design|

 So, the task for the translator will be to add the edits based on the context and tone of voice: 

|English| German | Efforts |
|--|--|--|
|I love cats.|Ich liebe Katzen.| None, text correct from scratch.|
|If you have any further questions,...|Wenn Sie weitere Fragen haben,...|Wenn **du** weitere Fragen **hast**,... (in case we need informal tone of voice)|
|flat design|flaches Design|**Wohnungsgestaltung** (in case the word "flat" was used in the "apartment" meaning.)|

Thus, the translator left the first segment as is, added minor edits to the second, and changed the last one entirely. There was no need to translate all the words, and the task was completed faster with less effort. How to calculate this?

## Why and how to measure the MTPE efforts? 

Calculating the translators' efforts allows clients to get fair and transparent pricing for the content translation. If the machine engine translated the text perfectly, the translator would only proofread and "approve" the ready text, which could lower the price. Let's see approaches of how this can be done:

**<a href="https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~alavie/papers/GALE-book-Ch5.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noffolow">HTER</a>** - the edit distance between the original translation and post-editing; 
1. Original translation - machine-translated text.
2. Post-edited translation: text after human post-editing
3. Calculate the edit distance between the original and post-edited translations using algorithms like the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levenshtein_distance" target="_blank" rel="noffolow">Levenshtein Distance</a>.
4. Interpretation: A higher edit distance implies more effort by the translator.

**<a href="https://aclanthology.org/2012.amta-wptp.2.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noffolow"> SPW </a>**- seconds per word. Shows the time spent on translation divided by the length of the post-edited translation; SPW=Total Number of Words/Total Time (in seconds)​

**<a href="https://aclanthology.org/2012.amta-wptp.2.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noffolow"> KEYS </a>** - total number of keystrokes that were pressed while post-editing.

**Editing density**: (Number of edited words/Total number of words)x100.

**Quality Improvement**: using <a href="https://machinetranslate.org/ter" target="_blank" rel="noffolow"> BLEU </a> or TER metrics to evaluate machine translation and post-edited quality.

Counting MPTE effort is an all-purpose thing that can be applied to different languages. For example, we can confidently say that the exact text MTPE between English and Spanish is much faster than between English and Ukrainian or German. The reason is that popular engines have the highest level of accuracy for the English-Spanish pair (Google Translate has over 90% accuracy.) If this topic interests you and you want to learn more, read our article about the most popular [machine translation engines](/blog/find-good-machine-translation-engines).


## How does Lingohub help to measure the MTPE efforts? 

As Lingohub provides a prefill option, which means you can fill empty text segments from other languages, [translation memory](/features/translation-memory), or [machine translation](/features/machine-translation), we thought about how to measure the translators' effort - EES.

**EES** or Edit Effort Score is a quantity of editing in translation that ranges from 0 to 100, where 0 is no edits - the text was approved with no effort (proofreading), and 100 is when the text was entirely changed. For example, if the sentence "Please create a note" was changed to "Please create a file," the EES will be calculated as 14, classifying it as a case of low effort.
How do we suggest working with this 0-100 range for your comfort? We split all the gradation into four levels: 
- **proofreading** - the efforts score = 0 
- **low effort**, from 1 to a configurable figure
- **middle effort** - fully configurable
- **high effort** - from configurable figure to 100

Thus, you can set up the effort score for all the levels except proofreading.

This EES information will be used for the cost reports, so the localization manager and translator will see how many words and with which effort were translated for some period. 


Moreover, you can set a specific price per word based on the effort level - lowest for proofreading and ascending based on the effort level. 


Let's count the price difference between the constant price per world and effort score usage. As an example, we will use the text segments from the previous paragraph and the rates below (we use the same 0.08$ as a price for full translation (high effort). 
- **Proofreading** = 0.01$
- **Low effort** = 0.02 $
- **Middle effort** = 0.03$
- **High effort** = 0.08$ 

|**English** |**German**|**Efforts**|**Effort level**|**Price**|
|--|--|--|--|--|
|I love cats.|Ich liebe Katzen.|None, text correct from scratch|Proof- reading|0.01$ x 3(words) = 0.03$|
|If you have any further questions,...|Wenn Sie weitere Fragen haben,...|Wenn du weitere Fragen hast,... (in case we need informal tone of voice)|Low effort|0.02 $ x 5 = 0.1$|

So the final price for 3 segments (10 words translating) will be **0.03$ + 0.1$ + 0.08$ = 0.21$**, which is more cost-effective than the previous example of $0.08 per word for 10 words, which was **$0.80** in total.

If you want to get more information about how the EES and cost reports work, we highly recommend you to **read our help center articles**:
- [What are work reports?](https://help.lingohub.com/en/articles/6684129-what-are-work-reports) 
- [How to create cost reports in Lingohub?](https://help.lingohub.com/en/articles/6684123-how-to-create-cost-reports-in-lingohub)


## Conclusion
 
The machine translation engines entirely changed the "rule of the game," so the translation industry should consider the new reality and find a way to manage it successfully. Lingohub <a href="https://lingohub.com">translation management service</a> provides a simple but, at the same time, effective solution that allows users to work with translators' efforts transparently and fairly.

