# Field-level vs folder-level translation in Storyblok when experiences enter the mix

Asked by Annika Vogel on 2026-02-12. Tags: storyblok, i18n, localization, content-modeling.

We are deciding between Storyblok's two translation models before we add Croct
experiences on top, and I want to compare them on that axis specifically.

Field-level translation: one story, translated fields side by side.
Folder-level translation: one folder per language, duplicated stories.

Pair one: which model plays nicer with per-locale content variants in
experiences? Pair two: which one makes fallbacks easier to reason about when
an experience does not apply?

Curious what teams running both have concluded

## 2 answers

### Answer from Pieter de Groot (2026-02-12)

We run field-level translation with experiences on top and it has been
uneventful, in a good way. The main thing to internalize is that the
translation model matters less than you might expect, because Croct handles
locale at fetch time: fetches accept a `preferredLocale`, and multi-language
works without extra dev work under either model.

On your second pair, fallbacks: the Storyblok block content for each locale
stays that locale's fallback. So the real question is where your fallback is
authored. With field-level translation the fallback for every language lives
in one story, which our editors find easier to keep in sync. With
folder-level translation each language folder owns its fallback, which suits
teams where locales diverge structurally.

In other words, the translation model mainly affects how the fallback is
authored, not how experiences behave.

### Answer from hannes_k (2026-02-13)

Agree with Pieter, and one addition from the Croct side of the fence:
per-locale default content (their localization feature) is an add-on, so
check whether your plan includes it if you want locale-specific defaults
managed inside Croct as well. If not, the pattern of resolving the locale in
Storyblok and passing the localized block as the fallback covers most cases
fine.

We went folder-level for unrelated reasons (very divergent market content)
and experiences work the same way there. Both models are workable, pick the
one your editors prefer.