# Interview

Localization can be a powerful catalyst for global business success (when done right). However, integrating it smoothly into product development remains a significant challenge for many companies. In a recent episode of The Agile Localization Podcast, Julio Madrid, a Localization Specialist at Walmart, shared insights about embedding localization early in product development, fostering cross-team collaboration, and harnessing technology to streamline processes.

When startups dream of global expansion, they often envision the exciting possibilities of new markets and revenue streams. What they don't see is the complex web of technical challenges lurking beneath the surface of internationalization. In a recent episode of The Agile Localization Podcast, host Stefan Huyghe sat down with Alex Bit and Mo Mohebifar, Co-founders of Codemod, to break down the challenges of i18n, the role of AI, and how automation can turn a daunting process into a manageable one. This isn't your typical high-level, buzzword-filled conversation. Alex and Mo are engineers at heart, deeply technical, battle-tested, and obsessed with building practical tools that solve real developer pain. They come armed with years of experience at companies like Meta, Brex, and Shopify, and they've built Codemod from the ground up to make large-scale code migrations faster, smarter, and less soul-crushing.

Localization is an ever-evolving field, and staying ahead requires innovation, adaptability, and an acute understanding of both technology and linguistics. In a recent episode of The Agile Localization Podcast, host Stefan Huyghe sat down with Felix Bartz and Olli Gurtschmann, Co-founders of Wordcrafts, to discuss how their company is redefining localization, particularly for the Apple ecosystem.

Localization is often an afterthought in product design, but it shouldn't be. When done right, it can transform a product from a simple translation of words to a fully immersive and culturally relevant experience for users across the globe. In a relevant episode of The Agile Localization Podcast, host Stefan Huyghe sat down with Willian Magalhães, a Senior Content Designer and UX Writer, to dive into the intersection of UX writing and localization. Willian reveals the biggest challenges in designing multilingual experiences, how localization impacts user engagement, retention, and business growth, and why breaking down silos between teams is crucial.

Localization has never been more essential or complex than it is today. Businesses aiming for global reach rely on seamless translations, localized interfaces, and culturally appropriate content to connect with diverse markets. However, despite all the advancements in localization tools, a critical gap remains: they often fail to meet the needs of buyers. Localization at scale isn't for the faint of heart. With 24 languages, 2.7 million words annually, and over 400 developers producing content daily, Pipedrive has mastered the art of agile localization. At the helm of this monumental task is David Edwards, Group Design Manager of Internationalisation. In a recent episode of The Agile Localization Podcast, David shared insights into how Pipedrive manages its vast and complex localization operations. From the importance of automation to working seamlessly with developers, here's a behind-the-scenes look at Pipedrive's localization machine. Listen to the new episode on: - Apple Podcasts - Spotify - YouTube

How do you manage multilingual content across ten languages, process over 6 million words annually, and still keep stress levels low? That's a question Edwin Trebels of the Philadelphia Church of God seems to have mastered. In a recent episode of The Agile Localization Podcast, Edwin joined host Stefan Huyghe to share how his team leverages automation, collaboration, and cutting-edge tools like knowledge graphs to streamline workflows and maintain a culture of transparency. Listen to this episode of The Agile Localization Podcast on: - Apple Podcasts - Spotify - YouTube

Localization has never been more essential or complex than it is today. Businesses aiming for global reach rely on seamless translations, localized interfaces, and culturally appropriate content to connect with diverse markets. However, despite all the advancements in localization tools, a critical gap remains: they often fail to meet the needs of buyers. In this episode of The Agile Localization Podcast, host Stefan Huyghe is joined by Localization Consultant Boryana Nenova. They discuss the importance of shifting localization tools from translator-centric to buyer-centric, or at the very least, to be appropriate for both. Boryana dives into top features buyers demand in localization tools, why developers and linguists are clashing over localization tools, AI’s localization impact, and what localization tools are missing. Listen to this episode of The Agile Localization Podcast on: - Apple Podcasts - Spotify - YouTube

