Software Solopreneurs, Don't Forget, Your Market is Global
The software industry, unlike many others, has globally relevant skills and products. So, take advantage of this.
Today (2025-01-03), I came across a LinkedIn update by Kent Beck, the Father of Agile, announcing the publication of the Chinese version of his book Tidy First.
I bought several classic software engineering books (in English) while travelling in China. These are officially authorized editions from major Chinese publishers, available in Chinese and/or English. The prices there are significantly lower.
This article isn’t about book bargains but rather an important realization I had years ago: software products are global. In fact, this is the #1 reason I encouraged my daughter to pursue IT as a career in this information age. Just as Kent Beck’s book resonates with Chinese software engineers, your apps, training, digital content, consultation or other creations might appeal to customers internationally.
This insight is especially vital for software professionals pursuing solopreneurship. While it’s natural to focus on the culture and environment we know, there’s a much larger market out there that could benefit from your offerings—often with just a bit of customization and internationalization.
A common excuse I hear from solo programmers working on their side hustle apps—often juggling a day job as a contractor—is: “But I don’t know Chinese or [insert language].” Understandably, they may not have the budget to hire bilingual staff.
Learning a foreign language is always beneficial, AI simplifies internationalization now
The benefits of mastering a foreign language needless to say.To truly understand a culture, you need to learn its language. Learning a foreign language is a long-time effort, consistency is the key.
You can start today—don’t put it off any longer—by using spare time, like your commuting hours. There are many resources, such as Duolingo and Pimsleur, that support casual learning. Check out my articles on this topic:
The fact is, many highly successful people—despite being extremely busy—master one or two foreign languages. I was inspired by my uncle, who, in his eighties, was still fluent in Chinese, Japanese, and English, as well as several Chinese dialects.
I’m sharing a few practical tips for adding internationalization to your apps.
Tip #1: Design Your App for Internationalization from Day 1
For example, when creating your database (e.g. MySQL), specify the character set supporting Unicode (including emoji).
create_table "roles", charset: "utf8mb4", collation: "utf8mb4_unicode_ci" Additionally, update the code to replace text displayed in the app with locale keys. For example, in the layout template of the WhenWise app, avoid coding like this:
<title>WhenWise - Booking Made Easy</title>Instead with a locale key.
<title><%= t(:whenwise_title)</title>In en-AU.yml:
whenwise_title: "WhenWise - Booking Made Easy"In zh-CN.yml:
whenwise_title: "WhenWise - 预订更轻松"Tip #2: There's no need to over-plan for supporting too many languages
With the above locale system, adding support for a new language or locale requires effort, especially when considering frequent changes and numerous additions. Therefore, I recommend starting with just two—English and Chinese, the two most widely spoken languages—and expanding as needed.
Tip #3: Use ChapGPT to Translate Locale files
Many people don’t know that ChatGPT does excellent translating locale files. Check out this article, “Use ChatGPT to Generate Locale Files for Localisation”.
Tip #4: For digital content, such as videos, AI tools now can translate into multiple languages
I haven’t used them myself (just experimented a bit), why? I don’t think it is there yet. But the demos look quite promising.
In summary, the latest AI tools offer valuable support for software solopreneurs aiming to scale their apps globally. Even Kent Beck is releasing his books in the Chinese market—so why not you? That said, mastering a foreign language remains the ultimate advantage, offering far greater rewards.
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