Overview

The Ollang Project Management Dashboard supports three different mechanisms to improve localization quality and consistency:

Memories
Global Custom Instructions
Folder-Level and Project-Level Guidelines

These systems work together to help organizations:

preserve terminology consistency,
maintain brand voice,
improve translation quality,
standardize localization behavior,
and operationalize multilingual content at scale.

Each mechanism serves a different purpose.

Understanding the Difference

Memory

Stores historical translations, approved terminology, and multilingual reference content.

Custom Instructions

Global account-level guidance applied when no folder or project guidelines exist.

Guidelines

Folder-level or Project-level instructions controlling localization behavior for specific workflows.

Memories

Overview

Memories help organizations preserve:

approved terminology,
historical translations,
brand language,
multilingual consistency,
and localization context.

Instead of translating every Order from scratch: Ollang can reference previously approved linguistic material to improve translation consistency. This is especially important for:

enterprise localization,
recurring content,
regulated industries,
product localization,
media localization,
and brand-sensitive workflows.

How Memories Work

Memories act as:

multilingual contextual references.

Organizations can upload previously approved translation material which can then help guide future localization workflows. Example:

Source:
"Get Started"

Approved Translation:
"Commencer"

Future Orders involving similar content may reference this approved terminology.

Creating a Memory

Project Management Users can create Memories directly from:

the Memories section inside:
the Ollang Project Management Dashboard.

Memories can also be managed programmatically through the public API: create, rename, and delete memories, and import translation units into them. See List Memories, Create Memory, and Import Memory Items. Workflow:

Go to Memories
        ↓
Create New Memory
        ↓
Add Title
        ↓
Upload File
        ↓
Memory Becomes Available

Example:

Memory Name:
Brand Localization Glossary

Multiple Memories

Organizations are not limited to:

a single Memory.

Users may create:

multiple Memories,
multiple terminology repositories,
and specialized localization references.

Example:

Memories

- Brand Terminology
- Legal Terminology
- Medical Translation Memory
- Product Localization Terms
- UI Localization Memory

This enables:

department-specific localization,
content-type specialization,
and multilingual operational consistency.

Supported Memory Formats

The platform currently supports:

TMX

Translation Memory Exchange format commonly used in enterprise localization.

CSV

Spreadsheet-based terminology and translation reference format.

XLSX

Structured terminology and multilingual reference files.

JSON

Structured localization and multilingual data workflows.

Memory Matching Behavior

Memories function as:

contextual linguistic guidance.

When matching content:

100% Exact Match
        ↓
High-priority reference

Semantic Similarity
        ↓
Contextual localization guidance

This helps preserve:

consistency,
terminology quality,
and multilingual continuity.

Important Clarification

Memory matches are currently not exposed to Project Management Users.

Users cannot currently see:

which Memory item was used,
confidence levels,
or Memory source attribution.

This functionality is part of the future roadmap.

Global Custom Instructions

Overview

Global Custom Instructions represent:

organization-wide localization guidance.

These instructions are automatically applied when:

no Folder-level guideline exists,
and no Project-level guideline exists.

Global Custom Instructions act as:

fallback localization behavior.

Typical Use Cases

Global Custom Instructions are commonly used for:

brand tone,
writing style,
terminology preferences,
localization behavior,
and organization-wide standards.

Example:

Instructions:
- Maintain professional tone
- Keep product names untranslated
- Avoid slang
- Preserve English UI terminology

Important Behavior

Global Custom Instructions only apply when no Folder-level or Project-level Guidelines are configured.

Hierarchy:

Project-Level Guidelines
        ↓
Folder-Level Guidelines
        ↓
Global Custom Instructions

Folder-Level Guidelines

Overview

Folder-Level Guidelines represent:

instructions uploaded to a specific Folder.

These guidelines automatically apply to:

all Projects,
and all Orders inside that Folder.

Unless:

a Project-level Guideline exists.

Example Use Case

Example:

Folder:
French TV Series

Guideline:
- Formal French tone
- Max subtitle length: 42 CPL
- Preserve character naming
- Avoid subtitle orphan words

All Projects inside the Folder inherit:

the same localization behavior.

Folder-Level Workflow

Folder Guideline Uploaded
        ↓
Projects Created Inside Folder
        ↓
Orders Automatically Follow Folder Rules

Project-Level Guidelines

Overview

Project-Level Guidelines represent:

highly specific instructions uploaded to a particular Project.

