How Localization Automation Helped a Two-Person Team Manage Global Software Releases

At CNH Industrial, a global powerhouse in industrial products, the scale of their operations is as impressive as their portfolio. From agricultural and construction equipment to commercial vehicles and powertrains, their reach spans the globe. But with this wide reach comes a big challenge: making their software and interfaces work seamlessly in dozens of languages.

Surprisingly, this massive job falls to a localization team of just two people. Yes, two. They handle over 100 software repositories in multiple languages, staying on schedule and keeping their work top-notch. So, what’s their secret?

At LocWorld52 and a follow-up webinar (recording can be found here), CNH’s Senior Localization Engineer Brandon Roddey shared how his small team overcame significant challenges to transform localization into a streamlined, efficient process. 

Here’s Brandon’s story—full of lessons, challenges, and ideas to inspire your own localization journey.

Localization as Airport Management 

Before we dive into the challenges, let’s share Brandon Roddey’s unique take on localization. His perspective transforms what might seem like a routine responsibility into something far more relatable. And, dare we say, even exciting.

Brandon likens localization to managing an airport:

“The way we see translations is that working with developers is a lot like being an airport manager. Your developers, they come, they want their translations, and it’s kind of like baggage. When developers come to you, you’re taking them on a journey, and they need your help to get them to their destination safely and securely, with all of their baggage intact.”
– Brandon Roddey

Think of developers as ‘passengers,’ translation files as ‘baggage,’ and software releases as ‘flights.’ Without a well-coordinated system, things can go wrong—delays, lost files, or missed deadlines, much like an airport in chaos. But with the right tools and workflows acting as your “control tower,” everything runs like clockwork.

No turbulence. 

No lost bags. 

Just on-time releases, accurate translations, and a happy team. 

Ready to explore the challenges CNH faced before they built their “localization airport”? Let’s dive in.

The Localization Challenges: Where It All Started

Localization at CNH Industrial wasn’t always smooth sailing. In fact, the team faced a host of challenges that made the process chaotic, inefficient, and frustrating for everyone involved. Here’s where things got tricky:

1. Decentralized Translation Management
Each software team handled their translations independently, leading to a fragmented and disjointed system.

“Basically, every software team worked directly with the translation agency, and they would just send their files over to the translation agency, and hopefully they got some files back.”

2. Lack of Centralized Translation Memories
There was no unified translation memory, which meant redundant work, inconsistent terminology, and a lot of wasted effort across different teams.

“Corrections were being made locally in software repositories but not updated in the translation memories, creating a massive disconnect.”

3. Regression Issues
Source string updates often overwrote previously corrected translations, causing bugs to reappear repeatedly.

“The centralized source of truth was missing, so changes made three months ago would disappear.”

4. Low Visibility and Control
With little insight into what developers were working on, the localization team struggled to plan and prioritize their tasks effectively.

“We didn’t have good visibility over what software developers were doing, and that made the whole process reactive instead of proactive.”

5. Time-Consuming Manual Processes
Without automation, translation timelines were stretched to extremes, often delaying product releases.

“The developers would wait until their dev-done date to hand over everything for translation. So there would be thousands of new strings… It was taking three to five months to get everything done.”

6. Quality Issues and Ineffective Testing
Testing was often done by non-linguists, leading to superficial reviews that missed critical errors in semantics and context.

“Testing wasn’t being done by people with linguistic backgrounds. They weren’t looking at the actual meaning of the text.”

7. Miscommunication with Developers
Developers were more focused on building new features, often leaving localization defects unresolved in backlogs.

“Most of the time, defects just sat in a backlog until someone decided to get to them. Localization wasn’t seen as a critical path.”

8. Resistance to Change
New localization workflows initially faced resistance, as both developers and management saw it as an interruption rather than an improvement.

“When we said, ‘We can’t translate until you fix these issues,’ it created a lot of tension. Developers were anxious about deadlines and didn’t want localization to slow things down.”

9. Rejected Software Releases
Without proper localization processes in place, some product launches were outright rejected by international markets due to translation errors.

“Our software release was rejected because of regression issues with translations. It jeopardized the entire project.”

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These challenges were significant, but they set the stage for a transformative shift in how CNH Industrial approached localization. What came next was a complete shift in how localization was managed—turning chaos into efficiency. Here’s how they made it work.

Streamlining Localization with Automation: From Chaos to Efficiency

To clear the roadblocks in their localization process, CNH Industrial didn’t just make a few tweaks—they embraced transformative changes. These improvements turned fragmented workflows into a streamlined system, improved collaboration, and dramatically cut time-to-market for global software releases. Let’s break down how they did it.

1. Centralized Translation Management

To cut the chaos, CNH localization team brought all their translation assets into one place—a Translation Management System (TMS). This became their single source of truth, streamlining everything.

What Changed:

• All translation memories and terminology were migrated to XTM Cloud.
• Updates are now stored in one central location, ensuring consistency across all products.

The Impact:

• The system saves previous corrections, avoiding frustrating rework.
• Existing translations can now be reused efficiently, saving time and resources.

“We internalized and centralized our linguistic assets in a translation management system, so every change is updated and accessible for all teams.”

