Product localisation is adapting it to the requirements of the target market beyond translating texts. For physical products, this concerns technical standards, voltage and plug type, units, safety markings, mandatory information on packaging, and instructions in the local language, which is often a legal requirement. For software and services, it concerns date, number and address formats, currencies, payment methods, tax settings, and sometimes also different processes arising from local practices. The cost of localisation is systematically underestimated when preparing an expansion, even though it can exceed marketing costs. It is worth establishing its scope before deciding to enter, because for some products and countries it can make the whole plan unprofitable.
See also: Localisation vs translation, Certification and standards for export, Multilingual website.
