How to Create and Manage Multilingual Content with Contentful Localization

At times, the audience that consumes your content can be from various languages, geographies, and cultures. In such scenarios, how can you make it relevant to everyone while not necessarily restructuring the whole thing? Well, localization.

For example, if you are conducting a marketing campaign, you want it to be natural for an individual in Germany, Japan, or Brazil. That's what localization makes possible.

Contentful provides built-in tools to manage multilingual content through its locale system and structured content approach. Instead of creating duplicate content for each language, you can maintain a single source of truth while adapting specific elements like text, images, and metadata for different regions.

1. Firstly, localization makes it possible for you to reach more people around the world.
2. This results in making the content more relatable and making it easier to access.
3. Now this doesn't mean that you need to localize for every region or language, rather it helps you to personalize it for your target audience.
4. It makes your audience associate with your brand more and more since they get the content tailored to them.
5. Another obvious reason for considering localization is that it gives you an edge over competitors who don’t localize their content.

In Contentful CMS, you can easily manage content in multiple languages. I’ll guide you through a step-by-step process to set it up:

Setting Up Locales

But first, what are locales? Well, basically locales are combinations of languages and regions, like English for the United States (en-US) or French for Canada (fr-CA).

Each of these locales is identified using the ISO code which is nothing but a standard defining code for the names of countries, dependent territories, and special areas of geographical interest.

Contentful CMS supports:

• Multiple regional variations for one language (e.g., German locales: de-DE, de-AT, de-CH)
• Environment-level configuration for precise control
• Custom fallback logic for missing translations

Step-by-Step Locale Configuration:

1. Access Locale Settings:
   1. Go to Settings > Locales in the web app
2. Add New Locales:
   1. Click "+ Add locale" and select from the dropdown
   2. Use Content Management API for custom locales 
3. Configure Options:
   1. Set fallback locales for missing translations
   2. Enable/disable locales in API responses 
4. Enable Field Localization:
   1. Edit content types to enable localization per field

Preparing Your Content

Before you begin with the translating, you need to set up your content so it can handle multiple languages.

This means you need to create content types that support localization. For example, if you have a blog post, you’ll need fields for the title and body in each language.

Also, if you want to translate some specific fields and keep the other the same across all languages or regions you need to enable localization for specific fields.

Managing Translations

Now that the basic requirements of your content preparation are met, you can move on to the translating process.

In Contentful CMS, you can add translations manually or use tools to automate the process. You can also control who can edit translations by setting up roles and permissions.

However, just in case, make sure that you have set up fallback options so that Contentful can show your content in another language if a translation is missing.

Using APIs to Retrieve Content

When your localized content is available for publication, Contentful's APIs deliver flexible ways to fetch the best version for each user.

You can even fetch content in an exact locale, like German Austrian (de-AT), to ensure users see content exactly fitting their language and regional preferences.

In addition, Contentful provides the ability to fetch all versions of one item of content at once, which is especially useful when you want to show several language copies on one page or present in-depth multilingual data in one view.

API-Based Localization Methods:

• Retrieve specific locale entries:

curl -X GET "https://cdn.contentful.com/spaces/<SPACE_ID>/entries/<ENTRY_ID>?locale=de-AT"

• Get all translations at once:

curl -X GET "https://cdn.contentful.com/spaces/<SPACE_ID>/entries/<ENTRY_ID>?locale=*"

• Sync API maintains the localized content structure: In addition, Contentful provides the ability to fetch all versions of one item of content at once, which is especially useful when you want to show several language copies on one page or present in-depth multilingual data in one view.

Publishing Locales and Its Modes

Contentful offers two primary publishing modes for localized content:

1. Publish all locales: This mode enables you to publish and unpublish all locales of an entry, asset, or experience simultaneously with a single click.
    
2. Locale-based publishing: This allows for more granular control, letting you publish and unpublish content in one or multiple selected locales independently.

These publishing modes are defined at the environment level, giving you flexibility in how you manage your localized content.

When it comes to managing content in multiple languages, Contentful offers several strategies to fit different needs. Each approach has its own benefits and is suited for specific scenarios. Let’s break them down in simple terms.

Field-level Localization

Field-level localization is ideal for situations where you need to publish content in multiple languages at the same time. In this approach, each field in your content entry is duplicated for every language you support.

Entry-level Localization

Entry-level localization takes a different approach by using a container structure. Instead of duplicating fields within a single entry, you create separate entries for each language. Here’s how it works:

1. The “Global” content type acts as the main container. It holds reference fields that link to the localized versions of the content.
    
2. The “Local” content type contains the actual content for each language.

Content Type-level Localization

In this approach, you create separate copies of your content types for each language, all within the same space.

Space-level Localization

Space-level localization takes separation to the next level by creating entirely separate spaces for each language.

Once you’ve got the basics down, there are more things you can do to make your Contentful localization even better:

Custom Fallback Locales

By default, Contentful reverts to a default fallback locale when encountering missing localized content, but you can define custom fallback logic to better accommodate your audience's language preferences.

• Allows creation of sophisticated fallback chains
  • Example structure:
  • Swiss German (de-CH) → Standard German (de-DE) → English (en-US)
     
• Key considerations:
  • Fallback chains cannot contain cycles
  • Null values don't trigger fallback
  • Can set fallbackCode to null to prevent fallback
  • Cannot disable a locale that's part of a fallback chain

Handling Missing Translations

The biggest challenge editorial teams face is managing missing translations across different languages in a scalable way, which Contentful addresses through specific behaviors in both the Content Management API and web app.

• Content Management API behavior:
  • Follows the "what you set is what you get" principle
  • Null or empty string values prevent fallback
  • Undefined values trigger fallback
     
• Web app behavior:
  • Empty fields automatically trigger fallback
  • Cannot set null or empty string values
  • Preserves CMA-set values unless edited

Sync API Behavior

The Sync API in Contentful always includes all localized versions of content in its response, regardless of locale settings.

It follows the same structure as when using the wildcard locale parameter in regular API calls. The Sync API ensures consistency by maintaining all localized content during synchronization operations.

Even when a specific locale is requested in the API call, the Sync API will still return all localized content, making it a reliable tool for comprehensive content synchronization.

1. Automating Translations
   You can save time by automating parts of the translation process. For example:
   1. Use webhooks to send new content to translation tools automatically.
   2. Use AI to suggest translations, but always have a human check them for accuracy.
       
2. Contentful Localizing Images and Media
   Text isn’t the only thing that needs to be localized. Images, videos, and other media should also fit the culture of your audience. For example:
   1. Use images that reflect the local culture.
   2. Make sure any text in images is translated.
   3. Consider using different media for different regions if needed.
       
3. Making Sure Your Content Works Everywhere
   When you’re dealing with multiple languages, you need to make sure your content works well for everyone. This includes:
   1. Testing your content in different languages to make sure it looks good and works properly.
   2. Keeping your content models simple so they’re easy to manage.
   3. Making sure your translations are consistent across all your content.
       
4. Governance and Permissions
   1. Use custom roles to restrict access by locale
   2. Implement granular editing permissions
       
5. Performance and SEO
   1. Configure locale-specific metadata
   2. Use strategic fallback chains
   3. Test regional content delivery speeds

Successful localization with Contentful requires careful planning and understanding of the available tools and strategies. Whether you're managing content in a few languages or dozens, Contentful provides the flexibility and control needed for effective content localization.

Localization is not just about translation - it's about creating appropriate content for each target market while maintaining efficient workflows and content governance.