diff --git a/internal/model/README.md b/internal/model/README.md
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+++ b/internal/model/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+# Protocols
+
+This package provides common ways for decoding serialized bytes into protocol-specific in-memory data models (e.g. Zipkin Span). These data models can then be translated to internal pdata representations. Similarly, pdata can be translated from a data model which can then be serialized into bytes.
+
+[serializer](serializer): Common interfaces for serializing/deserializing bytes from/to protocol-specific data models.
+
+[translator](translator): Common interfaces for translating protocol-specific data models from/to pdata.
+
+This package provides higher level APIs that do both encoding of bytes and data model if going directly pdata ⇔ bytes.
diff --git a/internal/model/serializer/deserialize.go b/internal/model/serializer/deserialize.go
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+++ b/internal/model/serializer/deserialize.go
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+// Copyright The OpenTelemetry Authors
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+// You may obtain a copy of the License at
+//
+//       http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+// limitations under the License.
+
+package serializer
+
+// MetricsUnmarshaler decodes bytes into protocol-specific data model.
+type MetricsUnmarshaler interface {
+	UnmarshalMetrics(buf []byte) (interface{}, error)
+}
+
+// TracesUnmarshaler decodes bytes into protocol-specific data model.
+type TracesUnmarshaler interface {
+	UnmarshalTraces(buf []byte) (interface{}, error)
+}
+
+// LogsUnmarshaler decodes bytes into protocol-specific data model.
+type LogsUnmarshaler interface {
+	UnmarshalLogs(buf []byte) (interface{}, error)
+}
diff --git a/internal/model/serializer/serialize.go b/internal/model/serializer/serialize.go
new file mode 100644
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+++ b/internal/model/serializer/serialize.go
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+// Copyright The OpenTelemetry Authors
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+// You may obtain a copy of the License at
+//
+//       http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+// limitations under the License.
+
+package serializer
+
+// MetricsMarshaler encodes protocol-specific data model into bytes.
+type MetricsMarshaler interface {
+	MarshalMetrics(model interface{}) ([]byte, error)
+}
+
+// TracesMarshaler encodes protocol-specific data model into bytes.
+type TracesMarshaler interface {
+	MarshalTraces(model interface{}) ([]byte, error)
+}
+
+// LogsMarshaler encodes protocol-specific data model into bytes.
+type LogsMarshaler interface {
+	MarshalLogs(model interface{}) ([]byte, error)
+}
diff --git a/internal/model/serializer/serializer.go b/internal/model/serializer/serializer.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..11cfa08c8c70
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/model/serializer/serializer.go
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+// Copyright The OpenTelemetry Authors
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+// You may obtain a copy of the License at
+//
+//       http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+// limitations under the License.
+
+package serializer
+
+import "fmt"
+
+// Encoding is the encoding format that a model is serialized to.
+type Encoding string
+
+const (
+	Protobuf Encoding = "protobuf"
+	JSON     Encoding = "json"
+	Thrift   Encoding = "thrift"
+)
+
+func (e Encoding) String() string {
+	return string(e)
+}
+
+// ErrUnavailableEncoding is returned when the requested encoding is not supported.
+type ErrUnavailableEncoding struct {
+	encoding Encoding
+}
+
+func (e *ErrUnavailableEncoding) Error() string {
+	return fmt.Sprintf("unsupported encoding %q", e.encoding)
+}
+
+func NewErrUnavailableEncoding(encoding Encoding) *ErrUnavailableEncoding {
+	return &ErrUnavailableEncoding{encoding: encoding}
+}
diff --git a/internal/model/serializer/serializer_test.go b/internal/model/serializer/serializer_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..50f00591d9e8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/model/serializer/serializer_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+// Copyright The OpenTelemetry Authors
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+// You may obtain a copy of the License at
+//
+//       http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+// limitations under the License.
+
+package serializer
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+)
+
+func TestNewErrUnavailableEncoding(t *testing.T) {
+	err := NewErrUnavailableEncoding("unknown")
+	assert.IsType(t, &ErrUnavailableEncoding{}, err)
+	assert.EqualError(t, err, `unsupported encoding "unknown"`)
+}
+
+func TestEncoding_String(t *testing.T) {
+	assert.Equal(t, "protobuf", Protobuf.String())
+}
diff --git a/internal/model/translator/decoder.go b/internal/model/translator/decoder.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..5159db5575aa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/model/translator/decoder.go
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+// Copyright The OpenTelemetry Authors
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+// You may obtain a copy of the License at
+//
+//       http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+// limitations under the License.
+
+package translator
+
+import "go.opentelemetry.io/collector/consumer/pdata"
+
+type MetricsDecoder interface {
+	// ToMetrics converts a protocol-specific data model into pdata.
+	ToMetrics(src interface{}) (pdata.Metrics, error)
+}
+
+type TracesDecoder interface {
+	// ToTraces converts a protocol-specific data model into pdata.
+	ToTraces(src interface{}) (pdata.Traces, error)
+}
+
+type LogsDecoder interface {
+	// ToLogs converts a protocol-specific data model into pdata.
+	ToLogs(src interface{}) (pdata.Logs, error)
+}
diff --git a/internal/model/translator/encoder.go b/internal/model/translator/encoder.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..fc1f8f1e3c4c
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+++ b/internal/model/translator/encoder.go
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+// Copyright The OpenTelemetry Authors
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+// You may obtain a copy of the License at
+//
+//       http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+// limitations under the License.
+
+package translator
+
+import "go.opentelemetry.io/collector/consumer/pdata"
+
+type MetricsEncoder interface {
+	// FromMetrics converts pdata to protocol-specific data model.
+	FromMetrics(md pdata.Metrics) (interface{}, error)
+}
+
+type TracesEncoder interface {
+	// FromTraces converts pdata to protocol-specific data model.
+	FromTraces(td pdata.Traces) (interface{}, error)
+}
+
+type LogsEncoder interface {
+	// FromLogs converts pdata to protocol-specific data model.
+	FromLogs(ld pdata.Logs) (interface{}, error)
+}
diff --git a/internal/model/translator/translator.go b/internal/model/translator/translator.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..f8ca2804e0db
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/model/translator/translator.go
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+// Copyright The OpenTelemetry Authors
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+// You may obtain a copy of the License at
+//
+//       http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+// limitations under the License.
+
+package translator
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+)
+
+// NewErrIncompatibleType returns errIncompatibleType instance
+func NewErrIncompatibleType(expected, given interface{}) error {
+	return fmt.Errorf("expected model type %T but given %T", expected, given)
+}
diff --git a/internal/model/translator/translator_test.go b/internal/model/translator/translator_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..6b010e48a50b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/model/translator/translator_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+// Copyright The OpenTelemetry Authors
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+// You may obtain a copy of the License at
+//
+//       http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+// limitations under the License.
+
+package translator
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	zipkinmodel "github.com/openzipkin/zipkin-go/model"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+)
+
+func TestNewErrIncompatibleType(t *testing.T) {
+	err := NewErrIncompatibleType([]*zipkinmodel.SpanModel{}, "given")
+	assert.EqualError(t, err, "expected model type []*model.SpanModel but given string")
+}