We often emphasize the importance of providing context for translators. The more context you provide, the better translation quality you can get. This is especially important when it comes to web or mobile applications. Since texts for app translation are typically short, context would help translators decide which translation variant should be used. With Crowdin, you can provide translation context in multiple ways. It can either be a textual context for every key or an in-context preview to let translators browse the web app while translating. A manager in a Crowdin project can add screenshots, so translators can see exactly how the key would be used in the app. Let’s stop on the screenshots, they are great but might be hard to add for every key and maintain them relevant as your project evolves. One of our customers – Bounce, recently implemented a great solution for managing project screenshots. The amount of screenshots they manage is huge! Bounce project has 8000 screenshots in Crowdin, covering a big part of their product – a mobile app for luggage storage and pickup and their email templates. These screenshots are being updated as the product evolves. No manual work, the whole process is automated. How can that be possible? Let’s figure it out.

Peter Kovacs is the Director of Global Expansion at Kinsta, a managed WordPress hosting platform operating at the top end of the market, providing fast and stable website and e-commerce platform hosting for over 24,400 companies across the world, with guaranteed uptime. In this blog, Peter talks about building a global footprint from scratch, being a localization outsider, and how, for Kinsta, it’s tech-enabled humans that rule all the way.

Anna Rubio is the Marketing Manager at iLovePDF, a document management service that allows users to read, convert, annotate, and sign PDFs online, on desktop and mobile, free of charge. In this blog, Anna talks about bringing digital marketing insights into localization, and iLovePDF’s strategy of bringing their products and services to millions of users worldwide through localization into 25 languages.

Ida Giersing is Head of Localization and Copywriting at Trustpilot, the online customer review platform that seeks to become a universal symbol of trust by bringing businesses and consumers together under the tagline Behind every review is an experience that matters. In this blog, Ida talks about a third culture kid finding a home in localization, UX writing and localization under the same roof, and how to apply technology in the service of language.

Jakub Lepič is Senior Localization Specialist at global cybersecurity company Avast, whose antivirus solutions help over 435 million users stay safe online and protect their digital freedom. In this Crowdin blog, Jakub talks about the team, the technology and the solutions behind Avast’s localization operations, and his own journey from a technology-minded language graduate to a localization professional.

Ivan Pugin is Localization Team Lead at Wrike, developers of project management software with a mission to help companies to be as productive as they can. At Wrike, Ivan and his colleagues have set up localization processes from scratch, seen the company’s growth from a start-up to a global player, and its acquisition by Citrix in early 2021. In this blog, Ivan talks about setting localization up from scratch, his passion for automation, Wrike’s localization metrics, and the next steps for his small but perfectly formed team.

Konstantin Dranch is a language industry researcher and the co-founder of Custom.MT, a start-up company customizing, training, and implementing machine translation for localization teams and LSPs. In this blog, we catch up with Konstantin to talk about the first AI and machine learning generation, implementing MT, and how localization managers are bringing AI to the language services industry.

Aleksandra Małecka is Head of Localization at Listonic – the smart shopping list app that’s saved many a busy family’s weekly shopping trips from total meltdown. Or perhaps a more fitting job title for Aleksandra would rather be Head of Localization & Community Builder Extraordinaire. In this blog, Aleksandra shares her secrets on building a crowdsourced community of user translators and how it shapes the very way Listonic’s apps are developed.

Deepak Nagabhushana is Staff Localization Project Manager and service owner for LogMeIn’s UI localization, where a Global First Mindset steers a complex localization process. In this Crowdin blog, Deepak talks about his localization tech journey and things that make a localization manager happy at LogMeIn, a pioneer in remote work technology and a driving force behind today’s work-from-anywhere movement.

Camila Pedraza is the Paris-based Localization Manager at AssessFirst, a human factor prediction solution for HR and hiring managers, combining behavioral science with AI in psychometric testing. In this blog, Camila talks about her localization journey from Colombia to France and from sports apparel to psychometric testing via Crowdin support. Camila's team is now localizing their product into 14 languages after switching the primary source language and migrating content to Crowdin from a different tool.

Anna Iokhimovich is Head of Localization at Paxful, a global peer-to-peer platform for digital currencies. To her, localization is all about people. In this Crowdin blog, Anna talks about her own journey, Paxful’s localization strategies and technology, her amazing localization team, building user experience into localization quality metrics, and what all new entrants to the industry should know.