Localization Process Improvement

Creating scalable solutions for translation management

Process Optimization

Internal Tooling

Automation

Company: 
PikPok

Project Dates: 
May 20th, 2024 - Ongoing

Project Aim: 
To create a simplified process that enables teams to better self-manage and monitor progress, reducing reliance on individuals and minimising errors.

Tools:
Google Sheets, Apps Script, GPT-4

The Challenge

The Writing:Rival Stars Horse Racing supports 18 languages and manages over 6,500 unique strings for each language - the largest string data of any project within the organization.

01: Finalize English Strings in Excel

02: Import into Unity Game Engine

03: Send to Treanslation Team

04: Import translation into Excel

Project Goals

Process Overview

Operational Audit

The System Audit

I workshopped a full system map with our developers to trace a string’s journey from Excel to Unity. This wasn't just about visibility; it was an audit of every manual touchpoint and technical bottleneck that could fail.

The "Dashboard Strategy"

Drawing on my experience managing global tablet deployments at Deliveroo, I identified that we needed a centralized tracking dashboard. I led the transition toward a "single source of truth" that unified the raw String Table with a high-level, automated tracking view.

Diagram 1.0 - Operational Audit/Workshop

Existing Process: Manual & Invisible

The audit revealed a workflow heavily dependent on manual triggers. Team members had to remember to manually copy-paste strings into separate folders, a process that was slow, high-risk, and invisible to the rest of the team.

Diagram 1.1 - Translation Process Audit (Existing Process)

The String Table: Simplifying Entry

We moved from a cluttered, confusing mess to a streamlined interface built on 5 essential statuses. I re-shuffled sheet priority to ensure static instructions no longer blocked the active workflow.

Reducing Cognitive Load

Diagram 1.2 - String Table Structure Audit

Diagram 1.3 - String Table Simplified

Entry Automation

To handle the scale of 6,500+ strings, I built custom scripts to automate repetitive entry tasks and ensure technical robustness.

Diagram 1.4 - Add Strings Automation

Diagram 1.5 - Add Image Automation

The Translation Loop: Managing Logistics

Drawing on my experience in global logistics at Deliveroo, I built a centralized Translation Dashboard to replace the manual "blindspots"

The Dashboard Strategy

Diagram 1.6 - Translation Dashboard: Sending Translations Automation

Conclusion & Ongoing Value

We wanted to strike a good balance between automation and still having touch-points to ensure strings were successfully written and sent with no errors.

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