2. Localization Automation with Localyzer 

Manual processes were slowing things down—so CNH localization team turned to automation. With Lingoport’s Localyzer, they replaced manual tasks with smart workflows that monitored repositories and integrated with their TMS.

What Changed:

• Localyzer scanned repositories for:
  • New strings.
  • Changes to source strings.
  • New resource files.
• Automated error-checking for formatting and key issues before translation.

The Impact:

• Significantly reduced manual work and human error.
• Cut translation timelines from 3-5 months to under 30 days.

“Localyzer handles the traffic between our translation system and our developers, automating everything and ensuring nothing gets missed.”

💡 Want to learn how Localyzer bridges the gap between developers, localization managers, and designers?

3. Incremental Translation Process

Translations now start earlier in the development process, solving the old end-of-cycle bottleneck.

What Changed:

• Monitoring systems flagged new strings in real-time as developers added them.
• Translations began earlier in the development cycle, reducing last-minute rushes.

Impact:

• Minimized bottlenecks near release deadlines.
• Improved translation quality by spreading the workload over time.

“When we see a thousand new strings three months before dev-done, we send them out immediately for translation. By the time the team says they need translations, there’s very little left to do.”

4. Role Clarity: Developers and Localization Team

To prevent developers from making direct changes to translation files, all updates were routed through the localization team.

What Changed:

• Developers focus solely on adding source strings.
• The localization team manages all updates to translation files.

Impact:

• Reduced errors from unintentional changes by developers.
• Created a clear workflow for translation file management.

“Developers don’t touch translation files anymore. My team manages the updates and ensures everything is ready for them to consume.”

5. Enhanced Quality Assurance with In-Context Review

Static screenshots of translated UI were introduced to identify truncation, grammatical errors, and UI alignment issues.

What Changed:

• Native speakers reviewed screenshots using a proprietary platform.
• Changes were routed back to the TMS automatically.

Impact

• Identified an average of 600 issues per language in pilot tests, compared to 20 in previous methods.
• Reduced the risk of release delays due to translation bugs.

“We’ve got teams that have a test bench… they write automation scripts to crawl through the software and grab the screens that we need. Once we upload the translations, we generate those cases, take screenshots, and move those resources to a native speaker who can tell us whether the language is correct.”

In-context review didn’t just eliminate errors—it also sped up the entire process. With fewer back-and-forth communications, products stayed on schedule, a must-have in today’s fast-paced software world.Tools like Localyzer made this possible, offering seamless in-context support with features like screenshots within its String Manager and smooth TMS integration (e.g., with Smartling).

6. Management Engagement Through Data and Evidence

Getting management on board wasn’t easy. It took hard data and clear insights to show the scale of localization issues and highlight the need for change.

What Changed:

• A proof-of-concept pilot revealed just how widespread translation issues were.
• Actionable reports with real numbers helped prioritize localization improvements.

The Impact:

• Management buy-in led to funding and resources for localization.
• Localization became a higher priority across departments.

“We needed evidence to get management’s attention. Showing the scale of 600 issues per language made it clear that this couldn’t be ignored.”

7. Training and Collaboration with Upstream Teams

Localization was integrated into the earlier stages of the development process, reducing downstream issues.

What Changed:

• UX teams began performing internationalization testing before handoffs.
• Developers engaged with localization earlier in the process.

Impact:

• Fewer defects, thanks to issues being addressed before translations even began.
• Stronger collaboration and a better understanding of localization needs across teams.

“We’ve seen teams come to us earlier, asking for input before their deadlines. It’s no longer a high-pressure situation at the last minute.”

8. Continuous Feedback and Improvement

Localization became a dynamic process—constantly evolving with team feedback and scaling to meet growing demands.

What Changed:

• Teams across the company adopted the centralized localization system.
• New workflows and automation tools scaled to fit the needs of a growing organization.

The Impact:

• Over 100 repositories integrated into the localization process.
• Improved efficiency and consistency for all participating teams.

“Every week, we have a new team saying, ‘We heard about what you’re doing, and we want to be part of it.’”

What once felt like a chaotic airport—delayed flights and lost baggage—is now a streamlined operation. With Brandon’s team in the control tower, every “passenger”—developers, translators, and managers—knows their role, and tools like Localyzer act as the efficient “ground crew.”

The result? Smooth takeoffs, on-time releases, and translation “baggage” arriving intact. CNH’s localization terminal shows how even a small team can run a world-class operation. 

Small but Mighty—Smart Localization in Action

As you’ve seen, localization doesn’t have to be overwhelming or require a massive team. In fact, a small, focused team with the right tools can achieve incredible results. With localization automation, streamlined processes, and tools like Localyzer, even the leanest teams can transform localization from a headache into a seamless part of development.

With automation, repetitive tasks are eliminated, errors are caught early, and your team can focus on what really matters—delivering a polished product to global users. And when you integrate localization into your workflow, it stops being an afterthought and becomes a critical advantage for success.

The takeaway? Size doesn’t matter nearly as much as strategy. With the right approach, you can take your software to new markets and keep localization running smoothly—no matter how small your team is.

Ready for smart localization that can transform your workflow? Explore how tools like Localyzer can simplify your process and make global growth a breeze.