If you have any questions or want more information - schedule a quick [demo call](/demo) with our team or sign up and try all the Lingohub features for [14 days for free](https://app.lingohub.com/sign-up)!

MTPE (Machine Translation Post-Editing) is a trend in the localization and translation industries. It is essential to account for the effort required during MTPE and determine the best way. 

How to effectively count the translators' efforts during MTPE (machine translation post-editing)

How to effectively count the translators' efforts during MTPE

CMS (content management systems) localization is a complex topic that requires different approaches and tools depending on the chosen system. The "[CMS's industry state](/blog/cms-industry-state-and-how-to-localize-them-best)" - our previous article describes the general terms, CMS types, and many more, so we highly recommend reading it if you need background information. In this post, our team combined the best ways to localize one of the most popular CMS worldwide - WordPress.


## The WordPress overview 

In a few words, WordPress is a classic "monolithic" content management system launched more than 20 years ago. Its simplicity, user-friendliness, flexibility, and open-sourcing have made WordPress the leading platform. To better understand how popular it is, let's take a look at the <a href="https://w3techs.com/technologies/details/cm-wordpress" target="_blank" rel="noffolow">figures</a>: 
- 43.2% of all websites in the world are using WordPress;
- WordPress has 1st place in terms of popularity and traffic;
- 65.2% of all CMS-based websites are using WordPress. 

With such popularity, WordPress localization became essential for many businesses worldwide, and of course, it has in-built tools aimed to simplify this process, for example: 

- **Simple internationalization**. WordPress utilizes the gettext libraries and tools to support internationalization (i18n), so developers can set up plugins and themes for further localization and manage translations efficiently. It also allows simply adapting formats for dates, numbers, and currencies.
- **Right-to-left support**. WordPress allows changing the text direction in <a href="https://codex.wordpress.org/Right-to-Left_Language_Support" target="_blank" rel="noffolow">two simple ways</a>: providing usage of RTL languages like Arabic, Hebrew, Farsi, etc. 
- **Language packs**. WordPress has a list of packages to translate core themes and plugins into a specific language. These language packs enable to switch the interface language of WordPress installation to preferred language without manually translating individual strings.
- **Localization plugins**. If you're familiar with WordPress, you know this CMS has hundreds of plugins available to perform various tasks - including localization. 


## Top 5 WordPress plugins for content localization


Before we start the plugin overview, let's remain that there are two primary content types in WordPress - the pre-defined format (posts/pages) and custom posts, which are customizable and allow users to create other content - attachments, navigation menu, maps, testimonials, widgets, and more. Take your attention to the ability of plugins to support custom content translation. Also, the complex themes and plugins rarely don't support additional languages, so if you are looking for the best solution, consider all minor nuances.

### WPML
(from €99/year + €39 or €74 yearly)

Over <a href="https://wpml.org/home/about-us/" target="_blank" rel="noffolow">1 million installations</a>.

This plugin supports 45+ languages with the ability to add your locales via the languages editor (you can add Canadian English as an example.)

**Supported content formats**: custom post types, custom fields, widgets, menus, images, taxonomy, media – even texts in your site's admin.
WPML supports connection to <a href="https://wpml.org/plugin/" target="_blank" rel="noffolow">hundreds of WordPress plugins</a>, which guarantees you can use multilingual options for various content. 

**Additional features**: automatic translation, TMS integration

### Loco Translate

 
(limited version for free; paid plans start at $5.95/month)

Over <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/loco-translate/" target="_blank" rel="noffolow">1 million installations</a>.

<a href="https://localise.biz" target="_blank" rel="noffolow">Loco Translate</a> supports 40 languages and allows content translation directly in the theme or plugin. 

**Supported content formats**: Loco Translate allows editing WordPress PO files and provides internationalization of plugins and themes. 

**Additional features**: translating services integration

### Polylang.pro 


(limited version for free, advanced from €99.00/website).

<a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/polylang/" target="_blank" rel="noffolow">700,000+</a> active installations. 

With <a href="https://polylang.pro" target="_blank" rel="noffolow"> Polylang</a>, users can choose from a vast array of more than 90 pre-defined languages. 

**Supported content formats**: pages, custom posts, tags, categories, various media, widgets, and menus. Additionally, Polylang is compatible with Yoast SEO and other SEO plugins, so it is easier for you to keep the quality of website optimization high and translate the SEO data.

