Laura will cover the importance of multilingual, properly localised content as part of an international marketing strategy, exploring some actionable steps to making that happen and highlighting some common pitfalls to avoid.

1. How to produce
great multilingual
content, even when
you can’t read it
slideshare.net/OBAN-IDForum
@lauramcinley | @ObanIntl
Laura McInley
Oban International

2. Why this? Why me? @ObanIntl
It’s easy for the prospect of producing
multilingual content to leave you feeling…

3. But don’t fret… @ObanIntl
Producing great content in another language, from
ideation through to writing and QA, can seem daunting.
But it doesn’t have to be!

4. What we’re going to cover:
The importance of
properly localised multilingual content
Steps to making it happen
Pitfalls to watch out for
@ObanIntl

5. obaninternational.com
5
Localised
Content

6. Why you need localised content @ObanIntl
5%
12%
83%
English as first language
English as an additional language
No English
~17%
of the world’s population
speaks English

7. Why you need localised content @ObanIntl
40% of consumers
will not make a purchase
in another language
In Europe, only 53%
of internet users would use
an English-language version of a site

8. What we mean by
‘localised content’
@ObanIntl

9. What we mean by
‘localised content’
@ObanIntl
Cultural nuance
Market-specific phrases and ideas
Imagery
Site structure
User Experience and functionality

10. What we mean by
‘localised content’
@ObanIntl
Keyword
Research
Ideation Production

11. It’s all too easy to get it wrong… @ObanIntl

12. It’s all too easy to get it wrong… @ObanIntl

13. Localised content: @ObanIntl
• Builds trust with customers
• Allows customers to fully
understand the information
present
• Makes customers more
likely to buy from you

14. obaninternational.com
14
How to
Get There

15. You can’t do it alone @ObanIntl

16. We call them LIMEs @ObanIntl
Local In-Market Experts

17. You need a robust interview process @ObanIntl
Be aware of
language barriers
Look at
existing content
Dig into prior
experience

18. You’ll want two people per project @ObanIntl
Content Creation Editing and Quality Assurance

19. Earlier involvement = better results @ObanIntl

20. Briefing @ObanIntl
• Detail, detail and more detail
• Client-specific guidance
• Best-practice examples

21. obaninternational.com
21
Potential
Pitfalls

22. Mismatched expectations @ObanIntl
• Include every detail you
can think of in your briefs
• Assume nothing

23. Industry knowledge @ObanIntl
• Where possible, find freelancers
with industry-specific experience
• Provide additional information
along with briefing

24. Ongoing availability @ObanIntl
• Interview more people than
you’ll need
• Keep details on file
• Keep communication lines open

25. Lack of access to tools @ObanIntl
• Free versions/substitutions
• Check in advance for software
compatibility issues

26. obaninternational.com
26
When it
Works…

27. The difference it can make @ObanIntl
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
2/1/2022 3/1/2022 4/1/2022 5/1/2022
Article Pageviews

28. The difference it can make @ObanIntl
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
200
1-Jul 8-Jul 15-Jul 22-Jul 29-Jul 5-Aug 12-Aug 19-Aug 26-Aug 2-Sep 9-Sep 16-Sep 23-Sep 30-Sep
Site Sessions 2020 vs 2021
Sessions 2020 Sessions 2021

29. To summarise! @ObanIntl
Properly localised content…
• Increases trust
• Makes consumers more likely to buy
You need reliable teams of in-market experts to
produce and edit content you can’t read yourself
• Briefing and provision of information/context keeps
this running smoothly
• Specificity is key
The difference it makes can be stark!

30. How to produce
great multilingual
content, even when
you can’t read it
slideshare.net/OBAN-IDForum
@lauramcinley | @ObanIntl
Laura McInley
Oban International
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