How to use bi-lingual (or multi-lingual) copy and tags in Brandkit

Brand and Digital Asset Management systems are integral for organizations to organize and manage their digital assets, such as brand assets, images, videos, documents, etc.

When working in a bi-lingual (or multi-lingual) environment, it’s nice to be able to incorporate bi-lingual copy and tags to ensure assets are easily accessible to all members of the community, regardless of their primary language.

Benefits of Bi-lingual Copy and Tags:

1. Increased Accessibility: Assets become more accessible to team members across different regions.
2. Improved Search: Assets can be located using search terms from either language.
3. Better Engagement: Assets are more likely to be used appropriately when users can understand their context and relevance.
4. Encourage bilingualism Support programmes to encourage bilingual learning with bilingual tagging.

Steps to Incorporate Bi-lingual Copy and Tags:

1. Planning:

   • Identify the primary languages your organization operates in.
   • Define a clear naming and tagging convention that incorporates both languages.

2. Uploading Assets:

   • While uploading a new asset, ensure you have translations ready for the asset name and description.
   • Name the asset in a way that includes both language versions, or consider a neutral naming system with a detailed description in both languages.

3. Tagging:

   • Apply tags in both languages. For example, for an image of a beach, you might use tags like “beach” and “playa” (the Spanish word for beach).
   • Or apply tags with bilingual tags e.g. “Beach/Playa”
   • Consistency is key. Make sure to use standardized translations and avoid slang or region-specific terms unless they are relevant.

4. Search Testing:

   • Periodically test the search function using terms from both languages to ensure assets are being indexed and surfaced correctly.

5. Educate Your Team:

   • Offer training sessions or documentation to educate team members on the bi-lingual naming and tagging conventions.
   • Ensure that everyone understands the importance of maintaining these standards for ease of use.

6. Regularly Update and Audit:

   • Periodically review and update asset names and tags to ensure they remain relevant and accurate.
   • Consider implementing automated tools or scripts that highlight assets lacking bi-lingual tags or descriptions.

Best Practices:

• Unified Language Code: Use standardized language codes (like EN for English, ES for Spanish) if integrating them into asset names or tags.

• Collaborate with Native Speakers: When deciding on translations, collaborate with native speakers to ensure accuracy and cultural relevance.

• Avoid Automatic Translations: Tools like Google Translate can be useful, but they might not always provide accurate or contextually appropriate translations. Manual verification is crucial.

• Feedback Loop: Encourage team members to provide feedback or suggest edits to improve the system’s bi-lingual capabilities.

By incorporating bi-lingual copy and tags in your DAM or Brand Library, you’re taking a step forward in fostering inclusivity, expanding asset reach, and ensuring efficient utilization of resources.

Brandkit includes bi-lingual and multi-lingual capability. Both locale and translations are required to be setup for each language, plus you will need to translate any custom pages and copy. You will need an Enterprise Plan to enable the Multi-Lingual option and the Brandkit team will need to configure your account and prepare it for translations. Please contact us for more information.