Some problems with this process are that human intervention is required at all stages of translation and review. Translation turnaround time is usually long, translation costs are high, and revenue opportunities are lost due to delays. The challenges associated with creating materials for use in other countries are common to most projects. Localization is costly and expenses are multiplied by the number of target markets. Another challenge is getting products out to international markets quickly.
Localization can add months to product development cycles.
Providing QA processes for all required languages is a major challenge, however, companies need to realize that there can be liability implications for incorrect or inaccurate translations. One of the most significant problems with the localization process however has to do with the parallel information development cycles in large companies. The traditional information development model is shown below. Under this model there might be a technical publications department, a marketing department, and an engineering department, all creating content simultaneously. A lot of this content is the same, but it is being created multiple times by multiple groups.