Localisation is often treated as a translation exercise. Change the language, adapt the currency, swap the images. For some markets and some products, that is sufficient. For most, it is the beginning of the process rather than the end of it.
The difference between translation and localisation
Translation converts content from one language to another. Localisation converts the entire customer experience to be appropriate and relevant for a specific market. Those are different activities with different implications.
Real localisation asks: do customers in this market describe the problem we solve in the same way as customers in our home market? Do they make purchase decisions through the same process? Do they use the same channels to discover products? Do they have the same reference points for trust and credibility? Are there cultural, regulatory, or competitive factors that change how the product should be positioned?
The answers to those questions determine what actually needs to change, which is often more than the language and less than the fundamental value proposition.
What localisation looks like in practice
For some markets, localisation is primarily about the examples and references used in marketing. A case study from a company the target market has never heard of carries less weight than one from a recognisable name in that market. Social proof from local customers, local events, and local press is more credible than the same volume of evidence from the home market.
For other markets, localisation requires adapting the product itself, not just the marketing. Payment methods, compliance requirements, language in the product interface, and support hours are all product questions that have marketing implications. A product that is technically available in a market but not genuinely usable by its customers is not really localised.
Where startups underinvest in localisation
The most common underinvestment is in customer research before the entry. Startups often assume that what they know about their home market customer transfers to the new market without significant adaptation. A week of customer interviews in the target market before committing to a go-to-market plan is one of the highest-return research investments available.
Localisation is not translation. It is understanding how a specific market's customers think, decide, and buy, and adapting everything from messaging to product to match.