Localization technology stack at GitLab

This issue documents the technology stack tools that are powering GitLab's localization workflows per content type.

Workflows and content types

GitLab operates several specialized localization workflows across three content types:

1. Localization of GitLab marketing website and blog content via Argo → TranslationOS/Matecat
2. Localization of GitLab product documentation (current: ad hoc, vision: automated) via Argo → Phrase TMS + AI pipeline
3. Localization of GitLab product UI via GitLab-Crowdin sync with community translators

Commercial tools

Tool	Vendor	Purpose	Content type	Details
Argo platform	Spartan Software	Central orchestration platform that helps manage translation requests, coordinate workflows between GitLab and translation vendors, and provides project manager persona with UI tools to track and control all localization activities.	Marketing, Product docs	Argo as a Request Management System (#35)
Phrase TMS	Phrase	Translation management system, used via Argos Multilingual, for product documentation translation, offering various configurations for translation management. Phrase integrates with our AI enhancement pipeline.	Product docs	https://phrase.com/
TranslationOS + Matecat	Translated	Commercial translation platform combining translation management and analytics solution (TranslationOS) with computer-assisted translation tool (Matecat) for marketing content.	Marketing content	Services, technologies and processes at Translated (#11 - closed)
Crowdin	Crowdin	Community-driven translation platform for GitLab product UI localization, where volunteer translators from the wider community contribute to translations.	Product UI	Crowdin: system settings and language assets management (#86)

Content localization journey (overview / less detail)

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Content localization journey (more detail)

*Argo as an orchestration platform (in detail)

(6 services + database) deployed on AWS EC2

Argo Localization Request Management system serving as the central orchestration hub, consisting of 6 specialized services:

1. Argo web client (UI) - Argo web UI used by localization program managers, stakeholders and vendors
2. Argo web services - backend/API orchestration engine
3. Argo-Phrase integration - service for GitLab product docs localization
4. Argo-TOS integration - service for marketing localization
5. Argo-GitLab integration - service handling webhooks
6. Argo GitLab agent - service for preprocessing GitLab product docs markdown files
7. Database & reporting - business analytics and tracking, available within Argo UI