**Additional features**: customizable language switcher, URL slugs translating, separate product for WooCommerce

### Weglot

(free for 1 language and 2,000 words, 3 languages and 50,00 words - $29/month and more)

<a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/weglot/" target="_blank" rel="noffolow">50,000+</a> active installations 

Compared with the previous two plugins, <a href="https://www.weglot.com" target="_blank" rel="noffolow"> Weglot </a>provides a slightly different approach. This SAAS solution automatically translates website content using machine translation, speeding up the process for linguists and supporting more than 100 languages.
But, the most significant difference of Weglot is that your site's translated version will stop working if you ever stop using Weglot. You can export the files but must find out how to implement them.

**Additional features**: AI translation, SEO-optimized, automatically changes detection.

### GTranslate

(limited version for free, advanced from $9.99/month).

<a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/google-language-translator/" target="_blank" rel="noffolow">100 000+</a> active installation 

<a href="https://gtranslate.io" target="_blank" rel="noffolow">GTranslate </a>supports over 100 languages and provides free automated Google machine translation. 

**Supported content formats**: posts, pages, categories, tags, widgets, menus, themes, plugins, WooCommerce shop. 

**Additional features**: integration with Google Analytics, multilingual SEO support, hreflang tag addition, and translation of schema.org microdata.
It's important to note that the plugins above are just a part of the vast collection available on the WordPress market. Choosing the best solution should be based on your individual requirements, budgets, and needs. 


## To sum up

Organizations and businesses have a top task in the globalized world - reaching out to a diverse audience. Thus, the crucial question for companies that use CMS like WordPress is finding the best tool to simplify the localization process. However, choosing a reliable translation plugin that suits your needs is a piece of the puzzle that guarantees you will localize your CMS content effectively. Another question is how to provide high-quality content translation - and we at Lingohub are here to help. 

Lingohub can perfectly synchronize with your other processes via API and supports dozens of [file formats](/integrations/) (gettext, JSON, CSV, Java, etc.) Also, we provide [CAT tools](/features/) that speed up the translating process while maintaining quality.

Want to learn more? Lingohub is always ready to support. You can schedule a quick [demo call ](/demo)with our team to get more information and ask all questions. Contact us - we are always happy to help!

This article will explore the tools available to help you with WordPress content localization. You will gain a deeper understanding of how these tools can assist you in making your WordPress site accessible to a global audience.


How to localize your WordPress CMS content

How to localize your WordPress CMS content?

2024 is here and brings new challenges, dreams, and, of course, localization trends. The Lingohub team has prepared this article to help you stay on the localization wave, implement the best approaches for your business, break language barriers, and start 2024 with new ideas. Find below 8 approaches that will change your localization experience and will bring a piece of magic to it.


## Trend 1. Machine translation post-editing

The translation process can be long and tedious, especially when linguists start every time from scratch and translate identical content daily. The post-editing approach can speed up the process and add a creative, not a routine part. That means that initially, all texts are translated by machine translation, and then translators provide just the needed edits. Thus, your localization will speed up, and costs will be reduced. 
To implement a post-editing approach, you need the basic things that will allow your translator to work:

- style guide, 
- glossary,
- well-prepared source text with no mistakes,
- and, of course, the machine translation tools.

Let's overview these points more precisely on the Lingohub example, and (spoiler) we have one more tool that will make the post-editing much faster. 

So, working with Lingohub, you can set up the prefill rules so that every new source text will be automatically translated with a combination of engines - Google Translate, DeepL, and Amazon Translate. But this is only part of our abilities. If you connect the style guide to your project, the machine translation will use the formality requirements from there. So, from scratch, the translation is more detailed, concrete, and accurate.

After the first part (machine translation), we are going to the second - proofreading (post-editing.) Lingohub provides a quality check suggestion showing errors like wrong terminology usage, extra or missed spacing, etc. So, the translator shouldn't recheck terms, names, etc., if they are uploaded to the system.



---

**Lingohub tip**: To make the post editing maximum fast - you can also use the Lingohub translation memory feature. Instead of machine translation, you can reuse your approved text and never translate the same content twice.

---

## Trend 2. Continuous localization

As agile development workflow has been a popular approach in the software development environment for a long time, your localization process should also be flexible to allow fast time-to-market and new edits to be implemented. That's why the continuous localization approach is necessary for many teams. It unifies your development and translation teams, synchronizes their efforts, and speeds up the entire development process.

Let's look at how this can work in the schema below. Lingohub allows the localization projects to connect with repositories (GitHub, GitLab, Azure, etc.) When changes in the source text are made, they are automatically detected and sent to the Lingohub project, and the translation team receives notifications. Once translations are approved, they can be immediately published by pushing back into the repository and released. So, the entire team works as a single mechanism without additional communication, pings in chats, and so on. 

## Trend 3. Transcreation

Emotional connection with users plays a crucial role. The research made by [Motista](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/6273e357746bf970e1d4f2c9/t/62f718e0494abd7a0776c4ec/1660360929034/Leveraging+Emotional+Connection+for+Retailers_0.pdf) showed that emotionally connected customers have 306% higher lifetime value and recommend brands more often. The content is a significant part of the company strategy that can build this emotional connection. That's why we have added [transcreation](/blog/the-importance-of-transcreation-in-localization) to our list. Transcreation (translate + create) is a process of non-literality content translation with high creativity. 

Such an approach can only be successful with deep knowledge of the cultural context and fluency in the target audience's language because transcreation targets the emotional impact of the message. Thus, companies should find professionals from specific regions, which can become a new challenge. 
Knowing such stumbling blocks, Lingohub does its best for customers' convenience and provides professional translators. Any Lingohub user could use the help of skilled linguists for more than 40 languages, including dialects, for the best results in the shortest time. 


## Trend 4. Automation

The times when each step was processed by humans sink into oblivion. Automation is everywhere, from big data to small everyday routines, and localization isn't an exception. New approaches provide strong process acceleration (read case study...here link) and avoid human mistakes. We mentioned some automation with MT and continuous localization in the first paragraphs. Here, we'll discuss localization management automation. 
As localization is a complex process, the managers can have many projects requiring attention. They should approve edits and translations, set up the correct statuses, and sometimes add some edits for a large amount of the content. That's why Lingohub provides a few tools that automate working with text segments.
Workflows. With them, localization managers can craft highly efficient workflows that combine multiple steps for optimal text processing. For instance, recheck some segments with quality checks, set up statuses after this, remove unnecessary spaces, etc., ensuring the localization process is streamlined and error-free.
Bulk actions. This feature allows quickly changing the statuses or labels for specific segments, deactivating them, or changing translatability.  


## Trend 5. Design localization

Entering new markets is always challenging as you compete with local providers native to the audience, which 100% wouldn't stun the users by using inappropriate word construction, symbols, etc. One of the most essential parts of localization is the visual content, which is paramount as it is the first thing the user sees. Besides the color palette, fonts, photos, and so on, you should consider text length and direction (for instance, Arabic is a right-to-left language). 

Here we come to the main question - when creating a new design for a localized version, how can you account for the differences in text length and other variables? The general way is to translate and copy/paste text into the design template. But designers can't start without a translation, sometimes taking weeks, and constant copy-pasting requires hours of manual work. Such an approach looks outdated and time-consuming.

Our team provides a [Figma plugin](https://www.figma.com/community/plugin/1091712683693829044/Lingohub-for-Figma) to improve the design localization process for Lingohub customers. Almost instant text transfer from Figma to Lingohub project and vice versa, combined with the prefill feature, enables fast pre-translation and text fitting. Besides the option above, one significant additional advantage exists - automatically generated screenshots. Translators can see all text segments placed on a screenshot and thus have much more context for their work. 

## Trend 6. Multilingual client support

The customer experience plays a crucial role in the business's success. Based on the statistics, [61%](https://www.123formbuilder.com/blog/customer-service-statistics#:\~:text=Customers%20want%20quick%2C%20simple%2C%20and,increase%20over%20the%20previous%20year.) of customers with just one negative experience would switch to the competitors, and [90%](https://www.123formbuilder.com/blog/customer-service-statistics#:\~:text=Customers%20want%20quick%2C%20simple%2C%20and,increase%20over%20the%20previous%20year.) of clients are ready to pay more for companies with great customer service. 
Customer support can differ - from chatbots and operators to FAQ resources and Help Centers. When talking about live operators, finding local experts or individuals with a firm grasp of the language is important. However, when translating written content, Lingohub can fully localize it for you. We offer support for over 30 file formats, allowing you to translate any content, as well as a range of integrations to help you [localize your Zendesk and Intercom Help Centers](/blog/role-of-localization-in-international-user-support). With just a few clicks, you can sync articles, sections, and categories while ensuring a uniform style and avoiding mistakes with our powerful CAT tools. 


## Trend 7. Instant translation

AI (artificial intelligence) is one of the most prominent approaches in localization. Nowadays, AI-powered translation engines like ChatGPT offer more comprehensive translation abilities, especially for creative content, than well-known machine translation engines. They allow adapting content, paraphrasing it, and can learn from the documentation like style guides and glossaries. 
AI can enhance productivity in multiple ways, and one such way is through its ability to provide instant translations. This option allows users to translate their designs into different languages without delay, increasing their efficiency and effectiveness in communicating with a worldwide audience.


## Trend 8. Real-time collaboration for localization teams

Companies implementing effective internal communication tools are [3.5 times](https://www.brosix.com/blog/workplace-communication-statistics/#:~:text=Businesses%20using%20effective%20internal%20communication,employee%20retention%20by%204.5%20times.) more likely to achieve better results. Effective collaboration between employees and inside the company [impacts](https://www.brosix.com/blog/workplace-communication-statistics/#:~:text=Businesses%20using%20effective%20internal%20communication,employee%20retention%20by%204.5%20times.) productivity, trust, turnover, and motivation. 

Localization as a complex process is not an exception and requires well-designed collaboration with no delays. That's why the correct TMS (translation management system) is the first step for forming a productive team collaboration and allows at least [x2 acceleration](/case-studies/planradar). Using the Lingohub example, we will show how this can be achieved. 

