Localization Brief Skill

Localization is not translation — it's making a product feel native in a market, which touches formats, imagery, payment methods, legal norms, and cultural expectations far beyond the strings. This skill plans it: what to translate, what to adapt, what to rebuild for the locale, in priority order, with the cultural and regulatory pitfalls that sink naïve "just translate the UI" launches.

Required Inputs

Ask for these only if they aren't already provided:

• The product/content and the target locale(s) (language + region — fr-FR vs fr-CA matters).
• What it is — SaaS UI, marketing site, app, docs, campaign — sets what needs adapting.
• Goal & depth — testing a market (light) vs. full local presence (deep).
• Known constraints — budget, what's already internationalized (i18n-ready or not).

Output Format

Localization Brief: [product] → [locale(s)]

1. Scope per locale — language + region, and the depth (translate-only vs. full localization).

2. Translate / Adapt / Rebuild — the core matrix; what each element needs:

Area	Action	Notes
UI strings	translate	register, length expansion (DE ~+30%)
Dates/numbers/currency	adapt	formats, separators, currency + display
Imagery / examples	adapt	culturally appropriate people, scenarios, names
Payments	rebuild	local methods (e.g. Alipay/WeChat in CN, iDEAL in NL)
Legal / privacy	adapt	local consent, terms, data residency
Content / SEO	adapt	local keywords, not translated ones
Tone / formality	adapt	formality norms, humour that travels