These Guidelines override:

Folder-Level Guidelines,
and Global Custom Instructions.

Project-level guidance is used when:

one Project requires unique localization behavior.

Example Use Case

Example:

Folder:
TV Show Season

Folder Guideline:
- Maintain neutral tone
- Follow subtitle formatting

Project:
Episode 5

Project-Level Guideline:
- Preserve slang
- Use regional humor adaptation
- Character-specific naming rules

Result:

Episode 5 follows
Project-Level Guideline

while:

All other Episodes follow
Folder-Level Guideline

Override Hierarchy

Guidelines are not merged. Only the highest-priority applicable guideline is used. Hierarchy:

Project-Level Guidelines
        ↓
Folder-Level Guidelines
        ↓
Global Custom Instructions

Meaning:

If Project Guideline exists:

Project Guideline is used.

If Project Guideline does not exist:

Folder Guideline is used.

If Folder Guideline does not exist:

Global Custom Instructions are used.

Supported Guideline Formats

Guidelines may be uploaded in formats such as:

PDF

Commonly used for localization instructions and style guides.

DOCX

Commonly used for structured guideline documentation.

TXT

Lightweight instruction format for localization guidance.

XLSX

Structured terminology or instruction reference sheets.

Example Enterprise Localization Setup

Global Custom Instructions
        ↓
Professional tone
Keep UI terms in English
Avoid slang

Folder:
Marketing Campaigns
        ↓
Friendly tone
Modern language
Short-form copy

Project:
Holiday Campaign
        ↓
Preserve seasonal references
Follow regional promotions

Result:

Holiday Campaign uses:
Project-Level Guideline

Memory vs Guidelines

Memory

Helps preserve historical translations, terminology consistency, and multilingual reference material.

Guidelines

Controls how localization should behave for a specific workflow or Project.

Best Practices

Organizations typically achieve best results by combining:

Memory
        +
Guidelines
        +
Custom Instructions

Example:

Memory:
Preserve approved terminology

Folder Guideline:
Maintain subtitle formatting

Project Guideline:
Use campaign-specific language

This helps improve:

consistency,
translation quality,
brand alignment,
and multilingual scalability.

Important Operational Notes

Can organizations upload multiple Memories?

Yes. Organizations can create multiple Memories for different content types, departments, or terminology domains.

Are Memories Global or Folder-based?

Memories are global and available organization-wide.

Do Project Guidelines override Folder Guidelines?

Yes. Project-Level Guidelines always override Folder-Level Guidelines.

Are Guidelines merged together?

No. Only the highest-priority applicable guideline is used.

Can users see which Memory item influenced localization?

Not currently. Visibility into Memory source attribution is part of the future roadmap.

What happens if no Folder or Project Guideline exists?

The platform automatically applies active Global Custom Instructions.

​Overview

​Understanding the Difference

Memory

Custom Instructions

Guidelines

​Memories

​Overview

​How Memories Work

​Creating a Memory

​Multiple Memories

​Supported Memory Formats

TMX

CSV

XLSX

JSON

​Memory Matching Behavior

​Important Clarification

​Global Custom Instructions

​Overview

​Typical Use Cases

​Important Behavior

​Folder-Level Guidelines

​Overview

​Example Use Case

​Folder-Level Workflow

​Project-Level Guidelines

​Overview

​Example Use Case

​Override Hierarchy

​If Project Guideline exists:

​If Project Guideline does not exist:

​If Folder Guideline does not exist:

​Supported Guideline Formats

PDF

DOCX

TXT

XLSX

​Example Enterprise Localization Setup

​Memory vs Guidelines

Memory

Guidelines

​Best Practices

​Important Operational Notes

Overview

Understanding the Difference

Memories

Overview

How Memories Work

Creating a Memory

Multiple Memories

Supported Memory Formats

Memory Matching Behavior

Important Clarification

Global Custom Instructions

Overview

Typical Use Cases

Important Behavior

Folder-Level Guidelines

Overview

Example Use Case

Folder-Level Workflow

Project-Level Guidelines

Overview

Example Use Case

Override Hierarchy

If Project Guideline exists:

If Project Guideline does not exist:

If Folder Guideline does not exist:

Supported Guideline Formats

Example Enterprise Localization Setup

Memory vs Guidelines

Best Practices

Important Operational Notes