What is localisation?
Localisation (L10n, spelt localization in US English) is the process of adapting content, products or services for a specific region, culture or language community. It goes beyond translation to include cultural adjustments, idiomatic expressions and regional variations.
Detailed description
Localisation (often abbreviated as L10n) is the process of adapting content, products, or services for a specific region, culture, or language community. While translation converts text from one language to another, localisation encompasses a broader scope of adaptation that includes cultural references, visual elements, formatting conventions, functional elements, and the overall user experience.
The distinction between translation and localisation is best understood through examples. Translation converts the words on a webpage from English to Arabic. Localisation also mirrors the page layout for right-to-left reading, selects culturally appropriate images, adapts date and currency formats, adjusts colour schemes for cultural associations, and ensures that calls-to-action align with the target audience's decision-making norms.
Localisation applies across multiple content types and platforms: websites and web applications, mobile applications, software and SaaS products, marketing campaigns and advertising, e-commerce platforms and product listings, video games, multimedia content including video, audio, and interactive media, and documentation and training materials.
The localisation process typically involves cultural analysis of the target market, linguistic translation and cultural adaptation, technical implementation (handling code, formatting, and platform-specific requirements), quality assurance including functional testing and linguistic review, and iterative refinement based on market feedback.
LEXIGO provides comprehensive localisation services across 171 languages, covering the full spectrum from linguistic translation through cultural adaptation, technical implementation, and quality assurance, so content performs authentically in every target market.
Why it matters
Content that has been translated but not localised often feels foreign to the target audience. Users notice when a website uses the wrong date format, displays culturally irrelevant images, or structures information in ways that feel unnatural. These signals tell the audience that the content was not created with them in mind, reducing trust and engagement.
For organisations serious about serving multilingual markets, whether internationally or within Australia's diverse domestic population, localisation is the standard that ensures content genuinely resonates rather than merely being linguistically accessible.
Related questions about localisation
Is it localisation or localization?
Both spellings are correct. Localisation is the Australian and British spelling and localization is the US spelling, and Australians search for the Australian spelling more often.
What is the difference between localisation and translation?
Translation converts text from one language into another, while localisation adapts the whole experience for a market, including dates, currency, units, images, examples and tone. The aim is content that feels local, not only content in the right language.
What is an example of localisation?
A common example of localisation is a website adapted for Vietnamese-speaking Australians: the content is translated, and the forms, phone formats, imagery and examples are changed so they make sense to that community.
What does localisation mean in marketing?
In marketing, localisation means adapting campaigns, offers and messaging so they work culturally for each audience, not just linguistically. For creative headlines and slogans this often moves into transcreation.
What is another word for localisation?
Another word for localisation is adaptation, and the industry abbreviation is L10n. It is often discussed alongside internationalisation (i18n) and globalisation (G11n).
When should you use localisation rather than transcreation?
Use localisation when the message itself works across cultures and mainly needs adapting. Use transcreation when wordplay, humour or emotional hooks would not survive translation and need rewriting.