1. No file sending - no manual content exchange. Get rid of files back and forth, as your repositories and apps can be integrated and synchronized directly with the Lingohub project.
2. Less time for content checking and approving because Lingohub provides tools like quality checks and term bases that will alarm about violating predetermined criteria. 
3. Synchronization with repositories allows developers and translators to check real-time content changes. Your teams will see any edits without additional communication, which is extremely important for time-to-market speed up. 
4. All data is structured in one place. No matter what type of file you need to localize - Figma design, DOCS, XML, IDML, etc. - Lingohub supports any of them. Users can easily manage their projects more organized by splitting them into different folders based on their content types, goals, or any other relevant criteria. Thus, finding a project to check progress is simple.
5. The team can discuss any localization-related question inside Lingohub without switching to another app. The discussion feature enables communication about specific text segments, mentions users, initiates dialogues, and attaches additional information.

The points listed above are the parts of abilities that can be accessed through Lingohub. If you would like to get more information, about our mobile, website and <a href="https://lingohub.com/use-cases/web-app-localization">web application localization</a> services please look at our pricing page, which includes a comprehensive list of our capabilities. Additionally, we want to highlight that all CAT features are available to all users regardless of their chosen pricing plan, and of course, you can start your Lingohub journey with a 14-day free trial. 

We hope this article brings new ideas for your 2024 localization plan; stay tuned with us to get more information about the industry for your business.

The Lingohub team has prepared 8 approaches to help you overcome language barriers and maximize your localization efforts. Let's start the year with fresh and effective localization ideas.


8 localization trends you should tend in 2024

Almost every product with more than one language in its interface has faced localization challenges. Previously, when companies needed to translate something, they had to send Excel files to the translators, test them, add corrections, and retest them. This approach provoked back-and-forth iterations between developers, designers, and translators. As a result, the customer got the localized product but wasted more time and money.

The next step of localization evolution was computer-aided translation (CAT) tools, a huge step forward. These programs are still usable but target more translation automation and don't include the management component. Here is where LMS and TMS (Localization Management Systems and Translation Management Systems) entered the scene. Unlike CAT tools, these applications often run in the cloud and have high flexibility, bringing clear benefits to the client and saving time for localization. 

Nowadays, the market provides many different systems, so choosing the best solution has become challenging. This article aimed to showcase popular localization platforms such as Lingohub, Crowdin, Lokalise, Phrase, and Transifex to review the pros and cons. Let's take a look closer at each.

## Localization platforms: first overview
To help you better understand the differences between the platforms presented in this article, we prepared the detailed table below this paragraph, where we overviewed the CAT tools, pricing policy, additional abilities, etc. But we highly recommend reading the entire article as you can find the insights and comparison of possibilities that may be helpful for you. Long story short - let's go. 



## Lingohub

The first application we want to start with is Lingohub. It is a SAAS cloud-based platform that combines features required for fast translation, quality assurance, and entire localization process management. Thus, you can store, handle, translate content and simultaneously control the project's progress, communicate, and manage finances — all in a single location. 

[Lingohub](/) provides seamless [integrations](/integrations) with the most popular services, like GitHub, Gitlab, Azure, Bitbucket, Figma, etc., to build continuous CI/CD processes for localization. Add to all of the above the support of over 40 file formats/technologies and 100+ languages, intuitive UI, and non-stop improvements, and you will get one of the leading translation and localization management platforms.

|| |
|--|--|
|**Trial Period**|yes, 14 days|
|**All features available from the start**| yes|
|**Number of projects**|Unlimited for all plans|
|**Pricing Plans**|Starter €49, Team €119, Business €349, Enterprise(from €999)|
|**Free plan**|only for open-source products| 
|**Mobile SDK (OTA**)|yes|
|**API Integrations**|yes|
|**GitHub, GitLab integrations**|yes|
|**Machine Translation**|yes|
|**Customer Support**| yes|
|**Supported technologies**| 30+ (custom options for Enterprise plan)|


## Phrase

Phrase is a translation management system that supports more than 40 integrations for development, design, translation, and content management. Phrase has different products — Phrase TMS and Phrase String. The TMS has more management abilities like billing, invoicing, workflow, etc while Phrase Strings target localization. 
|| |
|--|--|
|**Trial Period**|yes, 14 days|
|**All features available from the start**| no|
|**Number of projects**|TMS - unlimited, Strings 1 for the Basic plan and unlimited for others|
|**Pricing Plans** Phrase TMS*|Team Start €25, Team (€179), Ultimate (€319), Enterprise (custom price)|
|**Pricing Plans** Phrase Strings|Basic €20/user, Advanced €31/user, Enterprise (custom price)|
|**Free plan**|Free for the universities' departments| 
|**Mobile SDK (OTA**)|yes|
|**API Integrations**|yes|
|**GitHub, GitLab integrations**|yes|
|**Machine Translation**|yes|
|**Customer Support**| yes|
|**Supported technologies**| 40+|

