In the relentless pursuit of global market dominance, how do leading brands ensure their message resonates across every culture and language? It’s more than just translation. It’s localization at scale, a strategic imperative that demands foresight, big-picture thinking with an eye for the fine print and the right technology.
Few understand this intricate dance better than Julio Madrid, a localization expert with a unique perspective on the challenges and successes of cross-cultural communication and the meticulous attention to detail required in diverse linguistic contexts.
Madrid was a guest on Crowdin’s agile localization podcast, where he discussed the principles of localization by design with host Stefan Huyghe and the approach to localization at scale at global retail giant Walmart, a company Madrid knows well.
Localization by design consists in including internationalization and localization from the start of product development, an approach that Madrid stresses includes early involvement, i.e., having localization experts or at least a localization team lead in the initial planning meetings, providing proactive input, reviewing wireframes, giving input on design decisions, and collaborating with user experience (UX) designers during copy creation.
Technical considerations are also essential for both localization by design and at scale. The benefits of this approach are significant. Madrid commented that “The return on investment is huge and you avoid costly redesigns. You reduce technical debt and you speed up the time to market for international releases… it is always cheaper to build it and embed it from the beginning than to do it later or, as we usually say, to do localization as an afterthought.”
And while having a seat at the table early in the production cycle is not always easy, companies like Walmart foster a culture where localization is viewed as essential, explained Madrid. This includes having “ambassadors” from various departments (engineering, data science, UX design) who can become “evangelists for global-first thinking” or “localization champions.”
According to Madrid, localization ideally becomes part of the company’s DNA, its infrastructure and foundation, and the advantages from product architecture to customer satisfaction are visible. Addressing the technical knowledge gap between localization specialists and development teams is also essential, as both are trying to achieve the same goal of creating the best end product possible.
The bottom line is that localization teams have unique insights into the user experience across markets and can identify when a feature that works in one market might not necessarily work in another due to cultural differences or government regulations. These teams “provide intel and insight that sometimes is hard for marketing or research to get to understand without any AB testing or any market research,” added Madrid.
“For high volume, lower-risk content, user-generated content or support documentation for teams, automated translation with human post-editing can dramatically increase quality, increase revenue, and save money… So for me, the trick is pairing the robust quality that you can get with implementing AI together with a set of human eyes… We’re also seeing huge gains in automated file handling and workflows, which is actually a great feature that I really enjoy with Crowdin.” — Julio Madrid, Localization Specialist
Madrid’s insights extend beyond design principles to the transformative power of AI and automation in localization. He noted that “for high volume, lower-risk content, user-generated content or support documentation for teams, automated translation with human post-editing can dramatically increase quality, increase revenue, and save money… So for me, the trick is pairing the robust quality that you can get with implementing AI together with a set of human eyes… We’re also seeing huge gains in automated file handling and workflows, which is actually a great feature that I really enjoy with Crowdin.”
Small Localization Miracles, Global Impact
Using AI for translation and localization is no longer just an option: it’s the new language solutions standard. AI cuts costs, accelerates timelines, and enables continuous localization, things that many smart global organizations aspire to but often struggle to implement.
Beyond money and time savings, stakeholders want and expect reliable automation across content and processes, synchronized updates, scalability without friction, and the ability for team members to create, review, preview, and customize multilingual content without a large investment of effort and time.
So, how can organizations get it all done without significantly disrupting what already works well? How to ride the AI wave while preserving what makes them unique? Can adopting AI localization be a turnkey operation?
Let’s first address how to get the benefits of AI localization in harmony with those things that already work well in your organization. The AI-powered Crowdin localization platform offers over 600 integrations, including connections to trusted content management systems (CMSs), for seamless multilingual updates and support for everything from chatbots to email communication.
Today’s non-stop content generation is dynamically created leveraging AI, and users can enjoy an equally dynamic AI-assisted localization flow via Crowdin, with as few or as many control endpoints as desired.
Additionally, Crowdin runs in parallel with development environments, so instead of manual string extraction and file pushing, apps are ready for a global audience from the start — while minimizing errors and increasing consistency.
The ability to train the AI on your unique terminology and Translation Memories makes the most of your existing content assets while preserving your branding and improving the entire language conversion process. Likewise, using advanced features like context harvesting, Crowdin AI leads to significantly higher-quality outputs than traditional machine translation (MT) engines.
Linguists also benefit from a powerful online environment that combines familiar user interface (UI) features with the best AI can offer, making work more efficient and collaborative from the start.
And achieving a turnkey transition is much less complicated than many might think: with Crowdin AI you get a language technology platform that delivers publishing quality translation with minimal human post-editing (~95%+ accuracy).
Additionally, Crowdin’s online editor is also designed to be intuitive, allowing for easy navigation, with translation suggestions and real-time previews.
But the benefits don’t end there. Crowdin supports a wide range of file formats, making it compatible with various types of projects and content. The platform also offers free access for open-source projects, as an accessible option for those working on community-driven initiatives.
For more complex setups or custom workflows, Crowdin offers APIs that allow developers to integrate the platform with their existing systems.
All of the approaches that can help organizations achieve frictionless localization must be supported by the right technology, which is where Crowdin AI comes in, covering all elements that matter: ROI, efficiency, scalability, risk reduction, time-to-market, and end-product quality.
Crowdin’s unique full-service localization platform runs smart, end-to-end workflows and processes that integrate seamlessly with existing repositories and systems, helping teams to accurately and effectively translate websites, documentation, games, audiovisual content… virtually all kinds of content. Your content.
Why not see it all in action? Contact Crowdin today to get a demo.
Crowdin: Smarter localization with AI. Reach global audiences by translating your content, your way.
