Whereas people in some countries might consider this to be a weird question, it certainly isn’t a weird question to ask children from most European countries this time of year. It starts in November with children making lists of toys they would like Saint Nicholas to bring. Followed by nervous behavior until the 5th of December. Or is it the 6th? Or the 19th?
And how would you localize content related to Saint Nicholas? Well, a certain amount of things are to be taken into account. You could start by asking yourself the following questions:
- Is Saint Nicholas Day celebrated in the target country and if yes, when? Even in Belgium and neighboring countries you already spot differences. In the Netherlands, for example, Saint Nicholas brings gifts on the evening of December 5. In Belgium Saint Nicholas sneaks in during the night and children can find their gifts safely stored in their shoes in the morning of December 6. The same happens in Northern Germany. In Ukraine, Saint Nicholas visits the children in the night of 18-19 December and in Malta they prefer to celebrate Saint Nicholas Day on the last Sunday of June.
- How are Saint Nicholas and - more importantly - his helper portrayed in the target country? Apart from the discussions on whether or not ‘Zwarte Piet’ is a symbol for racism, Saint Nicholas' helper himself is perceived as kind and a bit naughty in Belgium and the Netherlands. In Austria, however, Krampus is a beast-like figure with demonic features.
Translation and localization of cultural topics require preparation. There’s homework to be done by the marketing team and you need to make sure you have the best translators for the job. Fortunately, lilo is perfect to help you with that. Have a look at www.lilo.global to start your localization project.