Localization in the Energy Industries

Translation and localization services come in various shapes and sizes, ranging in their uses from industry to industry and being utilized by companies all around the world. The energy industry is no different, it requires localization just as much, if not more so than any other, as it’s the industry our entire world relies upon. Under these industries, or perhaps around it, are oil and gas, and looking further, we have renewable energy. Regardless of specifics, this article is here to tell you all about localization in the energy industries, how it helps, why it helps, and where exactly it fits in, today, tomorrow and ten years down the line.

Some may feel that because of the sheer scale of the energy industry, the tasks handed to localization companies will be matching in size, but this just isn’t the case. Localization can play varying roles in every industry, from mere translation of a manual, to standing in court representing an alleged murderer. A simple example would be of legislation in the country of Wales being changed a few years ago, now requiring energy companies to offer bilingual services in both English and Welsh. Something so general can have a large impact for even the smallest businesses; each company then having to hire translators for all their documents such as customer emails, project documentation and planning, as well as bilingual staff for customer services via phone calls. The smart thing to do would be to bite the bullet, and make sure your services were accessible to a much wider audience, doing things right from the ground up, however some companies chose to put the price on consumers, hiking up payment, which eventually led to outcry and compensation. The point being that localization is a versatile field to be in, and can be utilized in even the most unexpected of scenarios.

An Overview of the Energy, Oil and Gas Industries

Before we can begin to break down how localization fits in, and what kind of role it plays in these industries, we must first start from the bottom. What are the industries? What do the types of work involved entail? Are they as crucial as we think? To simply answer the latter question, yes, these industries are crucial to our planet, in regard to: economy, the energy industry is worth over five trillion in USD, sustainability for hardware and technology, and arguably destruction, in that we are using a lot of finite resources. This is why scientists and technicians around the world are constantly attempting to find new modes of conserving and creating different types of energy that are longer-lasting than the ones we have now.

The energy industry is one made up of several other industries beneath it, which include: oil, gas, coal, electricity, nuclear and renewable or alternative energy. For reference, it’s somewhat comparable to that of the media industry being made up of television, interactive, radio, video games etc. In essence, it is the production and distribution of entities that can be used to create energy, this is done through such means as extraction, refinement or manufacturing of resources.

There are many roles to these industries, some smaller, such as financing, human resources, sales and trading of the product. While there are also much bigger positions regarding responsibility, and experience required, roles that have a lot of people, in-house or around the country who require your work to be done correctly. Here, we look at roles such as engineering, or operation of heavy machinery, research and development on ways the work can be made more efficient, or streamlined, project management, as well as those who are hands on with the equipment that creates the energy, like electrical generators or nuclear reactors

The Need for Localization

Now I know what you’re thinking, well, what does localization have to do with a nuclear reactor? What is the point of translation for an employee who handles heavy equipment? The answer is that there are many uses, and high need for this kind of localization, but not always in situations you would have first thought of. One of the biggest necessities for localization is through growth into another market, in energy, this is usually because of resource potential in another part of the world, be that: oil in the middle-east, wind turbines in Europe or rigs across the ocean. This type of growth that journeys beyond the company’s native country is important and inevitable for any business looking to maximize revenue. In light of this, some companies adopt localization as a form business strategy, not just a potential requirement down the line. In this, I mean that whereas a company situated in its native country is somewhat limited in growth, when they move to a different region, or perhaps even a new continent, their ability to grow increases. This is because they are introducing new job opportunities into an economy which may not have had them before – this short-term issue of having to translate and localize, becomes a long-term prospect for productivity and cutting the overall cost to investment ratio.

When the workers, or at least the workers’ sight of their company goal is put in priority, productivity and overall ability of the employee goes up. The smarter of companies are grabbing matters of localization and pulling them close, looking at the fine details of what and how things need to be changed to keep employees happy and in the know. Offering documentation such as manuals, plans and manifestos in the worker’s native language is the first step, from here the flow of communication is bettered, but can be improved even further with the use of bilingual employees and video-based information that workers will understand. As a direct result of this understanding, safety becomes that of an easily created bi-product, workers know what they’re doing, know how to do it, and most importantly, they know why they are doing it.

Getting Localization right in these Industries

Stressing the importance of localization is one thing, but getting it right is a fine degree that many companies take years to hit, requiring the need of companies like Janus Worldwide to help them in their quest for growth around the world. From what I have seen, the trick is in perception, instead of looking at localization as a hurdle to jump in the race for profit – smarter, more long-sighted companies see it as a ball to catch and run with for the length of their business. Why? Why wouldn’t you just get it over and done with quickly instead of drawing it out? Because scraping by the bare minimum in an attempt to comply with legislation and regulation just isn’t enough in the modern market. Laws, terms, legalities are always changing, and to be ahead of the curve, you want to ensure that all of your energy productions around the world are ahead of it too. Whereas the energy distribution company in Wales failed in foresight, checking the maintenance of an oil refinery, the stability of a nuclear plant or simply keeping all your documentation up to date is the basis of staying ahead.

However, it’s not all high maintenance and big risk situations, the smaller stuff matters too, getting the intricacies right can have just as much of an impact as anything else in your business. In regard to these fine details, we’re talking about language, accurate translations and making sure you hire not only a fluent translator, but someone who has a deeper knowledge, and historied background in the field.

How does a company go about getting this right? Well, it’s about familiarity, keeping it simple and keeping it recurring for your workers, buzzwords and imagery are helpful, but videos are also a far wider accepted form of conveyance than any other method. Localization companies are happy to help in this area, as translation of documents, graphics or videos are what Janus Worldwide have done for over twenty years now.

The Future

There is no industry in the world where the future is set, for that matter it’s almost impossible to predict where and how the industry will go. However, what we can predict is growth and for this reason, we know that localization is necessary. Whether it’s oil, gas, mining, exploration or renewable energy, companies such as Janus Worldwide are here to fulfill those needs of translation. In terms of technical, project, legal or marketing documentation, desktop publishing, or linguistics consulting, Janus can do it all.

Whilst holding a solid foundation of translation throughout every industry, Janus are not afraid to get into the deeply technical, as all linguists undertake rigorous quality assurance testing as well as possessing a specific background in any given industry, including energy. These experienced linguists are more than familiar with the terminology and activities of the energy field, such as geological survey, feasibility testing, project design and market-end texts. In addition to this, they also specialize in field and drilling equipment, manuals, blasting, and construction documentation, having worked in wind and nuclear for numerous years. With the future directions of energy being unclear, it’s a safe bet to be in communications with localization companies such as Janus Worldwide, who can make sure that your company’s growth and journey around the world are as renewable as the energy you provide.