One Brand – 5 countries

Creating one website is a challenge. Creating five, across the UK, Germany, Sweden, Finland and the Global one, is a full-blown diplomatic mission. With Galileo Empower’s new brand at the core, we had to translate not just language, but tone, layout and user habits. Here’s what we learned.

1. One Brand, Many Voices The core message remained consistent, but the delivery changed. We worked with local offices and staff on the tone and visuals to resonate in each market, all while preserving the signature Galileo Empower look.

2. Translation ≠ Localisation Literal translation doesn’t work. Google translate helps, but you need native speakers to make sure key ideas landed with the right nuance. Especially in Finnish, it’s not an Indo European language, look up Finnish, amazing language. For example Finns don’t think someone is “crazy” – they doubt “if one has all the Moomins in the valley” (Olla kaikki muumit laaksossa), not that we used that on the website but you get the idea.

3. Design That Flexes Different languages break layouts. So we built a flexible design system that could stretch without snapping, longer buttons (looking at you Sweden), roomier headings, responsive blocks. No awkward overlaps. No lost meaning.

4. Smart Tech, Simple Tools Each site runs on WordPress, with a clever translation interface that means things like buttons and labels only need to be customised once. What does that actually mean? Take the project map, for example. On the Swedish site, rather than translating each item manually, we simply switch the interface language in the backend, and ‘Wind Power Plants’ becomes ‘Vindkraftsparker’.

5. Build With Respect You can’t fake local. Each site had to feel like it was made for its audience, because it was. That’s how you build trust, not just traffic.

Want your brand to land well across borders? Firstly, talk to locals. Not just for translation, but for cultural context. What’s too formal, or too casual? Which imagery feels inviting, and which misses the mark? These details are what make a site feel personal, not just international. The key: don’t assume, ask, listen, adapt.

Secondly, work with great clients like galileoempower.com and project managers.