*price per project manager

## Transifex
Transifex is a cloud-based platform for facilitating the process of localizing websites, web applications, and mobile applications.  Transifex provides a free plan for Open Source projects without funding, revenue, or commercialization.

|| |
|--|--|
|**Trial Period**|yes, 15 days|
|**All features available from the start**| no|
|**Number of projects**|Unlimited|
|**Pricing Plans**|Basic (from 80$), Premium (from 500$), Enterprise (custom|
|**Free plan**|only for open source projects without commercialization model| 
|**Mobile SDK (OTA**)|yes|
|**API Integrations**|yes|
|**GitHub, GitLab integrations**|yes|
|**Machine Translation**|yes|
|**Customer Support**| yes|
|**Supported technologies**| 40+|

## Lokalise
Localization and translation software tool. Besides standard features, Lokalise provides Real-time chat translation for Hubspot, Intercom, and other communication applications. As well as Transifex, Lokalise is free for academic and open-source projects.
|| |
|--|--|
|**Trial Period**|yes, 14 days|
|**All features available from the start**| no|
|**Number of projects**|Unlimited for all plans|
|**Pricing Plans**|Start (120$), Essential (230$), Pro (825$), Enterprise (custom)|
|**Free plan**|for academic and open source projects| 
|**Mobile SDK (OTA**)|yes|
|**API Integrations**|yes|
|**GitHub, GitLab integrations**|yes|
|**Machine Translation**|yes|
|**Customer Support**| yes|
|**Supported technologies**| 30+|

## Crowdin
Crowdin supports various translation formats, catering to popular mobile platforms, desktops, office applications, and other components. The number of integration accessible to customers depends on their chosen pricing plan, with the Free, Pro, and Team Plans offering 1-3 integrations accordingly and the higher-tier plans (Team + and Enterprise) providing unlimited integration options. 
|| |
|--|--|
|**Trial Period**|yes, a 14-day free trial of the Team plan|
|**All features available from the start**| no|
|**Number of projects**|Unlimited public and Unlimited private for a Team plan and aboveт|
|**Pricing Plans**|Free, Pro (59$), Team (179$), Team + (450$), Business (custom fee)|
|**Free plan**|for academic and open source projects| 
|**Mobile SDK (OTA**)|yes|
|**API Integrations**|yes|
|**GitHub, GitLab integrations**|yes|
|**Machine Translation**|yes|
|**Customer Support**| yes|
|**Supported technologies**| 120+|


---


## Comparison of the Translation Management Systems
We didn’t include Phrase in this comparison as they split their translation abilities into two products - Phrase TMS as a translation management system and Phrase Strings as an app localization platform. Thus, for some tasks, you will need to use two products simultaneously. 


***Figma integration** is among the most required for designers and translators during localization. 
***Zendesk integration** allows to serve your help center in various languages.

Lingohub provides the Figma plugin/Zendesk integration as a paid Add-on for €49 per month - you can buy it for any pricing plan for any period. 

Lokalise provides the Figma plugin/Zendesk integration only in the Pro plan and above, and the price for the Pro plan starts from $825 monthly. 

The pricing for add-ons in Transifex is closed, and you need to contact their team to get this information. 

Regarding Crowdin - you can get any one integration from their store in the free plan, besides 
GitHub/GitLab Enterprise and a few additional. That means that you will have only 1 integration. If you need Figma + Zendesk (2 integrations), choose the Pro plan, which will cost $50.

## How much does it cost to localize with different TMS?

At this stage, you have already familiarized yourself with the main features of the translation management platforms. Let's now calculate how much it will cost to localize products with them. For this question, we prepared a list of organizations with requirements. Be aware that some companies count the price based on the number of words for translation - others use characters.

**Organization A** needs three user seats and five projects. They are looking for GitHub and GitLab integrations. The total languages for translation are three, requiring 126000 characters (21K words or 4200 segments). Let's count prices for the remaining four companies.

The Lingohub plan which will cover all the requirements is called Starter and costs €49 per month (or cheaper in case of annual billing.)

The basic plan in **Lokalise** is $120 and it covers all of the requirements. Take into account that Lokalise provides hosted keywords for the projects. This quota controls how many translation keys a total customer can store in all projects. If you surpass the limit, the account will simply be charged on the next payment cycle for the extra amount of keys, but you will not be limited in any way. 

By using **Transifex** you need a Basic plan which will cost 80$

In the case of **Crowdin**, if you need five private projects, you should choose a Team plan, otherwise the part of your projects will be public. It costs in general $150 and covers all of the requirements of the organization.

