Mirela
Are you looking to reduce localization costs, speed up time-to-market, and maintain brand consistency? Take a closer look at your current content creation process—you might discover untapped potential for improvement. A modular content strategy can revolutionize your localization efforts, and we’re here to show you how and why it works.
What is modular content?
Modular content is an approach to content creation that involves creating content in smaller, independent units, often referred to as modules, blocks, or components. These modules can consist of any type of content—be it text, images, videos, or even interactive elements.
Unlike traditional content creation, where a single document or page is developed from start to finish, modular content is designed to be flexible and repurposable. Each module is created with a clear intent and can be combined in various ways to produce tailored experiences.
For example, you could develop a product description module, a customer testimonial module, and a call-to-action module separately. These can then be rearranged or swapped out depending on the audience, language, or cultural context.
Best practices for using modules in localization
Now that we know the what and why, let’s see how we can best use the modular content approach in localization. The first step is to consider the potential need for localization right from the planning phase, making sure that the modules are not overly dependent on specific cultural references or language nuances.
Categorize modules based on their function and level of localization required. The core modules that convey universal brand values might require minimal adjustments, while contextual modules, such as those containing region-specific promotions, will need more extensive localization. This is merely an example, as you need to identify which modules need frequent updates and which remain static depending on your own localization needs.
You can’t manage modular content without technology. An important tool is a content management system (CMS) with support for modular structures. Such a platform will allow your team to access individual modules, track changes, and collaborate seamlessly. Additionally, integrating translation management systems (TMS) helps automate the translation of modules, so you can speed up the process.
Don’t forget about cultural relevance. Adapt the tone, imagery, and even functionality if needed, so that everything aligns with the local expectations of your new target audience. You may have to tweak your content quite a bit—but, thankfully—with a well-executed modular content strategy, this shouldn’t be an issue.
Why include a TMS in your modular content strategy
Incorporating a TMS like POEditor into a modular content strategy helps maximize efficiency, accuracy, and scalability in content delivery. This is a platform developed specifically to manage and streamline the translation and localization process.
A TMS enables you automate repetitive tasks, maintain consistency through the use of translation memory and glossaries, test translations with QA tools, and facilitates real-time collaboration between the members of the localization team.
If you want to deliver personalized, relevant content to your global audiences, modular content and a robust TMS are a winning combo that ensures your localization efforts are both agile and impactful.