36 min
Iterative Localisation of what3words with Maiju Nurminen Thrive in Global Markets
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- Management
Maiju Nurminen is the Localisation Manager & Strategist of what3words, a company that’s given every 3-metre square in the world a unique code of 3 random words — a what3words address. Maiju has built the localisation programme at what3words from scratch, and as the company has scaled up and expanded to new markets, she’s continued to develop localisation at what3words into a highly impactful and cross-functional operation.
In 2021, Maiju’s innovative localisation methodology called ‘Impact Localisation’ became successful also in the LocWorld Process Innovation Challenge where Maiju was recognised as one of the top 5 localisation innovators of the year in Europe. Maiju emphasises the role of localisation as a strategic tool that helps businesses win where they play by empathising with their target audiences and approaching localisation holistically and iteratively in the key conversion points with their customers.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The role of localisation is a strategic tool that enables you to thrive globally. Global companies or small to medium-sized companies who would like to grow globally should invest in localisation in order to identify key touchpoints of target customers and also localisation should be integrated with content design, product development and marketing. In this way, you can be a market leader instead of being available in a certain market.
BEST MOMENTS
“Organizations reduce localisation to a linguistic exercise, but this is a very crude implication, of course, you replicate what you say in other languages and you major the quality of that process in terms of cost and linguistic accuracy and correctness. This idea of actually connecting and empathizing with that is really speaking the same language as your target audience may be forgotten.”
“It is very important to keep in mind that it is not uncommon, especially in Europe I think falling to bias that everybody speaks English because the ability to speak or understand the language, it does not mean that the content will have the same impact on that audience.”
“Different audiences value different things and this is a direct impact on what they think of your brand and whether they understand and agree with the value of your product or service.”
“It is a good place to start for anyone, anything it is to look at the work you are doing in your primary language. The second aspect could be the messaging. Are you focusing more on assets or features and why are you calling out these specific features or benefits? And thirdly, we can of course think of the language. Which language are you choosing and why? How are you expressing your brand identity in it? How are you actually using that language? This could be short of a simple framework of three points to start with and work with the idea that these are the three elements that are the key contributors to an experience. Crucially, I think we need to notice that only one of them was language and there is a difference between being available in a certain market or language or being a market leader.”
“My colleagues and I started to wonder what would happen if localisation didn’t stop there and if it was more iterative and guided by data instead of something that you know which is complete and then we never reviewed it.”
ABOUT THE HOST
Sıla Erol started her journey at TTC wetranslate Ltd as a Project Coordinator and has been continuing as a Key Account Manager after graduating from Translation and Interpreting Department at Ege University in Izmir/Turkey.
CONTACT METHOD
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sılaerol
Website: https://ttcwetranslate.com/
ABOUT THE GUEST
Maiju Nurminen is the Localisation Manager & Strategist of what3words. Maiju’s innovative localisation methodology called ‘Impact Localisation’ became successful also in the LocWorld Process Innovation Challenge where she was recognised as one of the top 5 localisation innovators of the year in
Maiju Nurminen is the Localisation Manager & Strategist of what3words, a company that’s given every 3-metre square in the world a unique code of 3 random words — a what3words address. Maiju has built the localisation programme at what3words from scratch, and as the company has scaled up and expanded to new markets, she’s continued to develop localisation at what3words into a highly impactful and cross-functional operation.
In 2021, Maiju’s innovative localisation methodology called ‘Impact Localisation’ became successful also in the LocWorld Process Innovation Challenge where Maiju was recognised as one of the top 5 localisation innovators of the year in Europe. Maiju emphasises the role of localisation as a strategic tool that helps businesses win where they play by empathising with their target audiences and approaching localisation holistically and iteratively in the key conversion points with their customers.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The role of localisation is a strategic tool that enables you to thrive globally. Global companies or small to medium-sized companies who would like to grow globally should invest in localisation in order to identify key touchpoints of target customers and also localisation should be integrated with content design, product development and marketing. In this way, you can be a market leader instead of being available in a certain market.
BEST MOMENTS
“Organizations reduce localisation to a linguistic exercise, but this is a very crude implication, of course, you replicate what you say in other languages and you major the quality of that process in terms of cost and linguistic accuracy and correctness. This idea of actually connecting and empathizing with that is really speaking the same language as your target audience may be forgotten.”
“It is very important to keep in mind that it is not uncommon, especially in Europe I think falling to bias that everybody speaks English because the ability to speak or understand the language, it does not mean that the content will have the same impact on that audience.”
“Different audiences value different things and this is a direct impact on what they think of your brand and whether they understand and agree with the value of your product or service.”
“It is a good place to start for anyone, anything it is to look at the work you are doing in your primary language. The second aspect could be the messaging. Are you focusing more on assets or features and why are you calling out these specific features or benefits? And thirdly, we can of course think of the language. Which language are you choosing and why? How are you expressing your brand identity in it? How are you actually using that language? This could be short of a simple framework of three points to start with and work with the idea that these are the three elements that are the key contributors to an experience. Crucially, I think we need to notice that only one of them was language and there is a difference between being available in a certain market or language or being a market leader.”
“My colleagues and I started to wonder what would happen if localisation didn’t stop there and if it was more iterative and guided by data instead of something that you know which is complete and then we never reviewed it.”
ABOUT THE HOST
Sıla Erol started her journey at TTC wetranslate Ltd as a Project Coordinator and has been continuing as a Key Account Manager after graduating from Translation and Interpreting Department at Ege University in Izmir/Turkey.
CONTACT METHOD
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sılaerol
Website: https://ttcwetranslate.com/
ABOUT THE GUEST
Maiju Nurminen is the Localisation Manager & Strategist of what3words. Maiju’s innovative localisation methodology called ‘Impact Localisation’ became successful also in the LocWorld Process Innovation Challenge where she was recognised as one of the top 5 localisation innovators of the year in
36 min