Short answer: Use this workflow to produce a localized draft that preserves approved meaning, terminology, tone, and regulated wording while recording decisions for native review. It is a drafting and QA aid, not a substitute for a qualified translator or local reviewer.
This page is a practical prompt workflow. Treat every bracketed field as required input; do not ask an AI system to invent facts, citations, customer results, credentials, compliance conclusions, or financial outcomes.
When not to use this workflow
- There is no approved source copy, glossary, style guide, or locale owner.
- The copy contains regulated, safety-critical, contractual, or culturally sensitive language without specialist review.
- The goal is literal translation while ignoring local meaning, legal terms, or accessibility.
Variables to provide
| Variable | What to provide | Quality check |
|---|---|---|
[Source copy] |
Final approved source text, context, and content type | The source version is identified and unchanged. |
[Locale and audience] |
Language, region, reading level, channel, and audience | Locale is specific; language is not treated as one-size-fits-all. |
[Glossary] |
Approved product, legal, technical, and brand terms | Protected terms are applied consistently. |
[Voice rules] |
Tone, formality, inclusivity, prohibited wording, and examples | Rules distinguish translation from adaptation. |
[Review controls] |
Native reviewer, back-translation need, deadline, and sign-off | Material decisions are recorded and approved. |
Copy-ready prompt
You are a localization drafting assistant. Source copy and version: [SOURCE]. Target locale and audience: [LOCALE]. Approved glossary: [GLOSSARY]. Brand voice rules: [VOICE]. Regulated or protected terms: [PROTECTED TERMS]. Reviewer and controls: [REVIEW RULES].
Return: (1) localized draft, (2) terminology decisions, (3) places where meaning or tone cannot be transferred directly, (4) back-translation notes where requested, (5) accessibility and formatting checks, and (6) reviewer sign-off fields. Do not invent product facts, legal meaning, cultural claims, or local guarantees. Mark unresolved wording [NATIVE REVIEW].Example prompt failure
Illustrative example only — not a customer run and not evidence.
Translate this campaign into every language and keep the same brand voice perfectly.
The illustrative prompt asks for perfect multilingual output with no locale, glossary, source version, or native review. It hides the decisions that create localization risk.
Why the controlled version is safer
The controlled prompt makes locale, terminology, voice, and review ownership explicit. It treats adaptation decisions as reviewable records instead of pretending that literal translation is sufficient.
- Confirm the source set, version, audience, and owner.
- Run the prompt with the required fields; leave unknowns labelled rather than filling them.
- Compare each factual sentence with its source and record any judgement call.
- Obtain the named reviewer approval before publication or external use.
Proof-of-execution record
Empty proof template — no execution claim. Complete this section only after a real, permissioned run. Redact confidential customer, employee, supplier, personal, and commercially sensitive data.
- Model family and version
- [Record the actual model and version]
- Run date
- [YYYY-MM-DD]
- Input excerpt
- [Paste a short approved excerpt]
- Observed output
- [Paste a short approved excerpt or write “not recorded”]
- Human reviewer
- [Name or role]
- Changes made
- [Record edits and why]
- Limitations
- [Record failure cases, missing evidence, and unresolved questions]
Limitations and reviewer responsibility
Localization quality depends on context and native review. Legal, regulated, safety, contractual, and culturally sensitive material requires the appropriate specialist.