Lionbridge shared insights from a recent report in partnership with Econsultancy on Monetizing International Content

1. Where Global
Companies Stand
on Internationalization
and Localization

2. 02
6 keys to a global mindset
This much was clear from a recent Econsultancy study examining the role
of content in global expansion, which found that content leaders are almost
twice as likely as their peers to use a well-developed framework for
internationalization and localization.
In one part of the study, 259 respondents were asked how strongly they
agree with six codes of honor in today’s global content space. The fact
most agreed wasn’t surprising. But the contrasts between leading and
mainstream companies were sharper than most industries would expect.
How well does your organization align
with the following statements?
When building, developing, and managing content
within a universal framework, there are more than
a few bases for international brands to cover.

3. 03
Percentage of leading and mainstream
companies strongly agreeing with
statements relating to internationalization
and localization of content

4. Internationalization is the process of creating and designing globally
prepared platforms, which sets the stage for successful translation,
localization, and globalization.
According to leading companies, it’s best to bake internationalization
into a content strategy from the very beginning to avoid costly
re-engineering of systems while localizing.
Just under two-thirds of leaders agree that internationalization
is critical to global expansion, compared to a surprisingly low
proportion of mainstream organizations.
Internationalization of content is
critical for creating a global brand.”
65
36
Leaders Mainstream
04
Source: International Content: Monetizing Global Content Assets and Measuring Success (Econsultancy, 2017)

5. Standardized, global infrastructure has become increasingly
important from an internationalization perspective.
Using technology with a modular design, companies don’t need
to make changes across multiple locales. This means cost and
time savings, seamless CMS integration, brand consistency, and
easier localization of different content types.
Leaders are over five times more likely than the mainstream
to have a technology platform that is fit for purpose.
We have a modular, extensible, and
standardized tech platform that facilitates
expansion into other markets.”
63
12
Leaders Mainstream
05
Source: International Content: Monetizing Global Content Assets and Measuring Success (Econsultancy, 2017)

6. Global companies are under ongoing pressure to produce
sufficient volumes of content across markets—but crucially,
content that resonates.
Various studies show that website visitors favor content that
fits their linguistic needs and cultural expectations.
Leaders are more likely to deliver on their customers’ proven
preference for localized content. Mainstream companies are
less likely, however, as they often lack the evidence to
support this hypothesis.
Our content performs significantly better
when it is adapted for a local market.”
62
22
Leaders Mainstream
06
Source: International Content: Monetizing Global Content Assets and Measuring Success (Econsultancy, 2017)

7. Digital transformation, the key to optimizing CX, now affects
every part of every business.
Remarkable experiences are still rare, though. This makes
culturally relevant content a crucial differentiator.
In fact, leaders are three times more likely to believe that
carefully planned international content is integral to digitization
in the age of the customer.
Our organization understands how crucial
a global content strategy is for customer
experience and digital transformation.”
57
18
Leaders Mainstream
07
Source: International Content: Monetizing Global Content Assets and Measuring Success (Econsultancy, 2017)

8. As expanding companies increase their global content output, more
are looking toward automated processes for easier, faster translation.
For example, major brands focus on tight control over language from
the outset, ensuring it’s free from local idiom or complicated syntax
that is lost on international audiences.
This is an area where leaders are likely to excel, while only 10% of
mainstream have such a process in place.
We use controlled language (i.e. simplified
for grammar and vocabulary) that can be
translated more easily.”
52
10
Leaders Mainstream
08
Source: International Content: Monetizing Global Content Assets and Measuring Success (Econsultancy, 2017)

9. The gulf between leaders and the mainstream is clear across all
statements, but no chasm is deeper than in customer journey mapping.
Leading companies are very focused on end-to-end visibility into the user
journey, citing this as the best way to prioritize and tailor their message.
Just over half of them map and target global content to customer
interactions, compared to only 8% of the mainstream.
Source: International Content: Monetizing Global Content Assets and Measuring Success (Econsultancy, 2017)
We map all our global content against the
customer journey, and then target accordingly.”
51
8
Leaders Mainstream
09

10. It’s all in the prep
Tight control over
language, from ideation
to production
Predetermined
technologies
and resources
A laser focus on
customer intent
Only well-planned
content to the overall
customer experience
Download the full report by Econsultancy, published in association
with Lionbridge, for further insight into international content success.
And there’s more data where that came from.
10
Across the board, leaders apply: