Retro: Gitlab 17 + Marketing Phase 1 Localization

The purpose of this issue is to gather retro feedback on the localization of Gitlab 17 as well as the Marketing Phase 1 localization

🏆 Wins: What went well

What did we do well that we should discuss so we don't forget? Call out those wins clearly, so we’re all on the same page and ready to double down on the successful techniques and strategies. Feel free to be granular or general.

@mjsibanez-ext We successfully did a simultaneous launch in 6 languages + English.
@mjsibanez-ext We added 3 brand new locales to the marketing site: pt-BR, it-IT and es-419
@mjsibanez-ext I'm delighted by the international sensitivity that the DEX team, the Marketing Ops team, the Content Marketing team and, in general, all the people and teams involved in the Gitlab 17 launch have.
@opysaryuk Great to see the DEX team involved in localization processes, using Argo (even if to download files, but more is coming)
@opysaryuk Kudos to @mjsibanez-ext for the insane amount of beyond-professional coordination and cross-team management and communication
@eirinipan Having @mjsibanez-ext coordinating all language localization efforts and helped a lot and kept things very organized. The communication was excellent and the GL17 event team knew what was coming and when.
@eirinipan This was the first time we offered a virtual event with captions in multiple language and we received good feedback about that from the audience.
@opysaryuk Spartan team - @klew-ext and @yyu-ext - who was augmenting our team from the localization project management perspective, identifying and calling out vendor's missed translations and incorrectly uploaded files, etc.
@maudl-ext The work coordination with @mjsibanez-ext was great (as usual I would say :)). She knows when she has to involve us in the content review process and keep us updated as much as possible.

♻ Improvements: What can be improved

@mjsibanez-ext we were unable to provide the subtitles in all 6 languages (we missed 2) due to receiving the final files very close to the launch date.
@mjsibanez-ext Consolidating the LQA feedback within the same issue as the localization request, rather than creating separate independent LQA issues, led to stress and confusion among all stakeholders.
@mjsibanez-ext The LQA issue reports were not development-ready and required significant review and investigation by the localization team before they could be handed over to the DEX team.
@mjsibanez-ext prevent incorrect markdown manipulation in the target files. We're working closely with Translated. We're already in talks for a filter configuration
@mjsibanez-ext Some pages had content scattered across different parts (BE, Contentful, hardcoded strings), making the LQA process very time-consuming. This required additional localization request issues to translate and QA these parts.
@opysaryuk While we do not have customizable filters in ToS-MateCat or a clear timeline for that, it would be great if Translated could do pre-processing files, and post-processing before delivery.
@opysaryuk [ Similar to the above item by @mjsibanez-ext about "LQA issue reports were not development-ready" ] Would love Translated invest time into pre-triaging the logged LQA bugs, identifying root cause (e.g. by inspecting the page, searching for root causes in public BE repo, perusing related engineering and design items, and merge requests, etc. etc.) - to make the logged LQA issues more engineering-ready.
@opysaryuk Translated's usage of Argo. More training for Translated is coming.
@opysaryuk Would love to see more of Translated's solutions and tech project management mindset. It will help with understanding how our website is functioning (e.g., Contentful and how we manage multilingual as field and entry level, BE repo, navigation, features.yml as one of the many examples of complexity that's coming, complex single page functionality, Marketo forms, etc. etc.)
@opysaryuk There is lots of great target update tracking done by @mpenagos-ext as an example here 🚀 . I am putting this item under 'improvements', as a) I am not sure if we were able to capture all target updates; and b) we need to to collaborate with Translated on ensuring the captures of target updates.
@jburton Translations completed with enough time for testing before launch date and not launched retroactively. Any retroactive launches of localizations require backend clean up and sometimes live testing for programs/assets, which can be disruptive to team members and sloppy to viewers if not done correctly
@eirinipan some audience feedback indicated that the captions were falling on top of video graphics. Perhaps next time we need to think about caption space while the video development is in progress so we allow enough space for it.
@maudl-ext It would be great to update faster the Contentful pages reviewed/updated and be informed when it's done. (A solution has since been found).
@maudl-ext Provide due dates to Content Managers for content reviews (when possible) in order for them to organize themselves and avoid slowing down the localization process. We were not asked to review some pages, is it normal?
@maudl-ext Some pieces of content were not the same between the live page and Contentful. It can be confusing.
@maudl-ext It would be great to have more visibility on the upcoming localization projects in order to better communicate the information to local teams.

🎓 Learnings and action items

@mjsibanez-ext We'll have a specific retro with Translated and tackle all the improvements and learnings on that side of the localization process.
@mjsibanez-ext work closely with Translated about handling target updates.

Retro with Translated

Agenda and meeting notes here.

Meeting recording
Passcode: 9$7^6QhB

Summary:

Zoom AI Companion Meeting Summary

Quick recap

The team discussed their performance, focusing on the successful localization of Gitlab and the need for improvement in the Lqa process. They also planned for an upcoming localization push and the challenges of managing translation requests, with a focus on improving workflow management and communication. Lastly, they deliberated on granting the translator team more autonomy in Argo and the impact of translation and video development on the launch date.

Next steps

Katia will add the translated team IDs to the issue descriptions to improve tracking and communication.

Oleks will set up a system for the translated team to manage delivery steps and provide training on how to use Argo.

Katia will tag the people who left feedback on the video issues to gather more details and improve for the next project.

Summary

Team Performance and Lqa Process Improvements

María led a discussion on the team's performance, highlighting the positive aspects such as the successful localization of Gitlab and commending Katia for her exceptional work. She also identified areas for improvement, particularly in the Lqa process, and suggested the need for more detailed and structured issue reports. Oleks suggested using existing bug templates as a guide for what a 'dev ready' bug should look like.

Localization Push and File Management

María and Katia discussed the upcoming localization push for 14 key pages, including simultaneous translation into Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, and Spanish. They emphasized the importance of thorough file management and source inspection to avoid errors and ensure the translation process runs smoothly. Katia acknowledged recent oversights on her side and confirmed that source inspections would be implemented. Oleks added weight to the need for manual inspection due to past issues with file uploads in Argo.

Improving Issue Description Process Discussion

María and Katia discussed improving the issue description process for their project. María suggested that project managers should update issue descriptions, particularly when there are QA involvement or new links. Katia proposed adding a section for project IDs in the issue description and updating the localization request form to include a deliverables section and a section for project IDs. Both agreed to iterate on these points. Additionally, they noted some underutilized parts of the localization request form, suggesting their removal for a more streamlined process.

Improving Translation Request Management

María and Katia discussed the challenges and potential solutions in managing translation requests. They agreed on the need for better coordination and visibility among project managers to prevent overlapping work and ensure the latest translations are not overwritten. They also considered adding dependencies between issues in Gitlab to improve workflow management. A workflow for updating the Translation Memory (TM) was under development, with Katia's team aiming to finalize it soon. Additionally, they advised locking source files before translation to prevent simultaneous updates and potential conflicts.

Managing Audio-Visual Projects Challenges

Katia and María discussed the challenges of managing audio-visual projects, with a focus on the issues caused by script consistency and the need to update source files during translation. They emphasized the importance of maintaining a comprehensive overview of current and in-progress files and improving communication and coordination between translated and Gitlab. Dario raised a concern about the necessity of redoing Quality Assurance for minor script or video modifications. Katia and María shared their experiences working on the Gitlab 17 video project, highlighting the difficulties of managing multiple versions of the video and the need for better workflow management.

Translator Autonomy in Argo Discussed

María from Gitlab proposed granting the translator team more autonomy in Argo, specifically the ability to add and edit steps for clarity. Yan agreed to this, while emphasizing that step name editing would remain the responsibility of the original step creator. Katia presented two scenarios where this autonomy would be beneficial, and Yan suggested using Argo's comments feature for these instances. Yan confirmed that they would provide the necessary tools for autonomous delivery management, set up a system for the translated team, and agreed to provide specific training for the translated team, using the same approach and logging an issue in an epic accessible to the team.

Addressing Tool Issues and Launch Concerns

Katia and Yan agreed to address any questions or practical use issues of a certain tool, with Oleks noting an action item for further discussion. María raised concerns about the impact of translation and video development on the launch date and the need for backend cleanup. She also pointed out issues with the translation process, including feedback from users about video graphics falling over captions. Katia proposed tagging the commenters for more detailed feedback to improve future projects. The conversation ended with Daniel expressing his satisfaction with the team's problem-solving efforts and looking forward to their continued collaboration.

Edited Jul 25, 2024 by Maud Leuenberger