User Manual For Website Editors and Administrators

Local Content With English Fallback

Applies to countries which maintain their local web pages in English and a local language.

Some countries maintain not only pages in their local language, but also English versions of their local pages and pieces of content (e.g. Appointments).

If this applies to you, you have to take care to (a) create the content and (b) to translate your content to English.

Excursion: How does Contentstack manage languages and translations?

In Contentstack, we have all languages organized in a hierarchical manner. At the top, there is EMEA EN (the master language).

Below, we have the local English languages (e.g. Germany - English, Italy - English etc.), if there is a local English language (e.g. Belgium and Netherlands have not).

Below, on the bottom level, we have the local language (e.g. Germany - German).

Also on the bottom level, we have the local English versions of English speaking countries (e.g. Ireland, United Kingdom)

Examples (from top level to bottom level):

  • EMEA-EN → Germany - English → Germany - German

  • EMEA-EN → Netherlands - Dutch (no local EN version)

  • EMEA-EN → Ireland - English

Due to this hierarchical structure it’s possible to use fallbacks (e.g. if a local translation is missing for a piece of content/Entry.

Also, this means that if you create an Entry on a higher level, it’s possible to inherit the structure and the content in a level below. → We can make use of this!

If you create new Entries in Contentstack, e.g. a new local Web Page, start with the local English version!

This sounds weird, but saves a lot of time and trouble.

1st step: Create the content in the local English version (e.g. Germany - English).

At this point it doesn’t matter if you provide the texts in English or your local language.

2nd step: Localize the content in the local language version (e.g. Germany - German).

When you created e.g. your Web Page with all embedded Images, etc., navigate to all Entries you created and switch in the language selector from the local English version to the local language.

You created an Entry in Germany - English

Then you switch to Germany- German

Next to the language selector you will find a label “Unlocalized”

 

 

 

 

 

Click “Save” and confirm to create a localized version of your content.

3rd step: Translate the content

Depending on the decision you made in the 1st step, you must now either translate in the local English version the content to English or translate in the local language version from English to the local language.