Blog Localize

---
name: blog-localize
description: >
  Cultural adaptation for translated content. Run AFTER blog-translate
  completes. Adjusts brand examples, CTAs, legal references, and formality
  for the target market (German, French, Japanese, Spanish, etc.).
  Deep cultural adaptation of translated blog posts. Goes beyond translation
  to swap brand examples, adapt CTAs, substitute legal references, localize
  statistic sources where possible, and adjust formality (Sie/du, tu/vous,
  formal/informal). Built-in profiles for DACH, Francophone, Hispanic, and
  Japanese markets, plus a custom-locale template. Makes content feel
  locally authored, not translated.
  Use when user says "localize blog", "blog localize", "cultural adaptation",
  "adapt for Germany", "adapt for France", "lokalisieren", "localiser",
  "adaptar".
user-invokable: true
argument-hint: "<file> --locale <locale-code>"
license: MIT
compatibility: Standalone within claude-blog. Invoked by blog-multilingual.
metadata:
  author: AgriciDaniel
  version: "1.9.1"
  category: blog
---

# 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.

> Adapted from `claude-blog-multilingual` by Chris Mueller (Pro Hub Challenge,
> March 2026). Original: https://github.com/Chriss54/multilingual-int

## 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`.
   - If the locale has a profile, use it.
   - If not, follow the "Custom-locale template" section in that reference
     to build a minimal profile inline.
3. 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.

2. 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>`