Localization Content Production in a Nutshell

To fully appreciate Localization Content Production, picture language is the gateway to localization, and CONTENT is the bigger picture and ultimate goal. Words are a huge part of the localization conversation. There are more opportunities to explore. The facilitation of bringing products and services to customers and users worldwide requires global alignment of the brand, experience, and messaging. Successful localization content producers wear many hats and manage several moving pieces. This function differs slightly depending on the industry and the organic evolution of the company. 

Defining Localization 

If we asked 50 localization professionals to define localization, which included translators, interpreters, engineers, account managers, localization project managers, and localization directors, you might have 50 different definitions. With content production, I look at localization as versioning content for specific markets. Perhaps, we should dissect the content itself to visualize what that looks like. 

Content as the Source

Software, hardware, and marketing messaging are all forms of content. Content contains components where you can break the content up into smaller pieces within the product or messaging. A website is a gateway to understanding a product or service being offered and how to acquire it. Behind the scenes, teams align their missions with a clear understanding of the users, customer journey, and the best way to cost-effectively achieve their goals. Today, content is all about touchpoints, downloads, and sales while continually tracking performance and effectiveness. Constant pivoting based on ever-changing data. Content begins with a product that will be experienced and messaged differently as it finds and retains its audience. 

Taking a 100 FT View

To fully understand content production, try to picture language beyond a stand-alone data set. Communication is via words, images, functionality, and experiences. It is impacted by environments, economic and political climates, technology advancements, consumer needs, and trending behaviors. Content Producers manage projects that contain tight schedules, revolving budgets, branding, numerous stakeholders, complex deliverables, and varied user experiences. The targets are constantly moving as schedules and priorities shift. Agility in ambiguity is at the core of this responsibility.

Agile Mindset

Agile Methodology has been adopted by project managers as a reaction to the current digital landscape. This mindset is useful in the management of stakeholders, communicating clearly, and pivoting. Technical project managers, marketing project managers, and localization project managers (LPMs) may have completely different responsibilities, tools, and processes but they may be able to adapt these applications to their day-to-day functions. My favorite tools facilitate effective communication with your stakeholders that all speak unique professional jargon. In addition, their priorities often differ. Ideally, if your team is in alignment, you can adapt and resolve issues quickly and learn from past mistakes. Content producers may not even know that they are implementing this methodology when they are continually shifting gears and resources, but they are. 

Delivering the Deliverable 

A deliverable is a project for the content producer to achieve. It is an outcome such as a website, product demo, article, billboard, or perhaps a commercial. Deliverables have purpose and components. The purpose would be for the user to perform an action, such as downloading, purchasing, etc.  Components are the many things that need to happen to create the deliverable. There will always exist a budget, schedule, production of materials, and rounds of approvals as well as the technology required to manage those projects and communicate with said stakeholders.

CPMs Think FLAT is Evil

Setting up your localization content producer (LCP) for success requires both the context to understand how to communicate the purpose and collect all of the assets which are the components to do their job. Imagine a website update to announce a new product. The LCP reviews an enormous deck with videos, graphics, and copy to represent how the site will appear in its market of origin. The purpose is to inspire existing customers to purchase this new product by highlighting the exciting features available. The deliverables are the versions of this site for every other market outside the country of origin. Let's say the LCP receives one large static document. This document can’t be manipulated or altered. The translation management system will not be able to pick up text sitting in a file, nor will the TEXT be editable, production artists will not be able to swap an image, and customers outside the country of origin will not understand how the product functions in their local market. Whatever the source material is, it needs to be malleable for versioning. 

Market or Country

Versions are mostly per market and a market is a region. You may have multiple retail stores in several countries and within those countries, stores within various cities and neighborhoods in that city. The group of people you are speaking to is your market. People may speak the same language as another market so the language stays the same but let’s say the people in that other market have different products available to them in their stores. You are versioning the content specific to the audience. 

Tiers 

Markets are separated by priorities. Hyper-localization is a term used to describe when you have many layers of localization. Most companies group their markets into tiers which separate markets by their priority. Each tier is strategically assigned with a level of what is to be versioned for each market. That usually results in your top-tiered markets receiving a high level of alterations and your lower tiers only receiving the changes that are required by compliance issues that would put the brand at risk if not adhered to. A great example of versioning per market would be Apple.com. At the bottom of their homepage, you can change the territory. For fun, compare the U.S. site to Australia and South Africa. Can you spot all of the differences? At first glance, they look similar but notice that they tell slightly different stories. Look at the differences in available features and the details of the time and date on the devices themselves. 

Localization vs. Original Content 

Organizations have debated what is localization content versus what is original content. This depends on who is managing the project. There are large companies with local creative and production resources. There may be projects that stand alone. For example, a holiday campaign that only exists in one market or an announcement of a new store. However, if there is brand alignment and an overall shared mission, I would argue that even original content should not live in a silo and that the project is related to localization. Ultimately, this would depend on each organization, its resources, and the internal definition of localization. 

Don’t stress over titles

I have held multiple titles within the same function. Teams creatively decide how to differentiate roles as an organization grows. I prefer localization content producer, perhaps you would use another title to define this function or add these responsibilities to an existing position. My objective is to evangelize the localization industry and promote a globalization mindset. As technology advances, my hope is that we continue to evolve and grow together.