Posted on October 8, 2025 by DForD Software
Traditional software localization can be a major expense, often involving costly translation agencies and time-consuming manual processes. The emergence of Large Language Models (LLMs) offers a powerful opportunity to significantly reduce these costs. This article explores practical strategies for leveraging LLMs to make your software localization more affordable.
One of the most effective cost-reduction strategies is to use an LLM to perform the initial translation of your software strings. This is significantly cheaper and faster than sending all of your strings to a human translator. The LLM can provide a solid baseline translation that can then be reviewed and edited by a human, rather than having the human translate from scratch.
Instead of replacing human translators entirely, use LLMs to augment their work. An LLM can handle the bulk of the translation, and then a human reviewer can quickly post-edit the output. This human-in-the-loop model allows you to benefit from the speed and cost-effectiveness of AI while still maintaining a high level of quality. You pay for the reviewer's time, which is typically less than the cost of a full translation.
"By using LLMs for the initial translation and human experts for review, you can achieve a balance of cost, quality, and speed."
Translation Memory (TM) is a database of previously translated strings. By integrating a TM system with your LLM workflow, you can avoid re-translating the same or similar strings over and over again. The LLM can be used to translate new strings, while the TM can be used to automatically populate translations for strings that have already been translated. This can lead to significant cost savings over time.
The cost of using LLMs can vary significantly depending on the provider and the model you choose. Some providers offer free tiers or pay-as-you-go pricing that can be very cost-effective for small projects. For larger projects, you may want to consider a subscription-based model or even a self-hosted open-source LLM to have more control over your costs.
By providing the LLM with as much context as possible (e.g., screenshots, developer notes, glossaries), you can improve the quality of the initial translation and reduce the need for costly re-work. The more accurate the initial translation, the less time and money you will have to spend on post-editing.
By implementing these strategies, you can make software localization a much more affordable part of your development process. LLMs are a powerful tool for reducing costs, but they are most effective when used as part of a well-designed workflow that combines the best of AI and human expertise.
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