Localization in Decisions

What is Localization?

Localization optimizes a product or service for cultural markets that are different from the culture where the product was developed. This helps to convey the proper utilization of the service or product that may not be obvious to a different culture or audience. For example, some cultures read left to right; others read right to left, and some cultures format their dates differently. Short dates formatted as 3/1/2020 may read as March 1st, 2020 in America. In most other places, this reads as January 3rd, 2020. This helps to prevent miscommunication across different cultures, which can be detrimental to Project management.

Reasons to Localize

• Market Penetration: Company is not set up in a certain cultural environment, but the product being sold can meet the needs in that area.
• Market Expansion: Translating a tool into another language.
• Company Branding and Image: May include companies with past cultural mistakes that need to be corrected.
• Better Connect with Current Customers: To offer new tools and customizations for products or services already used.
  
  

What are the typical localization needs?

• Language: If the message of the business can't be communicated, then customers can not be effectively or efficiently served.
• Time and Date: Date formatting can differ across the world; they can be formatted as Day/Month/Year, or Month/Day/Year. If dates are read wrong, this can have disastrous effects on deadlines.
• Currency: If the company is in financing it's important to be able to convert currency, as well as show the appropriate symbols for each currency.
• Work Schedules: Coordination of different work schedules across different countries.
• Holidays: All cultures, religions, and countries have different holidays that may interfere with project management.
• Regulatory: Differing laws in all countries.

How Decisions can help

Decisions offers the capability to automize Localization through a number of services. Progres through each of the following linked documentation to learn more about how to translate languages, format time, and schedule based on different locations and cultures.

Language

• Language Translation Service Overview: Provides an overview and insight into the Translation Service. 
• Setting Up a New Language: Demonstrates how to add a new Language to the Decisions Languages Folder. 
• Set Language For User: Demonstrates how to adjust Language settings for an individual user in Decision. 
• Using Translation Services: Demonstrates how to use internal Language Translation Flows, as well as how to set up translation for a Form Label and Report Column Title. 

Time and Dates

• Timezones Overview: Provides an overview of Timezones; overview includes a comprehensive list of available timezones in Decisions. 
• Setting up a User's Timezone: Demonstrates how to edit a user's Timezone settings. 
• Setting Up Date/Time Translation:  Demonstrates how to setup Timezone translation in Decisions. 

Currency

• Foreign Exchange Module: Demonstrates how to setup and use the Foreign Exchange Module to convert currency. 
• Currency Formatting and Exchange: Demonstrates how the Foreign Exchange Module steps to convert a currency value. 

Location and Schedules

• Configuring Locations: Demonstrates how to establish business hours for a Location in the Decisions System Folder. 
• Using Location Steps in Flow: Demonstrates how to use Location steps within a Flow to Compute Business Time, as well as how to Calculate the number of Business Days within a designated time period.
• Using Location Steps for Holiday Dates: Demonstrates how to use Location steps with regard to Holiday Dates.