Here’s a Q&A with Brandon Paton, the CEO of Localize. Brandon is a full stack JavaScript engineer, startup founder and designer who’s passionate about making localization better for everyone.
What is Localize?
Localize is a JavaScript-based translation management system (TMS) that takes the complexity out of translating websites, web applications, mobile apps and more.
CEO at Localize
The Localize platform empowers anyone to translate their content into foreign languages so they can access new markets quickly.
Why is localization important?
Great question! Only a fraction of people worldwide can speak and read English. Companies that don’t design and translate their products for a global audience are missing out on big revenue opportunities.
When brands localize their websites, mobile apps and more, they can uncover a much larger customer base. Localization creates a tailored experience for international customers that considers things like context, search engine inquiries, cultural context and regional dialects. From Apple to Amazon, successful global companies use savvy localization strategies to reach new customers and retain them for years.
How did you get into the localization industry?
In 2014, I worked as an engineer at Verbling, which is a language learning company. The entire web application was written in English. This obviously didn’t meet the needs of the customers who did not know English well enough to navigate the website.
We quickly realized that the web application needed to be localized. So, I was tasked with localizing the application in multiple languages. This was my first introduction to localization, and it piqued my interest.
What inspired you to build Localize back in 2014?
I learned from experience that the localization process was tough and tedious. While working as the Localization Lead at Verbling, I used traditional solutions to translate everything. I realized how repetitive and time-consuming the work was. This gave me a big idea.
I wanted to make a translation solution that was much easier to install and implement. This eventually became the Localize prototype.
How was the Localize prototype different from a traditional translation management system?
A lot of translation systems require a file-based translation workflow. This is what made my work at Verbling so tough and tedious.
At Localize, we believe that if you’re using files to translate web projects, you’re doing it wrong. That’s why we give our customers a solution that’s easier to install and maintain. Our automatic content detection and translation deployment significantly reduces the complexity of the localization process.
How did you develop the early version of Localize?
From the beginning, we wanted to get it into the hands of as many people as possible. Unlike many startups at the time, who pitched ideas but didn’t develop products, we focused on product development.
Real-world opinions on Localize always informed our development roadmap. Our development was incremental and iterative.
Once we had customers, we focused on understanding and interacting with them through service and support. Building great relationships with our customers helped us get the insights we needed to build a better product.
Was it hard to find customers after you built Localize?
It took some trial and error to find the right audience in the beginning. We didn’t have any marketing gurus on our team yet, so we tried a million things to see what would stick.
For example, we created a dozen integration guides for platforms like Squarespace, HelpScout and Weebly. Then one of them, Squarespace, got some traction. Suddenly, we had 100 people using our product to translate Squarespace websites.
Those early customers were crucial for us. They taught us that a product needs to be built for a broad audience. Squarespace users had a need for website translation, but they weren’t necessarily tech-savvy developers. Our Squarespace customers raised many issues around usability. This led us to make product improvements that made Localize simpler and more effective.
What’s the biggest obstacle you’ve overcome with your business?
I think the number one mistake a lot of companies make is focusing too much on products and too little on everything else, especially sales and marketing.
I used to think that good products would naturally attract the right customer. For example, let’s say you build the next-best electric car, and it works great and can self-drive. But that doesn’t automatically mean you get all the regulatory approvals and people lining up to buy it, right? There’s more to it than that.
Similarly, I thought everybody would want our product because of how well it worked — which was maybe a little too optimistic. Now I know you’ve got to figure out who will use your product and how to reach them. But I think our early optimism drove us to overcome a lot of obstacles and create a fantastic product for our customers.
Tell us more about the latest version of Localize. What are some key benefits?
Here’s what our customers love about Localize:
- Easy implementation
Installation is simple—it’s just a single line of code that unlocks an industry-leading translation experience. - Reduced complexity
Instead of adding more work, Localize takes steps out of translation workflows. Plus, it doesn’t require a lot of internal resources to manage. - Automation
With Localize, it’s easy to automate translation tasks that might drain time and internal resources. For example, Localize automatically scans websites for updates, sends new phrases for translation and publishes updates—all without any human intervention.
I’m also really proud of how much our customers rave about our support and service. The Customer Success team takes a proactive approach to help anyone meet their localization goals. Customers appreciate the friendly, hands-on support they get from Localize.
How has Localize helped companies succeed?
A lot of companies know they need to go international, but they don’t want to waste precious time, money and resources on managing and deploying translations. Traditional localization requires tons of complex file management and oversight from developers and engineers.
That’s where we come in. Localize is intuitive and easy to implement. To simplify the website translation process, we’ve completely eliminated file transfers. This makes translation simpler and faster. In fact, we’ve helped our customers reduce time to market by up to 2/3rds.
The customer results speak for themselves. These are just a few of my favorite examples:
- After partnering with us, Verbling experienced a 5x increase in paying customers.
- Ahrefs increased their international traffic by 65% after translating with Localize.
Can anybody use Localize?
Absolutely! Localize is for everyone. Many other translation platforms have a steep learning curve, but our customers are happy to discover that it only takes a few minutes to install Localize and start translating their content.
Localize is highly adaptable, too. As a developer, it was important for me to build something that would be helpful for other developers if they wanted to build something custom. Our REST API can integrate seamlessly with almost any workflows. And it’s easy to build integrations with Localize’s developer tools.
What would you say to businesses that are hesitant about investing in localization or TMS tools?
Localization is one of the best ways to access new markets and boost your revenue. When you invest in the right TMS, you can start earning ROI fast.
Localize makes it possible to launch internationalized sites in minutes, not days, weeks, or hours. We’ve simplified the entire translation process so companies can spend more of their time and development resources on what’s most important to them.
How can companies get in touch with Localize?
You can reach out to our sales team for a demo of Localize. Or try a free trial at Localizejs.com.
About Localize
Localize is a low-code, ‘always-on’ translation management system that helps hundreds of global brands manage their multilingual content. Our file-free translation process offers simplified version control and easy collaboration—cutting turnaround times by up to 66%.
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