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Make multilingual content usable
A localisation brief for business websites, forms and customer messages across languages and scripts.
STEP 01
Define the locale and the task
Name the audience, language, region and customer action. Translation is only one part of localisation: dates, number formats, addresses and examples may also need review. Avoid assuming everyone using the same language has the same regional expectations.
STEP 02
Build a terminology sheet
List product names, approved translations, abbreviations and terms that must remain unchanged. Give translators context and screenshots where useful. Preserve identifiers and codes exactly, and separate them from prose that can be rewritten.
STEP 03
Review the layout with real text
Test longer labels, line wrapping, font coverage and relevant writing direction. Mark the document language correctly and identify passages in another language where needed. Check form errors and confirmation messages, not just the homepage headline.
STEP 04
Use a native-language review loop
Have a suitable reviewer complete the actual task and report confusing wording or broken layout. Record approved changes and update the source version. Keep translations tied to source revisions so an old instruction is not left behind after a workflow changes.
Choose the right next step
- Public information page: prioritise clarity, terminology and correct language markup.
- Transactional message: preserve amounts, dates and action details during review.
- Multilingual form: test input, validation, confirmation and the resulting record together.
Worked example
A translated form has a longer submit label that wraps badly on mobile. The team adjusts the component and asks a fluent reviewer to complete the whole form. It also checks the error message and confirmation email, which were missed in the first translation pass.