adidas Running Localization Hub
HUB
adidas Running · Localization Hub

One voice.
Every language.

The home of our localization guidelines: the global source of truth, a living example, and the tools to build your language. Whichever market you write for, start here.

Start here 3 steps 10 languages
How it works

Three steps to your
language’s guide.

Every linguist follows the same path. Read the principles, feel them lived in one language, then recreate them in yours. You don’t need to speak Portuguese — the example is there to show what “great” feels like, not to be copied.

1

Read the principles

Start with Layer 1 — the global guidelines. In English, for everyone. It defines why we write the way we write: tone, UX writing, accessibility, and the primary challenge of each of the ten languages.

2

Feel it lived

Open the Portuguese (PT-BR) example. It’s the principles brought fully to life in one language. Don’t translate it — study how it sounds, how it handles gender, length, placeholders and tone, then aim for that level in your own language.

3

Build your Layer 2

Fill in the authoring template, in your language. Keep the universal parts, recreate the local ones, add any section your language needs. Then it’s reviewed against the rubric and published here.

Don’t translate the example.
Recreate it in your language.

A translated guide is worthless: every example has to be born in the target language and culture. The principles are global. The voice is yours to bring to life.

The resources

Everything you need,
in one place.

Four pieces. The first two are guides you read; the last two are tools you work in.

Source of truth · read first

Layer 1 · Global

The global principles. Why we write the way we write — tone, UX writing, accessibility, and the key challenge per language. The bar for every market.

Living example · see it lived

Portuguese · PT-BR

The principles fully alive in one language: tone, transcreation, gender, placeholders, truncation, email, testing. Your reference for what “great” feels like.

Tool · build your Layer 2

Authoring template

The scaffold you fill in, in your language. Universal parts to keep, local parts to recreate, and room to add sections your language needs. Pre-flight decisions up front.

Tool · the quality bar

Reviewer rubric

One page, nine criteria, two review passes. How a finished guide is checked before it’s published — native quality plus system consistency.

Glossary · living. The fixed terms and per-language equivalents are maintained centrally and updated as new features and products launch. Always check it for product names and established terms before you start.
The rollout

Ten languages,
one standard.

Portuguese is the model. German and Spanish run as the in-house pilot to prove the kit. The rest follow with agency partners, using the same proven package.

🇧🇷 PT-BR Model
🇩🇪 DE In-house pilot
🇪🇸 ES In-house pilot
🇮🇹 IT Queued
🇫🇷 FR Queued
🇳🇱 NL Queued
🇵🇱 PL Queued
🇹🇷 TR Queued
🇰🇷 KO Queued
🇯🇵 JA Queued
Model — the lived example everyone learns from In-house pilot — proving the kit before agency rollout Queued — agency partners, same package

The principles are global.
The voice is yours.