What to Include in a Style Guide for Localization
Marta Frau
Italian UI Localization and Translation Expert from English and German ★ Marketing and SEO Specialist ? Elevating Market Reach for Enterprises in Italy with Engaging Translations and a Seamless UX
Writing a style guide for localization is like crafting a detailed map for translators. It ensures that your brand's voice, style, and message remain consistent across different languages and cultures. In the last two newsletter editions, we discussed the importance of tone and voice in localization and how to define them. Today, I want to walk you through the process step by step and list all the elements a comprehensive and practical localization style guide should include.
Understanding the Core Brand Message
Brand Voice
Your brand voice is the personality and emotion infused into all your communications. It's how you express your brand's values and how you want your audience to perceive you. When localizing, maintaining a consistent brand voice is crucial.
Style
The style encompasses the overall feel of your content, including the choice of words, sentence structure, and tone. Whether your brand is casual, formal, playful, or serious, the style should be clearly defined and adhered to across all translations.
Visual Identity
Visual identity refers to the graphic elements of your brand, such as logos, color schemes, and typography. It's not just important to ensure these elements are adaptable in different cultural contexts, it's essential. Adapting visual elements to different cultures can make your brand more appealing and relatable to local audiences, enhancing the effectiveness of your localization efforts.
Defining the Target Audience
Key Objectives
Defining what you aim to achieve with your localized content is a key step. Are you looking to expand your market, increase engagement, or build brand awareness? Clear objectives will guide your localization strategy and keep you focused on your goals.
Most Challenging Obstacles
Anticipate and outline potential challenges in localization, such as cultural differences, linguistic nuances, and technical limitations. Being aware of these obstacles can help in planning effective solutions.
Fears and Concerns
Understand the fears and concerns of your target audience. This knowledge helps in tailoring content that resonates well and avoids cultural insensitivity.
KPIs and Success Metrics
Define the key performance indicators (KPIs) and success metrics to measure the effectiveness of your localized content. This could include metrics like engagement rates, conversion rates, and customer satisfaction.
Writing Translation Style Guides
General Translation Guidelines
Rules for Style
Include specific rules for handling abbreviations, apostrophes, quotation marks, and currencies to ensure uniformity in translations.
Sentence Structure
Provide guidelines on preferred sentence structures, such as using active voice over passive voice to maintain clarity and engagement.
Spelling
Specify the preferred spelling conventions, especially for languages with multiple variants (e.g., American English vs. British English).
Capitalization
Define capitalization rules for headings, titles, and special terms to maintain consistency.
Tone of Voice
Detail the desired tone of voice, whether formal, informal, friendly, or professional.
Grammar
Provide clear grammar rules, especially for languages with complex grammatical structures.
Punctuation
Outline punctuation rules, including the use of commas, periods, colons, and semicolons.
Headings
Specify formatting for headings and subheadings, including capitalization and punctuation.
Numbers
Define how to handle numbers, particularly currencies, dates, and measurements.
Active/Passive Voice
Advise on using active versus passive voice, typically favoring active voice for clarity and engagement.
Time
Provide guidelines for expressing time, including time zones and formats.
Citations and Attributions
Specify how to handle citations and attributions to maintain credibility and avoid plagiarism.
Nuances of the Brand or Message
Words or Expressions to Avoid
Identify words or expressions that might not translate well or could be culturally insensitive.
Idioms, Jargon, Puns
Advise on handling idioms, jargon, and puns. These often don't translate well and may require alternative expressions.
领英推荐
Culturally Specific References
Highlight any culturally specific references and provide guidance on suitable alternatives.
Resolving Grammar Ambiguities
Solutions to Grammar Ambiguities
Provide solutions for common grammar ambiguities that might arise during translation.
Grammar Rules Specific to Your Brand
Include any grammar rules that are unique to your brand or industry.
Handling Common Language Queries
Gendered Language
Advise on the use of gendered language and provide gender-neutral alternatives where appropriate.
Proper Nouns
Specify how to handle proper nouns, including names of people, places, and products.
Official Titles and Abbreviations
Define the correct usage of official titles and abbreviations to maintain professionalism and clarity.
Preferred Language Variants
Choose your preferred language variants (e.g., US English vs. UK English) and specify them clearly in your guide.
Providing Examples
Translated Text Samples
Include examples of translated text to illustrate your guidelines in practice.
Reference Resources
Provide links to reference resources that translators can use for further guidance.
Incorporating Visual Elements
Logo Usage
Define how and where to use the company logo in localized content.
Image Positioning
Provide guidelines for image placement and alignment to ensure consistency.
Formatting (Tables, Bold Text, Italics, Lists)
Detail the formatting rules for tables, bold text, italics, bullet points, and other lists.
Creating Glossaries
Company-Specific Terms
Include a glossary of terms specific to your company.
Industry-Specific Terms
Provide a glossary of industry-specific terms.
Audience and Market-Relevant Terms
Identify terms relevant to your audience and market, such as slang or industry jargon.
Must-Win Keywords
List must-win keywords for SEO purposes, highlighting regional variations (e.g., "biscuit" in the UK vs. "cookie" in the US).
Specific Hashtags for Digital Content
Provide a list of specific hashtags to use in digital content to improve visibility and engagement.
Useful Resources and Style Guide Examples
Refer to existing style guides and resources to help shape your own. Some useful links include:
Conclusion
Creating a style guide for localization is a meticulous process that ensures your brand message is accurately and consistently conveyed across different languages and cultures. Making sure that you handle the points listed in this article, you can develop a comprehensive and effective localization style guide that addresses all aspects of your brand's communication.