Accessibility and localization are two essential aspects of creating user-friendly and inclusive content for global audiences. Accessibility refers to the design and development of products, services, and environments that can be used by people with different abilities and preferences. Localization refers to the process of adapting content to the linguistic, cultural, and technical requirements of a specific market or region. Both accessibility and localization aim to provide a positive and engaging user experience for diverse and multilingual customers.
The accessibility and localization industry has seen remarkable growth and innovation in the past few years, driven by several factors such as:
The increasing demand for digital content and services across various sectors and domains, such as e-commerce, education, entertainment, health, finance, and government.
The rising awareness and recognition of the social and economic benefits of accessibility and localization, such as enhancing customer satisfaction, loyalty, retention, and advocacy, as well as improving brand reputation, reach, and competitiveness.
The evolving legal and regulatory frameworks that mandate or encourage accessibility and localization standards and practices, such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), the European Accessibility Act (EAA), and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).
The rapid development and adoption of new technologies and tools that enable and facilitate accessibility and localization, such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), natural language processing (NLP), speech recognition, text-to-speech, computer vision, and cloud computing.
Some of the current and emerging trends and insights that are shaping the future of the accessibility and localization industry are:
A shift in the linguistic supply chains towards improving quality, speed, and transparency. According to a recent industry study, most companies found that they obtained better quality, a higher level of transparency, and faster turnaround times when they were able to have direct contact with translators and linguists in addition to working with agencies. This implies that companies will continue to work more closely with both translators and agencies to produce more localized content that meets the expectations and needs of their target audiences.
AI is expanding beyond the purpose of machine translation. AI is not only used to automate and augment the translation process, but also to enhance other aspects of accessibility and localization, such as content creation, analysis, optimization, testing, and evaluation. For example, AI can help generate accessible and localized content that is relevant, engaging, and personalized for different users, such as captions, subtitles, audio descriptions, summaries, and recommendations. AI can also help analyze and optimize the content for various factors, such as language, tone, sentiment, readability, accessibility, and buyer journey impact.
Using data to advocate for accessibility and localization as a profit center. Data is a powerful tool to measure and demonstrate the value and impact of accessibility and localization on business outcomes and objectives, such as revenue, conversion, retention, and loyalty. Data can also help identify and prioritize the opportunities and challenges for accessibility and localization, such as market potential, customer feedback, user behavior, and competitor analysis. Data-driven decision-making and reporting can help justify and secure the investment and support for accessibility and localization initiatives and programs.
B2B localization will evolve in its direction. Business-to-business (B2B) localization is different from business-to-consumer (B2C) localization in terms of the content types, formats, volumes, and quality requirements. B2B localization often involves more technical, complex, and specialized content, such as software, manuals, contracts, and proposals, that require higher levels of accuracy, consistency, and compliance. B2B localization also faces more challenges and constraints, such as longer sales cycles, multiple stakeholders, and stricter regulations. B2B localization will need to adopt more tailored and flexible solutions and strategies, such as modularization, standardization, and customization, to meet the specific needs and expectations of the B2B customers.
Accessibility and localization are not only trends but also necessities and opportunities for the modern and globalized world. By following and adapting to the latest industry trends and insights, accessibility and localization professionals and practitioners can deliver more value and impact to their customers and users, as well as to their organizations and careers.
Source: 1. Welocalize.com 2. Smartcat.com 3. Multilingual.com
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