---


The next - **Organization B** has more wide needs. They are looking for 12 user seats and seven projects. The total languages for translation are four, and they require ~ 220000 words for translation. Also, additionally to GitHub and Gitlab integrations, Organization B needs Figma and 25.000 MAU or 375.000 requests. 


|||
|--|--|
|Pricing plan| €119|
|Total segments|€29 (additional 25k segments cost)|
|Figma plugin|€49|
|**Total**|**€197**|

**Lingohub** provides all the essentials in the Team plan - €119 additionally you need to pay for the Figma plugin and additional segments. So the total monthly cost will be:

**Lokalise** provides Figma integration only in the Pro plan. The pricing is $825, and it includes 30,000 hosted keys. 

In the case of **Transifex**, you can use a Figma, starting from the Premium plan. Also, for this plan, you need to buy the extra words, and the final price will be $525 + the price for the Figma add-on.
 
**Crowdin**. To plug three integrations, the customer should choose at least Team Plan and pay for additional hosted words. The approximate cost is around $204 based on the Crowdin internal calculator.


## The sum up
 
Choosing a translation management platform is a complex question that includes considering the TMS's abilities, customers' requirements, and how these things match each other. The two examples of the organizations' requirements presented above show that Lingohub became a more profitable solution than others regarding provided tools and price. 

When selecting a TMS, it is essential to keep in mind the current needs and the potential for future growth and expansion. By choosing a TMS with scalability in mind, you can ensure that it will continue to meet your needs as your business grows. We at Lingohub are always ready to help and discuss the project's requirements and your localization needs - schedule a short demo call, and let's grow together.  

***Disclaimer***

*The owners' property is all the product information (logo, name, brands). All service names and data are for identification purposes only.
All the information on this page is published just for an acquaintance without the intention to endorse the Lingohub product to any third parties and without any guarantees. 
The information on this page is provided from publicly available sources and is valid as of 01.10.2023. Lingohub is not responsible for changing data on the sources and warns that the actual data can differ.
To report issues, contact us - at info@lingohub.com.*

Choosing the best-fit translation platform can be a challenge for businesses. This article overviews the popular solutions on the market and compares them. 

The 2023 localization platforms overview

You face localization every day without even thinking about it. When using some applications, opening websites, reading banners, or watching advertisements of foreign brands.
 
At the same time, your eye can quickly catch unusual grammar constructions or incorrect translations, affecting the message's impact. Consider the fail scenario where an advertisement showcases "cookies" in Britain, although locals commonly use "biscuits." In its turn, the USA uses both terms with different meanings. So, correct localization is about perfectly adapting your product to the concrete region with its particularity through translation.

Suppose we overview more complex examples when the business needs not only to translate correctly but to replace entire words or sentences, especially idioms, to provide the correct message to the audience - this process has its naming - transcreation. This article details what it means, how it works, and examples of successful cases. Scroll down, and let's dive into this topic with us.

The concept of transcreation

Language is not a mere vehicle for words; it is a carrier of culture, history, and emotion. If we look at the entire process of business adaptation for the new region in terms of content creation, we will see the following stages - translation, localization, and transcreation. Each of these stages has its own tasks and goals.

Translation is a process with a low level of creativity, where the most attention is focused on literality. Translation can be a valuable tool in business for adapting documents such as scientific reports, technical content, and other forms of documentation. There is no task ahead for linguists to attract readers - only inform.

Localization is a much more complex process where the level of creativity is higher, but translators are still targeted on the source text without significant changes. Localization may apply to general app and website content. Its task is to talk to the user in appropriate language, use the local regulations, cultural nuances, etc. The main objective of localization is to provide the target audience with a smooth experience, making them feel like the content was initially intended for them.

And here we come to the transcreation. The word's etymology comes from combining two terms - "translate" and "create." From the name itself, it is clear that this kind of content adaptation requires high creativity. The main task of transcreation is to translate the idea of the message to evoke the same emotions in different regions worldwide. So often, this process ignores the translation's literality and could use entirely other words. We can usually see the transcreation of slogans, advertisements, games, etc.

## Transcreation: bridging the cultural gap

As described in the previous paragraph, transcreation targets translating the emotional message, so this process requires a deeper understanding of regional language and cultural nuances. The pun, references to pop trends throughout recent years, and understanding the background of the current generation you targeted can build an emotional connection between you and your audience. Thus, transcreation requires translating, marketing, researching skills, and local experience. Let's summarize the above and look at the key points you should consider during transcreation: 

1. Cultural peculiarities: Transcreation considers the cultural context of the target audience. It ensures the content aligns with their beliefs and values, avoiding inadvertent cultural faux pas.
2. Emotional impact: Transcreation prioritizes the emotional impact of the message. It considers the tone, style, and nuances that resonate with the target audience, building a deeper connection.
3. Consistency through regions: Paradoxically, transcreation also ensures global consistency. By preserving the core message and emotional resonance, businesses can maintain a unified brand identity across diverse markets

---

Playing on the emotions can have a significant effect. Just look at how the Barbie movie has painted the whole world pink. Total fascination with pink is likely justified by the fact that most Barbie are closely connected with their positive emotions in childhood. In his interview, Warner Bros. president of global marketing, <a href="https://variety.com/2023/film/box-office/barbie-marketing-campaign-explained-warner-bros-1235677922/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Josh Goldstin</a>, explained that some brands started using Barbie color as a licensing deal. Still, some chose this strategy when they saw its high involvement in the culture. 

