A localisation career offers a wide variety of employment options, from translators and interpreters to engineers and project managers. Localisation is an incredibly diverse industry with many niches you can move into, depending on your interests and career goals.
But, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by your options, so in this article, we’re aiming to simplify the process.
We’ll go through some of the most common sectors that localisation professionals find employment in to help you decide which sector is right for your localisation career, including:
- Gaming
- Multimedia and Entertainment
- IT
- Transcreation
- Manufacturing
- eCommerce
- Life sciences
- Travel and Hospitality
- Government
- Legal
- Financial
So, let’s take a closer look at what each one entails.
Gaming
Avid gamers will feel right at home in this sector, merging their love of video games with their translation skills.
The video game industry is booming, with the global market value expected to reach $339.95 billion by 2027, so job security is unlikely to be an issue any time soon.
Roles in this sector typically involve:
- Adapting video games for new markets
- Translating user guides, tutorials and supporting materials
- Subtitling and on-screen captioning
- Understanding various platform nuances (e.g. mobile, PC, and console)
- QA and testing services to detect and fix bugs (functional and linguistic)
- Working with foreign-language voice artists and recording studios for in-game audio
Multimedia & Entertainment
The multimedia industry represents a massive opportunity for skilled localisation professionals. As the popularity of streaming platforms continues to grow, so too does the demand to bring more content into new markets.
For example, Netflix and Amazon Prime are releasing shows on a global scale, resulting in a greater demand for dubbed and subtitled content.
Roles in this sector typically involve:
- A heavy focus on audio localisation (dubbing)
- Subtitling
- Captioning
- Working with voice-over artists and recording studios
- Translating supporting materials
IT – Information Technology
Localisation skills will always be needed in the IT industry, from giant corporations like Microsoft right down to indie mobile app developers.
New and innovative technologies are emerging all the time, so if you are the kind of person that loves to tackle new and interesting challenges, this might be the sector for you.
Roles in this sector typically involve:
- Translating user manuals
- UX/UI design
- Product development
- QA and in-language testing
- Internationalisation
- Working with content management systems
- Localisation engineering
Transcreation
Transcreation is an exciting sector to work in since it often involves creating entirely new content in the target language.
Your goal is to accurately replicate the tone, style and context of the original so that it resonates just as much with international audiences.
Roles in this sector typically involve:
- Adapting ad campaigns and slogans for international markets
- Exposure to marketing, PR and advertising communities
- Working with creative professionals
- Developing an understanding of international brand management
- Exposure to online and offline marketing channels
Manufacturing
The manufacturing sector encompasses everything from construction, energy and mining to the automotive and aerospace industries.
Roles in this sector typically involve:
- Translating user manuals, health and safety communications or training materials
- Technical documentation and drawing
- Installation and maintenance guides
- Regulatory compliance
- Catalogues
- Inventory lists
eCommerce
Working in the eCommerce industry involves helping online retailers to reach new markets, attract and engage customers, and drive conversions on a global scale.
Roles in this sector typically involve:
- Translating websites to ensure they are culturally suitable, usable, and accessible
- Working on eCommerce infrastructure platforms like Shopify
- Incorporating elements of digital and omnichannel marketing
- Multilingual SEO
- UX/UI design
- Conversion rate optimisation
Life Sciences
If you’re interested in working in the pharmaceutical, bioengineering or medical device industries, then this is the niche for you. Life Sciences is one of the fastest-growing fields in the localisation industry, and it is also a highly specialised one.
Accurate translation is critical since even the smallest error could have serious consequences for the consumer, as well as legal and financial repercussions for the company.
Roles in this sector typically involve:
- Translating a wide variety of materials, e.g. instruction manuals for medical devices, in vitro diagnostic devices, patient information leaflets, etc.
- The ability to understand the science behind the words and use the right medical or lay terminology, depending on the target audience
- Knowledge of regulatory constraints and requirements
- Supporting specialised processes such as clinical trials and linguistic validation
- Quality Assurance (quality audits, securing and maintaining ISO certifications)
Travel and Hospitality
Localisation is the key to international growth for organisations in the travel and hospitality sectors, including hotels, resorts, airlines and car rentals.
This is a great niche to choose if you are interested in marketing since the primary focus is on attracting and engaging global audiences and driving higher conversion rates.
Roles in this sector typically involve:
- Website localisation
- App development and adaptation
- UX/UI design
- Multilingual SEO
- Multicultural and search engine marketing
- International branding
- Social media strategy
Government
Skilled translators are in high demand across various public sectors, including health services, defence, finance, and communications.
Government roles often offer long term contract opportunities, which is ideal if you’re at a point in your career where you want to settle down.
Roles in this sector typically involve:
- Translating documents and websites
- Researching terminology and creating or maintaining termbases
- Contributing to quality assurance and maintenance of linguistic data
Legal
Law firms and practices often require translations, interpretations, and other localisation services to ensure compliance with the relevant laws, policies, and regulations of the target market.
Roles in this sector typically involve:
- Translating a variety of legal documentation, including contracts and agreements, merger and acquisition filings, e-discovery data, case studies, white papers, patents and trademarks, intellectual property, marketing materials, etc.
- Website and app localisation
- Knowledge of compliance and regulatory laws
Financial
Financial institutions require localisation services to attract new customers and retain existing ones, as well as to ensure compliance with the industrial and legal standards of the target market.
Because of the sensitive and confidential nature of this work, skilled financial Language Service Providers (LSPs) are in high demand.
Roles in this sector typically involve:
- Translation of financial documents (bank statements, credit documentation, finance contracts, invoices, insurance policies etc.)
- Localisation of banking software and online banking platforms
- Intellectual property translation
- Rigorous QA processes
- Awareness of information governance
What Path Will Your Localisation Career Take?
Localisation can offer a bewildering array of choices as you plan your career path, but whether you’re just starting out or else looking for a change in your current localisation position, then you’ve come to the right place.
With over 20 years of experience in the field, International Achievers Group is your localisation recruitment specialist. We know that people are what make great companies, and we pride ourselves on matching the best talent with top employers around the world.
For expert advice and career guidance, get in touch with our team today.