Planning Your Global Content Strategy

Planning Your Global Content Strategy

Val SwisherFounder & CEO

© 2013. Content Rules, Inc. All rights reserved.

@contentrulesinc


Who We Are

Professional services firm specializing in: Content strategy Content creation Global readiness

Founded in 1994 12 full-time employees Network of 2000+ fully-screened consultants across

U.S. Managed, contract, and placement services


What We Do - Content Strategy

Work closely with The Rockley Group to provide: Substantive Audit Content Modeling / structured authoring Taxonomy Workflow

Global content strategy services: Global content audit Globalization planning Vendor selection Integrated workflow


What We Do - Content Creation

Create and modify content Technical Documentation Marketing Collateral Training Materials

ILT ELT

Video eBooks


What We Do - Content Global Readiness

Ensure content is global-ready Readability Grammar and style Reuse

Evaluate and improve content quality using state-of-the-art tools

Reports Metrics Recommendations Fixes

Save money on translation Specialized reporting and editing



First…A Definition

A global content strategy is a structure for managing all of your content that is consumed by people who speak or read languages other than the source.


Why Do You Care?

1. Save money localizing and translating content

2. Improve content quality in all languages

3. Save time localizing and translating content

4. Someone told you that you need to figure out this mess (see 1-3, above)


Planning your Global Content Strategy

Locate your content

Create a catalog

Know who all of your vendors are and what content each is responsible for

Locate, identify, and have possession of your TMs

Understand methods of handling global content

KISS your source content


It’s 10PM. Do You Know Where Your Content Is?

To create a strategy, you must locate your content

Everyone is creating content, all over your company

How much of it is being translated? Where? By whom?


Content – Everybody’s Doing it

Three ways content can be created and translated:

By your team, managing your translation vendors

By other teams, managing different vendors

By people in each geography, writing in their native language


Create a Catalog

Who wrote the content What group is responsible for localizing/translating Which languages List each translation vendor, per language Where are the TMs Who is assigned to review the translation What process per language: translation,

localization, transcreation, pivot



Know Thy LSPs

How many vendors do you need?

Pros Redundancy

Expertise

Competition

Modalities

Cons Organization

Multiple TMs

Inefficiency

2

13

4 5

67

8910

12


Standardize Your Translation Memory

Single repository of translation memory Take ownership of your translation memory, not your LSP


Methods of Handling Global Content

Translation – Word for word Localization – Culture-sensitive, retain meaning

and intent Transcreation – New content for specific audience Pivot – Leave content in source or pivot language


Literal word-for word translation of everything

-

The meaning stays the same

Different content developed to meet business objectives

The content stays the same

Language Translate the meaning of the words in a way that is culturally appropriate

Developed in local language; English may be used as part of the brand vocabulary

Images No change Change to fit local expectations / product needs

Change to fit local expectations / product needs

Layout No change Minimize changes Change to fit local expectations

BrandVocabulary

No change No change Enhance and expand

Translation Localization Transcreation

Methods of Handling Global Content


Pivot Language

Intermediary language used for translation between many different languages

Default language for content that is not being translated

Examples U.S. Standard English U.K. English Other source language



Exercise: Analyze Ikea Website

Work backwards and articulate what you think the strategy is for translation, localization, and transcreation at Ikea by geo, content type, and/or media

See if you can find an instance of each technique


Exercise 1: Analyze Ikea Website

Look for instances of Translation Localization Transcreation Pivot

Notice Efficiencies Inefficiencies Lost opportunities Anything else?

Countries:

Australia (Perth)

United Kingdom

Denmark

Dominican Republic (Santa Domingo)

Canada United States France


Exercise 2: Analyze Ikea Website

Pick a product family Search for it in multiple countries Analyze the results

Pick a specific product Search for it in multiple countries Analyze the results

Look for: Translation Localization Transcreation Pivot

Countries:

Australia (Perth)

United Kingdom

Denmark

Dominican Republic (Santa Domingo)

Canada United States France


KISS Your Source Content

Keep it short and simple Writing for translation | Global English | Simple English | International English best practices

8 Simple Steps to Make Your Content Global-Ready Now

Send me an email and I’ll send you a copy

[email protected]


KISS Elements

1. Reduce word count2. Increase use of identical sentences3. Decrease word variability4. Reduce sentence length

and complexity5. Eliminate word usage errors (idioms,

jargon)


Tell ‘Em What You Told ‘Em

Locate your content

Create a catalog

Know who all of your vendors are and what content each is responsible for

Locate, identify, and have possession of your TMs

Understand methods of handling global content

KISS your source content


Val Swisher [email protected]@contentrulesinc

mailto:[email protected]

Val Swisher CEO & [email protected]@contentrulesinc

mailto:[email protected]

Business

Planning Your Global Content Strategy