A multilingual audio version matrix shows which script, recording, transcript, subtitles, and visuals belong together for each locale. It prevents a common publishing error: every individual asset is valid, but the released combination mixes revisions. Use explicit identifiers and approval states instead of relying on file dates or folders named final.
Choose one row per releasable unit
Start with the smallest unit that can be published or replaced independently, such as a lesson, tour stop, or chapter. Give it a stable content ID and create one row per target locale.
Include source revision, target-script revision, audio revision, transcript revision, subtitle revision where needed, visual revision, and release status. Add the owner of the next required action so a blocked row does not remain unexplained.
Use consistent locale identifiers. W3C's language-tag reference provides the underlying language and region concepts. Keep a human-readable locale name beside the identifier so nontechnical reviewers can understand the sheet.
Avoid using one row for an entire course when individual lessons change independently. An all-or-nothing status can hide a single outdated lesson among dozens of approved ones.
Connect revisions through meaning
A source change should trigger a review of affected target scripts, but it does not always require regenerating every locale. Record what changed and let the language owner decide which segments are affected.
For example, correcting a product label may require new narration and screenshots. Changing a source-language idiom might require no target change if the approved translation already expresses the intended meaning directly.
Use segment IDs to connect the matrix to the localization handoff. The matrix summarizes status; the handoff contains detailed text, timing constraints, and pronunciation decisions.
Mark assets as approved only against a specific dependency. “Audio approved against target script v4” is meaningful. “Audio approved” becomes ambiguous when target script v5 appears the next day.
For example, a lesson may have approved target text and audio while its revised screenshot remains unreviewed. Keep that row in assembly review until the screenshot is checked. This preserves the distinction between completed component work and a complete release without obscuring progress already made.
Use states that correspond to real work
Choose a small set of states, such as awaiting translation, language review, audio review, assembly review, and released. Define what each state requires so two contributors do not use approved to mean different things.
Keep unresolved questions in an issue field with an owner. If a brand pronunciation is undecided, say so. Do not use a general pending label that forces the next person to search through messages for the reason.
For subtitles, track whether timing matches the actual final audio. The translated subtitle alignment guide explains why an approved translation and approved timing are separate checks.
For tutorials, track the interface build or screenshot set using the localized interface workflow. A language release can become outdated because the product changed even when the source narration did not.
Verify a release package before marking it shipped
Open the destination page or media export for one locale and compare its assets with the row. Check the opening words, a changed segment, the transcript, and any language-selection label. Record the published destination and release date.
Do not assume a successful upload proves the correct file is attached. A cached page, old media reference, or copied subtitle track can leave a mismatch in the actual experience.
Keep prior release rows or a history log so a rollback identifies a complete matching package. Replacing only the audio with an older file can recreate the same revision mismatch in reverse.
Generate approved narration in the voice studio, download it with the project identifiers, and enter its revision before assembly. The matrix is useful when a colleague can answer which files belong to a release, what remains unapproved, and what must be revisited after the next source change without opening every asset.
