blog-localize

Blog Localize, Cultural Deep-Adaptation

Takes a translated blog post and performs cultural adaptation so the result feels like it was written for the target market, not translated into it. This is the layer above blog-translate: it replaces examples, adjusts tone, swaps references, and localizes the entire reading experience.

Key References

• ../blog-translate/references/cultural-adaptation.md, the shared cultural profiles file with substitution tables for DACH, Francophone, Hispanic, Japanese, and a custom template. Do not duplicate this file.

When to Use

• Right after blog-translate produces a base translation.
• When existing translated content reads like "translated from English".
• When targeting a specific market, not just a language.
• When content needs local statistics, examples, and brand references.

Workflow

Phase 1: Locale Understanding

1. Parse the locale code. Accept full codes (de-DE, fr-CA, es-MX, pt-BR, zh-TW) or plain language codes (de, fr).
2. Load the cultural profile from ../blog-translate/references/cultural-adaptation.md.
3. If the locale has a profile, use it.
4. If not, follow the "Custom-locale template" section in that reference to build a minimal profile inline.
5. Read the translated post and identify adaptation targets.

Phase 2: Cultural Audit

Scan for elements that signal foreign origin:

| Element | What to look for | |---------|------------------| | Brand examples | US or UK brands with no relevance locally | | Statistics sources | US-only studies and surveys | | CTAs | American-style aggressive calls-to-action | | Idioms | Literally translated English expressions | | Legal references | Foreign laws (CCPA, FTC) where local law applies (DSGVO, RGPD) | | Cultural references | Foreign holidays, events, customs | | Currency and pricing | USD without conversion or context | | Tone | Too casual or too formal for the target market | | Address form | Inconsistent Sie/du, tu/vous, formal/informal |

Output an audit report listing every target with severity (critical, recommended, optional).

Phase 3: Adaptation

3a. Example Substitution

Swap foreign examples for local equivalents:

• Use WebSearch to find local case studies, brands, or scenarios.
• Replace inline, preserving the same argument and structure.
• If no local equivalent exists, keep the original but add local context ("In the German market, the equivalent dynamic is X").

3b. Statistics Localization

• Search for equivalent local statistics (`[topic] statistik [country] 2025 2026`).
• If local data exists, swap the source and the figure together. Keep one named source per claim.
• If not, keep the original stat but mark its geographic scope ("In the US, ...").
• Never strip source attribution.

3c. CTA Adaptation

Rewrite calls-to-action per the cultural profile:

• Adjust aggressiveness level (DACH and JA prefer informational, US prefers imperative).
• Use culturally appropriate action verbs.
• Adapt urgency framing.

3d. Tone Calibration

• Match formality per profile (DACH defaults to Sie for B2B, du for B2C lifestyle; FR defaults to vous; JA shifts register sharply by audience).
• Ensure consistent formal or informal address throughout the entire document.
• Match local content-style conventions.

3e. Legal and Regulatory Context

• Replace references to foreign laws with local equivalents (CCPA becomes DSGVO in DE, RGPD in FR, LGPD in BR).
• Add local compliance notes where they help the reader.
• Remove irrelevant foreign regulatory references.

3f. Brand Example Swaps (Quick Map)

Profiles in ../blog-translate/references/cultural-adaptation.md provide substitution tables. Common examples:

| Source (US) | DACH | FR | ES (Spain) | LATAM | JA | |-------------|------|----|----|-------|----| | Walmart | MediaMarkt | Carrefour | El Corte Ingles | Walmart MX | Aeon | | Target | Saturn | Auchan | Hipercor | Liverpool | Ito-Yokado | | FTC | Bundeskartellamt | DGCCRF | CNMC | Profeco (MX) | JFTC | | CCPA | DSGVO | RGPD | RGPD | LGPD (BR) | APPI |

Phase 4: Quality Verification

• All critical adaptation targets addressed.
• Tone is consistent throughout.
• No remaining foreign-origin markers.
• Statistics have valid sources (original or localized).
• CTAs match cultural expectations.
• Formal or informal address is consistent end to end.
• Content still supports the same argument as the original.
• SEO elements remain optimized (keywords, meta, headings).
• Word count is within the expected ratio for the language pair.

Phase 5: Save and Report

1. Save the localized version. Default: overwrite the translated file. Optional: save as {slug}-localized.{ext} if the user wants to keep the pre-localization version.

1. Present the summary:

``` ## Localization complete: [Title]

### Target locale: [locale-code] ([locale-name])

### Adaptations made | Type | Count | Examples | |------|-------|----------| | Brand examples | [N] | Walmart -> MediaMarkt | | Statistics | [N] | US survey -> DACH survey | | CTAs | [N] | "Buy now" -> "Jetzt entdecken" | | Tone adjustments | [N] | Casual -> Sie | | Legal references | [N] | CCPA -> DSGVO | | Cultural references | [N] | Thanksgiving -> Weihnachtsgeschaeft |

### Cultural fit score

• Naturalness: [1-10]
• Market relevance: [1-10]
• Tone match: [1-10]
• Overall: [N]/30

### Remaining recommendations

• [Optional adaptations not applied] ```

Error Handling

| Scenario | Action | |----------|--------| | No cultural profile for the locale | Build a minimal profile from the custom-locale template, proceed | | File is not in the expected language | Warn the user, offer to translate first | | No local statistics available | Keep the original stat with a geographic-scope note | | Locale code ambiguous (e.g., pt) | Ask: "Did you mean pt-BR (Brazil) or pt-PT (Portugal)?" |

Cross-References

• Pre-step (translation): /blog translate <file> --to <code>
• QA across language versions: /blog locale-audit <directory>
• One-command pipeline: /blog multilingual <topic> --languages <codes>