> if you found a good localizer for Japan, I'd be happy to know
> of him/her.
> Might be interesting to other developers too.
Localization quality is something you pay or bargain for when it comes to
Japan. Often if you have a republisher in Japan, they will localize the
product for you. But it's a matter of negotiation and their assessment of
their ability to recoup their localization costs.
There are any number of great, professional localization companies out there
-- but they can be very expensive. There are also friends, wives of friends,
and ardent users who can also be willing. However, just knowing a language
doesn't make for a competent translator.
You don't want to rely on a buddy, only to find out 8-10 months later that
the reason why sales are so poor is that the translation was totally silly
or incomprehensible.
As someone who previously owned a localization IN Japan, and has been doing
business in Japan for 15 years, here is my short list of tips to consider:
Ensure a quality localization. Japanese are very quality minded. A crap
translation means you look like crap. A bad reputation can overshadow your
product sales for years.
Localization also means adaption. If your product has culture specific
features, you will need to modify your product.
Localization goes beyond software. If there isnt a method to gather
information in Japanese about your product, then how will anyone find it,
let alone determine if it meets their needs or not? This is your pre-sales
strategy for Japan.
The importance of support. Is there community support in Japanese for your
product? Sometimes for shareware apps, you can get by with just community
support. No support strategy will impact your pre-sales strategy.
Timeliness. If your Japanese version is always far behind your English (or
other language) version, it will reduce interest.
Best regards,
Lynn Fredricks
President
Proactive International, LLC
- Because it is about who you know.(tm)
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