Is It Out of Scope? — Web design
Is translating the site into another language out of scope for a web design project?
Yes. Translation itself and the layout adjustments a second language often requires (text expansion, RTL support) are additional design and production work beyond a single-language build.
The project was scoped and designed for a single language. Post-approval — sometimes post-launch — the client asks to "just add a Spanish version" or similar. This isn't purely a translation-and-swap-text task from a design standpoint: many layouts break when text length changes (German and Finnish routinely run 20-30% longer than English; some languages need right-to-left layout support), so a second language often means re-checking and adjusting every approved layout, not just localizing copy.
Is it out of scope?
Yes. The design was approved for one language's copy length and reading direction. Adding a second language is additional design QA and adjustment work at minimum, and can be a substantial redesign pass if the new language runs significantly longer or reads right-to-left.
Clause typically implicated
Clause typically implicated
Assumptions clause→ — States the language/locale the design was built around — a second language changes an assumption the original layouts depended on.
Example contract wording
Example contract wording (illustrative, not legal advice)
The design was built and approved for English copy lengths. Adding [language] will need a layout review across all approved pages to check text expansion doesn't break anything — I'd estimate that at [$X] before we even get into translation itself, which we'd recommend sourcing separately unless you'd like us to manage that too.
How MarginFlow flags it
MarginFlow flags a translation/localization request outside_scope against the contract's language assumptions where they're extracted from the SOW, with the explanation naming the specific layout-risk reason (text expansion, RTL) rather than treating it as a generic "more content" request — giving the account manager language to use with the client that's grounded in a real design constraint, not just a scope-defense reflex.