Recently I had the opportunity to attend a seminar presented by Magdalena Wojtasiak, a Chartered Linguist and full member of Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL), who currently works as a senior content designer at a design consulting agency in London. Originally from Poland, she started her career as a translator and interpreter, later transitioning into content design. “Content design for translators” was hosted by the CIOL as part of their series on Continuing Professional Development.

Magdelena made it clear that her goal with this webinar was not to teach translation skills but to give translators insights into the content creation process and why sometimes these processes can be complex or counterintuitive for translators.

What is Content Design?

Magdalena started by explaining that content design is more than just writing for an audience; rather, it is meant so that users understand and interact effectively with digital content. An example she used was a streaming platform service with film rentals; if a user rents content but does not realise that it expires in 48 hours, that is a failure of content design as important information was not communicated properly. 

Magdalena also outlines six steps that are used in user-centred design processes to create explicit and effective content:

1. Understanding (empathising) – researching user behaviour, needs and preferences
2. Defining the problem – identifying specific challenges as they relate to content
3. Ideation – coming up with possible solutions to improve clarity
4. Prototyping – creating working versions of the content 
5. Testing and learning – observing users interact with prototypes and getting feedback
6. Implementation – refining prototypes and releasing a finalised version

Magdalena also advocated for a 7th step: localisation, or not only translation but adapting the language used for a target audience that may differ from the source’s original target audience. 

Content Design for Better User Experiences

Magdalena pointed out that content design is about information, not just words. It ensures easy information gathering and understanding when needed in a way that makes sense to them. She used a university website as an example. The university focuses on information such as alum news, press releases and campus photos to get students to attend. In contrast, students typically concentrate on course fees, application deadlines and contact details. 

Because the desired information varies between groups, user-centred content design is essential for aligning with users’ actual needs.

Content design for translators

Translators often have to translate things with little or no context, so being given insights into the process can help improve understanding and, thereby, translations. User-focused writing also leads to clearer, more effective translations. Understanding this process also helps translators know what users are looking for, which may call for adaptations in tone and clarity of translations. 

She also introduced some UX principles that help translators, including consistency across translations, simplicity through plain language for enhanced clarity, and content awareness of where and how users interact with content.

Common Localisation and Translation Challenges

The next part of “Content design for translators” focused on common challenges in translation that result from lousy content design:

1. Truncation issues caused by English often being shorter than translations in other languages, which leads to text being cut off. 
2. UI design limitations, such as forms and addresses differing across languages and locations.
3. One-size-fits-all content, which does not usually work for all locations and contexts.
4. Mistranslations and unnatural phrasing leading to awkward, unclear text.

Users don’t distinguish between poor translations and poor design choices, so the text is often blamed rather than the design. 

Case Study: Welsh Government Services

Many of the above problems can be solved by considering localisation early in the content design process, such as Welsh Government websites. These are all bilingual (English and Welsh), and the Welsh government has adopted the practice of having Welsh-English translators working directly with content designers to ensure both language versions are equally effective.

Magdalena also called for more organisations to adopt this approach of integrating translation and localisation into the content design process rather than leaving it as an afterthought.

What makes Content Good?

According to the presentation, there are some key qualities of effective content: 

1. Language matches the user’s natural speech – Avoiding overly complex or formal text.
2. Content provides only what users need – Eliminating unnecessary details.
3. Structure is clear and easy to read – Using headings, bullet points, and spacing to improve readability.

Research has also shown that how users perceive language also affects how they perceive design. For example, “special meals” felt like extra effort was needed, whereas “meal options” did not have this negative connotation. Another example is “inbound/outbound,” which is more difficult to understand than “one-way/return” for buying tickets. 

In the medical field, using “pee and poo” were shown to be understood better by patients than “urine and stool”, sothe NHS now uses simple language for its websites because of this. 

In summary, good content isn’t “fancy” writing; it is all about clarity, simplicity and usability. 

Content delivery and empathy

Content can also affect people’s emotions and decisions, so considering contexts and conditions is also important. Magdalena used the example of NHS text messaging. As a mobile notification, some people may have colleagues or people nearby who see information such as “Mr. X, your blood test shows you need to lower cholesterol”, which can be embarrassing and raises medical data privacy concerns. A better alternative is “You have a message from your GP,” which conveys that a message is available to view while respecting privacy and reducing anxiety. 

She also gave an example of a water bill. As many people struggle with numbers, it is straightforward to understand. It uses big, clear numbers (e.g., “£38.50 per month”), visual comparisons (e.g., “equivalent to 787 showers”), and simple language (e.g., “Your payment is due in 10 days”). 

All of these choices make content less intimidating and more user-friendly. 

How AI Is Impacting Content Design and Translation

An audience member asked about AI’s impact on content design. Magdalena pointed out that AI-generated content lacks user insights. It also does not prioritise accessibility, clarity or localisation; instead, it creates generic text that can be difficult to understand. It is a good draft tool but cannot replace user-centred content design and user research. 

My opinion

Hearing about the content design process from the other side was lovely. I have been localising content for a well-known speaker company for the past couple of years for the UK, IE and “rest of world” markets from US English. Localisation typically comes in at the end of the process rather than at the beginning. Still, it seems like the company I work with keeps other languages in mind when creating content, as there are usually not many complaints or concerns raised by the translators/localisers for different languages. 

As someone whose job is also under threat from AI—most people think it can do things better than it can, especially for specialised translation—it was nice to hear that content creation, especially for companies, is still primarily in the hands of humans. AI is great for remaking something, but it is not great at coming up with new ideas or generating new content that is different from what it knows. I think its soulless nature is a disadvantage for content design due to the research and human aspects.

All in all, this webinar made me more interested in the content design process, and it may be where I move in my career in the future.