Translation converts words. Localisation converts experience — and the gap between them is where most international expansions quietly fail.

What localisation covers

• Date, time, number and currency formats
• Address and phone formats that match local expectations
• Payment methods people actually use in that market
• Imagery, colour associations and cultural references
• Legal notices and consent flows that satisfy local regulation

A concrete example

A perfectly translated checkout that asks for a five-digit ZIP code will lose every customer in a country that uses six-character postcodes. The words were right; the experience was wrong.

Where to start

Localise your highest-intent pages first — pricing, checkout, onboarding — then work outward to content.