What does it mean to localize? As an nonprofit goes international, it may encounter cultural differences, language barriers, issues of brand credibility in other countries, and more. Tools may need to be translated in more than language to make sense for different audiences. We’ll discuss how to decide when to make the leap, available tools, and the importance of partnerships and community. Is crowdsourced localization for you? We’ll cover best practices in translation, software, and beyond.

1. Going Global: Preparing your Organization for the
Challenges and Opportunities of Localization
Peggy Duvette
Use Twitter Hashtag #npweb
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3. Today’s Speaker
Peggy Duvette
Executive Director, WiserEarth
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4. Going Global
Preparing your Organization for the
Challenges and Opportunities of
Localization
Presenter: Peggy Duvette
Executive Director, WiserEarth
www.nonprofitwebinars.com
Twitter Hashtag: #goglobal npwebinars

5. What do we mean by localizing?

6. Local / Global
Act local
Manage Global
Think GLOCAL

7. Translation

8. Translation
• Keep a controlled vocabulary
list
• Recognize that word order
and gender can affect
translations
• Alpha users to test the
translations on the site, in the
context of the pages
• Community pages translation
• Have native speakers
translate and review
Image under CC license by Feuillu

9. Who is translating?
But WHO is managing them?

10. Management of translations
Who is going to keep up
with ongoing
translations?
Who will curate the
content and provide
support in the new
languages?
Image under CC license by cvconnell

11. When not to localize

12. Community
Are you listening?

13. Organization Dynamics
•What does your structure
look like?
• How can you clarify the
power dynamics?
Image under CC license by ALA staff

14. Branding
How does your brand translate?
WiserEarth blog word cloud from Wordle.net

15. Crowdsourcing
Image under CC license by adesigna

16. Case Study: WiserEarth

17. Roadmap
• Set up the tool for translations
• Wrote guidelines
• Volunteers management
• Community pages translation
• Local PR

18. Tools WiserEarth used
• WiserEarth Group
• Launchpad: translations
were automated
• Emails
• Job posting sites to
search for volunteers
• Skype conference calls

19. WiserEarth Group
Created a central
place for
volunteers to:
• See progress
• Talk with other
people involved
• Ask a question
using the live chat

20. Launchpad
Free and open source tool
where anyone can contribute

21. Launchpad

22. Our learnings
• Tools are half the
battle
• Don’t engage
volunteers too early
• Consider branding
• Increase
partnerships

23. Case Study: How Matters.org
How Matters.org is a blog
that provides resources
and sparks dialogue for
those involved in
international assistance.
Courtesy of Jennifer Lentfer

24. Case Study: How Matters.org
• How do we support community ownership in the
localization process?
• Is there mutual and community respect?
• Are the local resources being used?
•Is this development occurring for or with this
community?
Courtesy of Jennifer Lentfer

25. Case Study: How Matters.org
• Importance of partnership
• Local community involved
• Balancing power dynamics
Courtesy of Jennifer Lentfer
http://www.how-matters.org/2010/09/13/spotting-community-ownership/

26. Case Study: Clean Up The World
• Community-based environmental campaign that
empowers individuals to clean up and conserve
globally
• Clean Up the World mobilized an estimated 35
million volunteers from 120 countries annually
case study courtesy of
Bonnie Koenig

27. Case Study: What is important?
• Are your guidelines flexible enough?
• Does your message apply to those around the world?
•Are you empowering local communities by sharing
tools/kits/resources?
•Do you have strong leadership?
case study courtesy of
Bonnie Koenig

28. Case Study: Learnings
• Foster local capacity
• Bringing added value to local partners
case study courtesy of
Bonnie Koenig

29. Case Study: NetSquared
NetSquared local events provide
a chance to connect face-to-face
with those interested in the
intersection between social
technologies and social change
79 groups meeting every month around the
world
165 volunteer organizers around the network
case study courtesy of
Amy Sample Ward

30. Case Study: NetSquared
• Does your organization hold events, and will you go
global with them?
•How do you intermix local and global?
•Will you structure top-down, bottom-up or hybrid?
•Who will play the role of intermediary?
case study courtesy of
Amy Sample Ward

31. Case Study: Learnings
• Local planning
• Strengths of mixing top-down
with bottom-up
case study courtesy of
Amy Sample Ward

32. Case Study: 350.org
350.org is an international
campaign that’s building a
movement to unite the world
around solutions to the climate
crisis -- the solutions that
science and justice demand

33. Case Study: how did they do it?
Localizing a message
with a 90-second video
without words
http://www.350.org/animation

34. Case Study: empowering with photos

35. Tools

36. Internal Collaboration: Tools
• Google documents
• Google calendar, groups, chat
• Launchpad
• Skype
Images under CC license by KTVee and misabrzi

37. More than tools
Don’t forget to create manuals
Be there to support the volunteers!
Image under CC license by themachobox

38. Best practices
Establish
metrics

39. Best practices
Do you have someone locally?

40. Best practices
Focus Group

41. Culture
Do you understand the culture?

42. Sustaining in the long term

43. Any questions
Further questions?
Contact me: Peggy Duvette - peggy@wiserearth.org

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