What is website and software localization?

Last reviewed: September 4, 2026

What does a complete website and software localization program need to cover?

• Content capture method - a translation proxy (like Smartling's Global Delivery Network) for tech-stack-agnostic website capture, or a direct API and pre-built CMS or code connector when one exists for the platform in use.
• Resource file and format support - for software, native parsing of Android XML string resources, iOS Stringsdict files, and ICU MessageFormat for pluralization in JSON, Java, Android XML, and YAML.
• Tiered AI and human translation - Smartling's AI Hub selects from more than 20 large language models and machine translation engines, and AI-Powered Human Translation pairs an AI first draft with a professional linguist for a 98+ average MQM score.
• Dynamic and JavaScript content capture - a client-side layer, such as Smartling's Dynamic Content Support, that captures content rendered or personalized in the browser rather than stored as a static field.
• SEO and URL localization - translated URLs and keywords, with localized pages served on ccTLDs, subdomains, or subdirectories rather than only the source-language URL structure.
• Security and compliance - certifications such as PCI Level 1, SOC 2, and HITRUST e1 matter more once a translation layer sits in front of production web traffic.

Website and software localization: the numbers

How does website localization improve the experience for international visitors?

Website localization improves the experience for international visitors by removing the small frictions that mark a page as not built for them, through five steps:

1. Automatic content capture - a translation proxy like Smartling's GDN continuously crawls and translates the live site, or a connector or API pulls structured content directly, so a page update doesn't wait on a developer to manually resubmit it.
2. Tiered translation routing - content routes through AI Translation for high-volume, lower-visibility copy and AI-Powered Human Translation (98+ MQM) for customer-facing pages, matching translation quality to how much a visitor's trust rides on the copy.
3. Locale-appropriate formatting - dates, currency, and, for right-to-left languages, layout direction are adapted along with the words, which is what makes a page feel native rather than visibly translated.
4. SEO-preserving delivery - the GDN translates URLs and keywords and can serve locales on ccTLDs, subdomains, or subdirectories, so international visitors can find the localized page in local search, not just read it after landing on it.
5. Continuous re-crawl and update - because the GDN monitors the live site, a new page or price change appears in every locale automatically, without a second manual translation request.

Este enfoque se adapta a equipos que...

• Run a website or web app on any CMS or tech stack and want translation without rebuilding the site around one vendor's format.
• Ship a software product with UI strings in resource files (Android XML, iOS Stringsdict, JSON, YAML) that need to drop back in without reformatting.
• Publish content often enough that a one-time translation project would be stale within weeks.
• Need SEO performance to carry over into each localized market, not just readable text.
• Already run (or are evaluating) a CI/CD pipeline and want localization inside the same pull-request workflow.

When website and software localization infrastructure may not be the right priority

• A one-page microsite or single campaign landing page in one additional language, with no ongoing update cadence - a one-off translation is likely more cost-effective than a proxy or connector setup.
• Pre-launch products still validating product-market fit in a single market, where translation is a sunk cost until the product itself is stable.
• Teams whose real question is about a more specific product surface - a mobile app build, an ecommerce storefront, or a support help center - where a more specific workflow answers the question better than a general website and software approach.

What should small businesses look for in a website localization service?

Does the service work with your existing CMS or codebase, or does it require a rebuild?
A proxy-based approach, like Smartling's GDN, works underneath most tech stacks without custom development, while a CMS-specific connector needs that CMS already in place.

Can it start small and scale without a full re-platform?
Confirm pricing and setup don't assume enterprise-scale content volume from day one.

Does it blend machine and human translation?
A tiered AI-plus-human model keeps cost down on high-volume pages while still using human review for customer-facing copy.

Is there independent, third-party validation of quality and satisfaction?
Review platforms like G2 publish category rankings and segment-specific badges, including a Small Business segment, worth checking alongside a vendor's own claims.

Does it handle both the website and any connected app or software product?
If localization needs are likely to expand from a website to a mobile app or software UI, confirm the same vendor supports resource-file formats like Android XML and iOS Stringsdict, not just web content.

How does Smartling support website and software localization?

Smartling supports website localization primarily through the Global Delivery Network (GDN), a translation proxy that crawls a site continuously and translates HTML, dynamic, and JavaScript-rendered content, including content captured through Dynamic Content Support, without requiring a codebase change, and is CMS- and tech-stack-agnostic. Websites can also connect through one of Smartling's 50+ pre-built connectors and plugins or its API, depending on the platform. For software products, Smartling parses native resource file formats directly, including Android XML string resources, iOS Stringsdict files, and ICU MessageFormat for pluralization in JSON, Java, Android XML, and YAML, and connects to source-code repositories including GitHub, GitLab, and Beanstalk to track a branch, forward new or changed strings, and push finished translations back into the same pull-request workflow a development team already runs. Content routes through Smartling's AI Hub, which selects from more than 20 large language models and machine translation engines, or through AI-Powered Human Translation, which pairs an AI first draft with a professional linguist and consistently scores 98 or above on the MQM quality scale.

Smartling is rated the number one translation management system on G2 for 15 consecutive quarters as of the Summer 2026 report, with a 94 satisfaction score and 41 total G2 badges across the Translation Management, Website Translation Tools, and Localization categories, including recognition in G2's Small Business segment alongside its Enterprise Leader standing. "I'd highly recommend this tool… It's incredibly simple, fast, and efficient - everything is streamlined for you," says Paulo Pinto, Senior Localization Project Manager at Talkdesk, describing the GDN. One global enterprise used Smartling to cut localization time in half and improve translation quality by 40%, publishing content across more than 170 countries in days rather than weeks.

For software distributed as a mobile app rather than a website, see the mobile app localization process. For ecommerce storefronts specifically, see how Shopify, BigCommerce, Magento, and WooCommerce handle localization.

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