Do You Need a Global Content Strategy?

In today's world, content reigns supreme. It influences buying decisions, with consumers often relying on information rather than just product experiences.

Our content consumption has evolved, encompassing various mediums such as print, digital, and social platforms. The role of content in our lives and work has grown significantly.

With the rising importance of content, the spotlight is on content strategy.

This is a positive development, as companies need to move beyond haphazard content dissemination and adopt strategic content management practices.

This ensures cost control, brand consistency, reduced confusion, enhanced searchability, and more.

However, what about global content?

What about the content your company generates for audiences in different parts of the world?

Content professionals who focus solely on local strategies, neglecting millions of words, images, and media destined for other languages and cultures, do so at their own risk.

Companies investing in translation must also invest time, resources, and planning into managing this global content.

Defining Global Content Strategy

Let's begin with a clear definition:

A global content strategy is a comprehensive plan for managing content intended for individuals whose primary language differs from the source language.

Why You Need a Global Content Strategy

You might wonder why you should concern yourself with global content.

After all, isn't that the localization team's responsibility?

Isn't it someone else's problem in another building on a different campus?

The truth is, if you care about content for your domestic customers, you must also care about content for your international customers.

When You Need a Global Content Strategy

Here are situations where you need a global content strategy:

1. You translate content into four or more languages.
2. Multiple departments in your company translate content independently.
3. You don't know the head of localization.
4. You have multiple translation vendors, and it's a challenge to keep track.
5. You're unfamiliar with the term "translation memory" (TM).
6. You're considering using machine translation.
7. You've experimented with free machine translation like Google Translate for significant work.

Even if only one of the above factors applies, it's crucial to manage the various facets of global content workflow strategically. Relying solely on tools like Google Translate is not a viable global content strategy.

The Limitations of Free Machine Translation

While free machine translation (MT) might suffice for casual use, it falls short when accuracy is paramount. It's unsuitable for any business communication beyond simple messages.

To maintain brand integrity, customer trust, and job security, professional translators are essential for critical content.

The day when free MT matches the quality of professional or specially programmed MT may arrive, but it remains distant.

Content Strategy vs. Global Content Strategy

It's time to merge content strategy and global content strategy. Rather than compartmentalizing these approaches, they should be integrated from the outset. A

ll companies should consider global content considerations during planning phases and include translation planning as they create source content. This would circumvent numerous issues, rendering the term "global content strategy" obsolete.

Until then, it's imperative to infuse the global perspective into content strategy discussions.