## Transcreation best practices

Transcreation requires much more resources than translation and even localization. It must be subjected to a streamlined workflow to achieve the best results. Here's precisely what you should include to reach the best result. 

1. **Prioritize the content**. This approach will make the content adaptation much cheaper. Decide which content can be only translated which needs localization or transcreation. 
2. **Collaboration**. Transcreation is impossible without the cooperation of the experts - marketers, linguists, designers, and local experts (depending on the task). This process is targeted at a deep understanding of the culture and a high level of research. Build transparent processes inside your team with clear rules. 
3. **Documentation**. As well as the localization, transcreation requires all possible information - style guide, glossary, project brief, audience portrait, etc. Prepare all the information to make the brainstorming effective. 
4. **Don't stop with the first success**. As the main task of transcreation is to provide an emotional message, it can be challenging to find "that one" phrase or sentence. But never stop in the first success - generate as many options as possible to research the audience's reaction.
5. **Quality control**. Depending on the type of the project, you can use experimental ad campaigns, local experts, focus groups, or A/B testing so as not to ruin your brand after release (further, we will consider such situations, too.)


## Transcreation case studies

Transcreation is frequently encountered in slogans, brand names, and creative industries. To illustrate compelling examples, let's examine some case studies from different areas.

**Sprite's slogan**, "Obey Your Thirst," in the Ukrainian language, was translated as "Don't let yourself dry out." The possible reason is that the word "obey" has a more negative connotation.

**Snickers** - "*You're unfiltered when you're hungry. Snickers satisfies*." This slogan was translated into Ukrainian with the following: "You are not you when you are hungry. Don't slow down and "**snickersnee**." The word "**snickersnee**" became a neologism that means "**to eat snickers**." Also, as you can see, the word "unfiltered" was replaced by another construction to keep the original meaning.

---
Read more examples of [products adaptation fails](/blog/fired-ducks-and-other-assorted-localization-fails) in our blog.
---
"**Black Friday**" somewhere is "**White Friday**." This example sounds very simple, but it shows the importance of understanding the local culture even if you provide significant discounts. The thing is that in the Muslim world, Friday is a crucial day of prayer and gathering. So initially, such a day couldn't be "black." Firstly, such an approach with naming was used by <a href="https://advertising.amazon.com/library/guides/white-friday" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Amazon in 2014</a>. 

One of the industries where you can meet the transcreation even more often is a cinematic. Just take a look at these examples of English-Ukrainian transcreation:
- "The Hateful Eight" - "The Vile Eight"
- "Hangover" - "The Bachelor Party in Vegas"
- "Over the Hedge" - "Forest Brotherhood"
- "Frozen" - "The Cold Heart"
- "The Intouchables" - "1+1"

So, as you can see, the original message and transcreation are different messages in the context of literal translation. 


## How can Lingohub help with translation, localization, and transcreation?

No matter which approach you would love to use in your project, Lingohub can help with any task. Our comprehensive solutions aim to help businesses spread their influence to any worldwide region. Just a part of the features we provide: 
- [Machine translation](/features/machine-translation) with the combined power of the robust engines - DeepL, Google Translate, and Amazon Translate. Use it to pre-translate the entire project to save your team's time. You can set up the prefill rules and automatically apply the machine translation to all empty segments. 
- [Glossary](/features/term-base) (term base). Does your project have some untranslated terms, or do you want to provide a specific translation for a phrase or word - our term base is a perfect solution for it. With a large amount of context information, it will help your linguists get a correct translation and additional, valuable data. 
- Multi editor. In the context of transcreation, it is essential to see the translation in different languages simultaneously to keep the consistency of the project. We have a multi-editor to help you. Get, analyze, and work with all the information in a single interface.

- **Professional translators**. Have no time to find a reliable professional? Lingohub can help. You can order the translation or proofreading inside the application with a transparent pricing calculation from the start. 
This is far from all the possibilities. We provide the tools for each participator of localization - translators, managers, designers, and developers. From the Figma plugin to automatically generated transactions, from integrations with repositories to various reports. 


## Conclusion

Transcreation is an exciting process that requires a lot of creativity and a high level of local culture. But all the efforts spent on it will bring much more profit. As a part of localization, transcreating will build emotional contact with your audience to build trustful relationships. 

To successfully handle all challenges, use a specialized tool to build and control the process. At Lingohub, we would be happy to schedule a personalized [demo call ](/demo)with you to discuss your specific case and showcase the capabilities of our product; just choose a convenient day and time! Additionally, you can take advantage of our 14-day free trial to explore all of our features.


Transcreation involves a more creative approach to translation than localization. It allows the adaptation of slogans, brand voices, and even names for local markets. Read more in the blog.