Sometimes the biggest localization problems don’t come from incorrect translations. They come from assumptions.
One of the biggest misconceptions about professional translation is that asking questions slows a project down.
In reality, it usually does exactly the opposite.
Whenever we receive a localization project, one of the first things we do is review the content and identify anything that could become ambiguous once translated. The earlier these questions are answered, the smoother the entire project becomes.
A recent localization project for an online ticketing platform is a perfect example.
Many of the English strings looked extremely simple: Prices, Nearby, Cheap, Get your tickets
However, English allows a level of flexibility that many other languages simply do not.
Take the word nearby.
In Italian alone, there are several perfectly correct options: vicino, nelle vicinanze, nei paraggi
Each one carries a slightly different nuance. One feels more literal, another more formal, another more conversational.
Without context, choosing one would simply be guessing.
The same applied to dynamic sentences generated by the platform.
A string such as: Get your {event} tickets at competitive prices. cannot simply be translated word for word.
Depending on the event, the venue, the ticket type and even grammatical gender, the entire sentence structure may need to change in Italian or German.
Instead of forcing one translation, we prepared multiple options, added explanatory notes, suggested alternative wording and discussed the implications with the client before finalizing the localization.
That additional consultation took a little longer at the beginning, but it saved considerably more time later.
The reality is that professional localization is often less about finding answers and more about identifying the right questions.
A linguist who asks for clarification is not slowing your project down. They are protecting it.