Why localization is necessary to win over the Indian market?
If a company is looking to do business in India, then that entity needs to understand the geography
for proper market testing and preparation. A comprehensive knowledge of the local customer base
and the adaptation of materials to suit them can mean the difference between failure and success.
In this article we will look into some crucial considerations for selling goods and services in India,
from the languages that we seek, to traditions, culture and customs that we should be aware of –
and how these relate to our localization and translation services.
The landscape of languages in India?
Companies have a wide market opportunity in India irrespective of the domain because of its diverse
ecosystem comprising of culture and language which influence the varied businesses.
India is a linguistically assorted nation that is home to languages from six different South Asian
language families, as well as a huge chunk of minor languages and isolates. Technically speaking,
India’s constitution doesn’t name a national language, but rather 22 ‘scheduled’ languages, which
have official status and whose utilization is encouraged. Out of them Hindi stands out to be the most
utilized languages throughout our country and world’s fourth most spoken language (after
Mandarin, English and Spanish).
The vast linguistic variance is one reason why organizations looking to do business in India need to
work with professional localization services. However, there are so much scope in terms of
businesses that people get confused whether to opt for Hindi to English translation services or
English to some other prevailing languages in the country. This is where localization comes into the
picture.
Indian Traditions, Culture and Customs
One needs to question how well do they know the Indian customs, traditions and culture? Engaging
with potential customers in a country means dealing with them in a meaningful way. But trust
doesn’t come easily -it needs to be mapped. Localization is one way to do this.
What is meant by Localization? It is the adaptation of copy to meet the cultural expectations of a
specific audience. When it comes to localizing content for the Indian market, there is so much to
learn. Since all the techniques are well versed with professional localization service providers, it
becomes imperative of the varied organizations to take assistance from them.
As we all know that India is the world’s seventh largest country by area, it is home to a plethora os
languages, customs, food and much more. From architecture to dance and music, there are plenty of
cultural differences from one corner to the other.
In fact, the ‘Indian’ culture is actually made up of the unique cultures of thousands of different
communities. Let’s us have a look at some of the few components that contributes to this-
Religion
Localization companies in India stays updated with the latest trends in religion from time to time.
They are well versed with the concept of Karman and Dharma according to religions like Buddhism,
Jainism, Sikhism and Hinduism. In terms of adherents, Hinduism tops the list by far, being practiced
by 80% of Indians.
Those companies looking to seek attention of the majority Indian needs to be aware of the values of
these religions as part of doing business in the country.
Family Values
Indian society is very family driven. For decades, Indian social structures have seen several
generations of family and extended family members living at one place. However, this joint family
system has exponentially given way to more nuclear families in recent years. So as it becomes more
progressive and modern, the families will dig deep into digitalization and hence their urge to visit
websites and applications will increase. This is where website localization and software localization
services come into the picture to sort it out for the companies who wants to be at the top of the
game.
Indian Heritage
India boasts 38 World Heritage Sites- the sixth largest number of sites in a single country. Around 30
of these cultural sites, with breathtaking architecture and monuments drawing in tourists from
around the globe. The preservation of Indian heritage also focuses on literature, art, the performing
arts and many more. This rich cultural offering is being preserved for succeeding generations as well
as being promoted to international audiences.
Breaking into the Indian consumer market- When it comes to penetrating the Indian market, the
Harvard Business Review recommends using ecommerce to tap into the exponential growth of its
online channel. Local selling and sourcing are key to this, and this is where localization and
translation are key factors.