October 2013 Transmedia Meetup Zurich I was asked to present a brief talk on Multilingual Publishing and Global Content Strategy. It's a launching point for transmedia or cross-platform projects that must appear in multiple languages. How do you start? What are you actually trying to do with a transmedia project? What are you saying? Where are you saying it? How are you balancing technology and your core message to your audience?

1. Staying Sane While
Publishing in Multiple Languages
Across Multiple Formats
images not mine!

2. Transmedia Zurich Meetup
October 16, 2013
Elizabeth Henry
@whereareyouliz
www.henrygeneral.com

3. When we talk about transmedia, we often get
wrapped up in the various tools and platforms and
possibilities.
Whether you're creating
a transmedia campaign for a product
like a book, movie or brand or
a new creative project,
you have to make some decisions
early on about language..

8. We'll lean heavily on systems, story, tools, visuals, on
characters and ideas.
But we'll be using language
all along visible and invisible,
heard and inferred

9. Using language wisely, early on. Here’s how:
1. Create clear and consistent brand language and
messaging across platforms
2. Set priorities and plans for multilingual projects
3. Decide on process for how to integrate language
into the project as it grows

10. 1. Create clear and consistent brand language
and messaging across platforms
What is said or inferred?
By whom?
voices
instructions
narrator
character voices
context
general brand language
How is it conveyed?
register
vocabulary
tone
voice

11. For whom?
audience - user - player?
target profile, archetype or range of archetypes?
audience matching or audience targeting?
…and does this change with each platform/media?

12. 2. Set priorities and plans for multilingual projects
Will you publish in one language or many?
Which? In what order? Why?
Will you consider any localizing due to demographic?
..due to geographic location?
What's the source language?

13. 3. Decide on how to integrate language
into the project as it grows and changes
Will it be seen or heard? spoken?
..with what kind of voice?
Will words and meanings be inferred or explicitly stated?

14. Using language wisely, early on. Here’s how:
1. Create clear and consistent brand language and
messaging across platforms
2. Set priorities and plans for multilingual projects
3. Decide on how to integrate language
into the project as it grows and changes

15. Some takeaways:
Be as aware of your words
as you are of your audience/user.
Develop strong brand language.
Tweak as necessary.
Edit. Edit. Test. Edit.
When in doubt:
Be clear. Articulate.

17. Elizabeth Henry
@whereareyouliz
www.henrygeneral.com