Who this is for: Launch teams preparing reliable product communication and reusable production assets.
What to prepare
- Approved source copy
- A list of product names and interface terms
- The storyboard and text-safe regions
- A reviewer for each target language
Prepare context rather than isolated strings
A short word such as “Review” can describe an action, a status or a noun. Supply the scene purpose and interface context so the language reviewer knows which meaning is intended. Keep the product's approved terminology alongside the script.
Use a fictional assignment product as an illustrative exercise. Its source copy is “Assign the next owner.” The translator needs to know that the scene changes a request's responsible person; it does not transfer legal ownership or approve the work.
Fill a scene-level handoff
Use one record per meaningful text item, including small conditions and the final availability line. The exercise below is a production worksheet, not a completed translation.
- Source: “Assign the next owner.” Purpose: explain the action shown in the supplied interface.
- Protected terms: approved product name and any interface label that remains untranslated in the real product.
- Visual context: the request title persists while a person is selected.
- Space: a two-line text region that can expand without covering the owner field.
- Timing: current scene includes a reading hold; adjust it after approved copy is available.
- Status language: translate the actual access condition, not a generic signup invitation.
- Reviewer question: does the chosen wording describe responsibility without implying permission or approval?
Stress-test layout before final language arrives
Use a deliberately longer English proxy such as “Choose the person responsible for the next step” to test space. This is only a layout stress test, not a prediction about a target language's expansion. Check line breaks, glyph support and the relationship between the text and action.
Do not shrink every translation to fit the original box. Recompose the scene, shorten nonessential copy with the language reviewer or increase the hold. Preserve conditions that affect the product promise.
Inspect screenshots separately. A translated caption over an untranslated interface may be appropriate in some contexts, but it should be a deliberate decision. Do not replace UI labels in a way that suggests the product itself supports a language it does not support.
After the translated copy is approved, review the full sequence in that language. A phrase that fits visually can still be awkward or change the meaning. Record the approved version, reviewer and affected scene so later source-copy changes can be applied consistently.
Review checklist
- Every text item includes scene context and intended meaning.
- Protected product terminology is explicit.
- Longer text is handled through layout or timing rather than unreadable scaling.
- The film does not imply unverified product-language support.
- A qualified language reviewer checks the complete sequence.