We’ve been surprised by a number of things since we starting offering Kindling over three years ago. Perhaps the biggest surprise to us, though, was the amount of interest we’d receive from outside the US. From very early on we’ve received requests and emails from organizations around the world – and not just large multi-nationals. So while we were initially surprised by this market potential, we’re a nimble organization, and so we’ve quickly responded to the need.
Today marks a milestone for the product – following on last week’s announcement of Recommended Ideas, Kindling and Kindling Mobile are fully internationalized for three markets – Japan, Switzerland / Germany and Spain. We’ve worked with professional local translators to make sure that not only is the text properly translated, but the Kindling tone is communicated effectively across these new languages. A localized application is much more than just a straight text translation, it’s date formatting, currency handling and beyond the app itself, it’s about building relationships with local partners to manage the sales, implemention and support efforts. As such, we’re also very excited to announce our first three partners for Kindling outside of the US: Extendance for Switzerland / Germany, Hypotize for Japan and Paradigm Development for Spain. Interested parties can contact them directly by the preceding email links, or contact us directly and we’ll route foreign accounts appropriately.
Here are some screenshots of the localized Kindling in action, first in Japanese:
Kindling in Japanese
Next, in German:
Kindling in German
And finally, in Spanish:
Kindling in Spanish
Kindling, perhaps more than other idea management apps on the market, lends itself very well to successful adaptations for other cultures. The product stresses design, usability, engagement and leverages a universal metaphor: the conversation. Kindling doesn’t attempt to convince people in Switzerland, for example, that buying and selling stocks that represent the ideas within their company is the best way to find great ideas. We are showing them that by connecting the people in their organization, either directly or by way of their ideas, powerful outcomes are possible. Innovation comes out of these connections, in the US and elsewhere.
We’re very excited about this step forward for our business, and look forward to working with organizations around the world to help them realize their innovative potential.
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