Localization Intake Triage (Onboarding)
A checklist with 7 steps: Inventory every content surface the client ships and tag each as product UI, marketing site, docs, or support macro.
By InnovaAI ResearchPublished
What are the steps?
Localization Intake Triage (Onboarding)
- 01
Inventory every content surface the client ships and tag each as product UI, marketing site, docs, or support macro
A single intake sheet prevents the classic failure where the website gets localized but the in-app onboarding strings and help center articles stay English-only for two quarters.
- 02
Score each surface on change velocity, from static legal pages to weekly release strings
High-velocity surfaces belong in a continuous pipeline with repository sync; low-velocity surfaces can run on a monthly batch and cost far less to maintain.
- 03
Confirm the target locale list against actual revenue and support ticket volume, not executive preference
Clients routinely request twelve languages when three markets drive most of the traffic. Pull analytics and support queue data before committing to a scope.
- 04
Extract the client's terminology assets: glossary, product names, tone guide, and any regulated phrasing
Glossaries and tone rules are what separate a brand-consistent output from generic machine translation, and they must exist before the first string is pushed.
- 05
Map the client's existing toolchain (repository host, CMS, design files, ticketing) and identify which integrations the pipeline needs
Platforms in this category connect to hundreds of apps, but the intake should name the three or four that matter for this account so the setup stays narrow.
- 06
Agree on the human review tier per locale and per content type
Marketing copy and legal text usually need a named reviewer; internal strings may pass on AI output alone. Write the tier down so delivery disputes have a reference point.
- 07
Set the baseline metrics the retainer will be judged on: time-to-publish per locale, review turnaround, and cost per thousand words
Forrester's 2027 predictions put CMOs under pressure to show P&L results rather than pilot activity, so the intake should produce numbers the client can defend upward.