Localisation readiness checklist: before you roll out to five markets
Fill in the field ownership map for the content types you will localise, then work through the five sections with the people who will own content in each market, before you choose tooling or brief an agency. Progress and the open items that must close before tooling is chosen update as you go. The approach behind the list has been scoped, not yet delivered. Every unticked item is a decision still to be made, and it will be made for you, page by page, if left open.
How to use it
Start with the map. For each field of each content type you will localise, decide who owns it and record the decision in one of three ways.
- Global means head office changes it and markets receive the change.
- Local means the market writes it and head office does not overwrite it.
- Shared means the market translates it but cannot change its meaning.
Then work through the five sections. An item carries the blocking badge when it needs an answer before tooling is chosen, and the result panel counts how many of those are still open.
Fill it in below. Your result updates as you go.
Field ownership map
List the content types you will localise and decide, per field, who owns it; the first four rows are examples you can edit or remove.
| Content type | Field | Global, local or shared | Owner | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Readiness checks
011. Field ownership map
Check the map above before you move on.
022. Review gate definition
033. Terminology source
044. Variant versus copy audit
055. When a global page changes after local edits
The question most rollouts leave unanswered. Answer it per field type before you start.
If you are planning a multi market rollout on an existing platform, we can scope a localisation module as an addition to it.
The approach in this post has been scoped, not yet delivered, so the conversation starts with your platform and your review function rather than with a reference.
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