Welcome to LOCANUCU - Localization news you can use. Do you feel pressured to localize everything, for every market, all at once? The dream of total localization often clashes with the reality of budgets and deadlines. In this edition, we explore a smarter way forward: Minimal Viable Localization (MVL). We'll break down how this strategic approach helps you focus on what truly matters, using language tiers and content hierarchies to turn your localization efforts into a powerful engine for global growth, rather than a cost center.
TLDR
- The goal of localizing all content into every language is often unrealistic due to budget, time, and business constraints.
- Minimal Viable Localization (MVL) presents a smarter, more strategic path forward.
- MVL reframes localization as a tool for driving business outcomes rather than an end goal of perfect translation.
- The core idea is to focus resources on content that is most critical to win and support customers.
- The MVL model involves identifying mission-critical content, translating only that content for market entry, and ensuring it's enough to serve initial customers.
- This approach is about prioritizing for impact, not about cutting corners on quality for essential content.
- A key step in implementing MVL is creating language tiers for different markets.
- Tier one markets are the highest priority, deserving full human translation and deep investment.
- Tier one typically includes markets where a local presence already exists.
- Tier three markets are exploratory and receive a lighter touch to test potential without overspending.
- Methods for tier three can include machine translation for support docs and translating only a few key pages.
- Paired with language tiers is the concept of a content hierarchy.
- The content hierarchy acknowledges that not all content is of equal importance.
- High-investment content includes websites, marketing campaigns, and ads, where quality is non-negotiable.
- Medium-investment content includes product UIs, webinars, and policies, where clarity and usability are key.
- Low-investment content includes support docs and FAQs, where speed, accuracy, and efficiency are the priorities.
- Combining language tiers and content hierarchies enables a shift from reactive to proactive localization.
- This creates a structured framework that scales with business growth.
- This strategy transforms localization into an engine for international expansion.
- Professionals should question where their current efforts drive business goals versus chasing an ideal.
- Answering this question is the first step toward a leaner, more impactful localization strategy.
Today we’re tackling a big reality check in our industry: the dream of localising everything into every language at the highest quality is beautiful, but it collides hard with budgets, deadlines, and business priorities. The smarter path forward isn’t about doing more, it’s about doing what matters most—and that’s where minimal viable localization, or MBL, comes in.
The magic of MBL is that it reframes localization not as a perfect end goal, but as a tool for driving real business outcomes. Instead of spreading resources thin trying to cover every word in every language, you focus on what’s most critical to win and support customers. The model is simple but powerful: first, identify mission-critical content that makes or breaks a launch; second, translate only that content to get your foot in the door; and third, ensure it’s enough to serve those customers effectively from day one. It’s not about cutting corners—it’s about prioritising impact.
To bring MBL to life, you start by creating language tiers. Tier one is for your highest-priority markets, usually where you already have a local presence. These deserve full human translation, deep investment, and complete coverage across high and medium-impact content. Drop down to tier three, and you’re in exploratory markets where a lighter touch works—machine translation on support docs, maybe a handful of translated landing pages, just enough to test the waters without overspending.
Hand in hand with language tiers comes the content hierarchy. This is where you stop treating content as if it’s all equal. At the top is your high-investment content—websites, marketing campaigns, ads. These are make-or-break first impressions, so quality here cannot be compromised. Then you’ve got medium-investment content: product interfaces, webinars, terms and policies. The customer is already in the door, so clarity and usability matter more than polish. Finally, low-investment content: support docs, FAQs, troubleshooting guides. Here, speed and accuracy take centre stage, and efficiency often beats linguistic elegance.
What’s powerful about combining language tiers and content hierarchies is the shift from reactive localisation to proactive strategy. No more spaghetti-on-the-wall localisation. Instead, you’re designing a framework that scales with your business and transforms localisation into an actual engine for international growth.
So here’s the challenge to think about: where in your current localisation approach are you genuinely driving business goals, and where are you still chasing the idealist dream of translating everything perfectly? If you can answer that honestly, you’re already halfway to a smarter, leaner, and more impactful strategy.
To recap, we've discussed how Minimal Viable Localization (MVL) offers a practical alternative to the 'translate everything' mindset. By implementing language tiers to prioritize markets and a content hierarchy to focus on high-impact materials, you can create a scalable, proactive, and ROI-driven localization strategy. It’s about making smart choices that align with your business goals.
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