Strategies for translation, localization, and rollout

Document Authoring (DA) can help you localize your content, but there are a number of things to consider before you get started. First it is good to understand the terms used when localizing content.

Vocabulary

• Translate - The act of taking a document in a specific language and converting it a different language.
• Localize - Converting a document to have more locale-centric or regionally-centric content.
• Rollout - The technical term for copying documents from a language folder and into a locale or region.

Introduction to DA Localization

DA provides several services to help automate the translation, localization, and rollout of content. While on-demand services like Google Translate or even built-in browser translations can be convenient, they can have non-ideal SEO impacts.

One of the hallmark features of Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) is the ability to automate the process of translating, localizing, and rolling out content. In many respects, DA is no different. It provides many similar features, but with a focus on document-based authoring.

Managing localized content at scale can be a challenge due to the amount of content that is created. DA gives you, the site owner, the freedom to be as high-touch or hands-off as needed for your project. For example: you are free to organize your site by language or by locale. You are free to auto-publish after rollout or require human authors to curate newly created content.

Strategies

It is important to pick a localization strategy that fits your needs. Adobe's best practices can be read on aem.live. The basic strategies are as follows.

Language Only

• /en
• /fr
• /de
• /cn

Locale Only

• /en-us
• /en-ca
• /en-in
• /fr-fr
• /fr-ca
• /de-de
• /zh-cn

Hybrid

• /en
• /en/us
• /fr
• /fr/ca
• /de
• /de/ch
• /zh
• /zh/

Recommendation

Adobe generally recommends for you to follow the hybrid approach outlined in the best practices doc. A hybrid approach allows you to be mostly language-based, but provide affordances for locale-based content as necessary. This might be used for events in a region or used for locales where a dialect differs significantly from the source language and you have native speaking authors that can augment the translated content for the locale.

High-level considerations

While a language-based approach can provide less overhead, you may run into complexities with commerce, currencies, and VAT.

A locale-based approach may provide simplicity in commerce, but it will create undesired duplication of content that is unfriendly for SEO.

A hybrid model where the site is predominantly language-based keeps content duplication low. You will still have similar language-based commerce considerations, but this would be considered the preferred option over locale-based.

Next Steps

Once you are clear on your localization needs and your strategy, you can set up your own translation.