Get important content ready for local-language review
For content owners who need colleagues in other locations to read, understand and act on the same message.
The examples use Northstar Group, a fictional company with offices in Lisbon, Monterrey and Toronto.
The short version
Decide who will read the content and what they need to do with it. Hand over a stable source with its context, and name one person who keeps each language version current. Doing this before you ask for review saves reviewers from guessing what you meant.
Choose the audience first
Four situations, and what each one usually calls for
A badge-reader change that applies at all three offices needs a faithful translation of one agreed source. Keep the source wording tight so each language says the same thing.
A parking update where Lisbon has a garage and Toronto has street permits needs translation plus local adaptation. Split the shared message from the local details before you hand off.
A Monterrey fire-drill logistics note should be written by the local content owner in the local language. Translating it from the source language first adds a step and risks drift.
A long project retrospective can stay in its source language with a short translated summary of decisions and next steps. Say clearly which version is the full record.
From draft to a published language version
Four stages, in order
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1
Choose audiences and languages
List each location and language, and write one sentence on what readers must do after reading. If two audiences must do different things, plan two versions.
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2
Prepare the source text
Freeze the wording before handing off. Replace idioms and abbreviations with plain terms, write dates as 13 March 2026 and state time zones, and list product names or terms that must not be translated.
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3
Hand off and review local meaning
Give the language reviewer the source, the audience, where the content will appear and any context needed to read it correctly. Ask the reviewer to flag anything that reads differently locally, not only to translate it.
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4
Maintain the versions
Label each version with its language and the source date it was based on. When the source changes, tell each language owner what changed and have them update or retire their version.
Who does what at each handoff
Authored reference for the Northstar example. It is not a live queue or tracker.
| Role | Owns | Hands over |
|---|---|---|
| Source content owner | The source wording, the audience list and the date of the current source version | Frozen source text, context notes and a do-not-translate term list |
| Language reviewer | Accuracy and natural phrasing in the target language, plus flags on local meaning | Reviewed text and a list of questions or changes they suggest |
| Local content owner | Whether the text fits local practice and is the right level of detail for that location | Approval to publish, or the local details to add |
| Version keeper | Version labels and the record of which source date each language version used | Change notices to every language owner when the source changes |
Worked example: a sentence that means two things
A Facilities notice drafted for Lisbon, Monterrey and Toronto
The source owner's first draft read: “Please table the badge-reader item until Q3, and confirm sign-off by EOD.”
The language reviewer in Monterrey flagged two problems before translating:
- “Table” means “postpone” in some English-speaking regions and “bring forward for discussion” in others. A translation would pick one without telling anyone.
- “EOD” does not say whose end of day. Lisbon and Monterrey are several hours apart, so the deadline could land on different days.
The revised source
“Please postpone the badge-reader decision until the July planning review. Send your approval by 17:00 Lisbon time on Friday 13 March.”
The local content owners then checked fit: Toronto needed no change, while Lisbon added the garage entrance hours. The version keeper recorded all three versions against the 13 March source date.
Before you ask for review, you should be able to say
The handoff in four statements
Who the readers are and what they must do
Which source version is frozen and dated
Who will review language and who will confirm local fit
Who keeps each version current after publication
If you cannot answer one of these, ask the Workplace Experience team, the owner of this guide, which language-review route applies to your content.