Localization Program & Translation Automation

Challenge

MasterControl Academy offers 750+ English-language eLearning courses but lacked a scalable localization process. The manual workflow took 38–60 minutes per course and left key components untranslated:

• Video captions remained in English.
• Internal navigation and links redirected to untranslated content.
• Non-English terms were poorly searchable.

These gaps created barriers for non-native speakers and posed compliance risks in regulated global markets.

Solution

I built a program plan around an automated localization pipeline that processes and reintegrates translated content with minimal human intervention.

Custom Utility Development

• Extracts all course text, including .vtt captions, from SCORM packages.
• Converts content into structured JSON for translation.
• Uses SmartCat's CLI to batch-translate into 15 target languages.
• Reintegrates translated assets into SCORM, preserving structure and LMS compatibility.

Full Ecosystem Translation

The system localizes not just core course content, but also:

• Catalog pages and associated metadata.
• Learning paths and UI-level navigation.
• Multimedia captions and embedded instructional content.

Quality Control Loop

A feedback process with regional SMEs ensures high-quality, contextually relevant translations. Version control is built into the utility for efficient iteration.

My Role

• Owned the end-to-end design, development, and deployment of the program.
• Designed the automation workflow and system architecture.
• Developed the custom SCORM-to-JSON utility in Python.
• Integrated the SmartCat CLI with our LMS and authoring pipeline.
• Collaborated with global stakeholders to validate and test localized outputs.

Tools & Technologies

• Development: Python, SmartCat CLI, JSON, SCORM 1.2/2004
• Authoring: Articulate Rise
• LMS: Skilljar
• Collaboration & Versioning: Git

Impact