How Localisation Increases Sales
1st April 2016
If you’re thinking of translating your website and product information, with a view to localisation for the overseas markets, a recent report from a small games studio might provide you with the extra incentive to get it done sooner rather than later.
As TinyBuild CEO, Alex Nichiporchik, states:
“You should seriously localise your games for Western Europe […] Punch Club clearly shows that localising games to Western European languages pays off.”
The report on their website details the localisation of their game, Punch Club, and the resulting effect on sales. Alex explains that Chinese players were already pirating the game when it launched in English, meaning they didn’t wait for a localised version to arrive. Conversely, the German and French translated versions, released at launch, resulted in a “bought instead of pirated” rate of 46 percent and 18.8 percent, respectively.
While not everyone is in the video games industry, the obvious takeaway from the report is that localisation has a direct impact on sales figures. The report also raises an interesting point with regards to engagement – TinyBuild later released a localised version of the game in Brazilian Portuguese and unfortunately for them, saw the amount of pirated versions being installed skyrocket!
The video games industry has always had a problem with piracy, and to a certain extent, almost every other industry has problems with counterfeiting, from fashion labels to pharmaceuticals. However, if we ignore the legality of things for a moment, the massive increase in demand in Brazil shows that customers really do want products in their own language. An English game that was largely ignored becomes an overnight hit as soon as localisation has been applied for the target market.
Given this huge surge of interest in the localised version of the game, it’s easy to see how translation of all or just part of your website and promotional material can lead to an increase in sales in little to no time. As we’ve detailed before, the advantages of localisation can bring a wealth of benefits to a company, including increased overseas credibility and a strong, international image.
If you’re looking to make an impact overseas, make you sure you contact the localisation and translation experts, here, at Foreign Tongues.
Contact us now on 0800 032 5939 or translation@foreigntongues.co.uk to see how we can help you with your next project.
