Localization is much more than simply translating text from one language to another. When you localize content, you adapt it to make it culturally relevant, consistent, and engaging for a specific audience in a region.
That’s where style guides and glossaries come in. They both play an important role in ensuring that your message stays clear and consistent, no matter where or in what language it's delivered.
As a Language Service Provider (LSP), we help our clients maintain the quality of a project while being conscious of the budget.
Style guides and glossaries help with both of these aspects regardless of whether you're localizing a website, a software product, marketing materials, documentation, or anything else.
Here’s our overview of what style guides and glossaries are in the language services world, and why they’re crucial to your localization efforts.
A style guide is a document that outlines the rules and guidelines for how language should be used in your content.
In localization, it acts as the blueprint that helps translators, editors, and reviewers maintain consistency in tone, voice, and formatting across your different markets.
By giving your localization teams a clear set of rules to follow, the style guide helps protect your brand’s voice and identity across languages and cultures.
A glossary is a list of terms that are important to your product, service, or brand, along with their approved translations (or notes on how they should or shouldn't be translated).
It ensures that key terms are used consistently and correctly across all content.
A good glossary usually includes:
Think of the glossary as the "what" and the style guide as the "how." The glossary ensures that you're using the right words, and the style guide ensures those words are used in the right way.
For example, if your glossary says to use the term “dashboard” in English and not translate it in Spanish, the style guide will clarify whether you should capitalize it, how to format it in a sentence, and what tone to use when referring to it.
Together, they:
Ideally, as soon as you can, and this means before localization starts. If you’re working with an LSP they’ll be able to guide you through the process. In fact, many LSPs will insist on them, especially for large or ongoing projects.
And why should you do it? Because even a basic glossary and style guide can dramatically improve the results of your localized content.
And don’t worry, if you're already part way through a project, it's not too late. You can build these elements as you go, update them continuously and you’ll be creating valuable resources for the future.
Launching in a new market without a style guide and glossary is like building a house without a blueprint. You might get something built, but it likely won’t be sturdy or elegant, and rework will be costly.
By investing the time to develop these two foundational documents, you're setting your localization project up for long-term success.
They help protect your brand’s voice, improve translation quality, reduce costs, and ultimately create better experiences for your international workforce and customers.
Do you have localization questions, or a project that could do with some help? If so, we’d love to talk to you. Consultations are free and there’s no obligation.
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