Eventbrite, recognized as the world’s largest self-service ticketing platform, experienced strong global adoption even before the company had a dedicated international team. While their product was meeting the many needs of organizers around the world (tickets were being sold in 150 countries at the time) Eventbrite wanted to provide a more authentic, localized product for select markets.

Business Needs

When it came time to pick a localization system, Eventbrite had an extensive requirements document. “It was important to be able to manage, translate, and review strings through a single UI,” explains Patrick McLoughlin, Eventbrite’s Senior Localization Program Manager. “We don’t want to send files to translators and worry about where the strings are. We want to be able to get everything out of the code, make sure the HTML tags are rendered properly, and then work with translation agencies.” Having a developer-friendly system was also a priority for Eventbrite. “The APIs and the integration at the code level has to be manageable for the developers and something that can easily fit into their daily tasks.”

Solution

Eventbrite integrates with Transifex via the API, automating the translation process from new content detection to translation to publishing. The Transifex system provides Patrick with peace of mind as he’s been able to automate translations for the web UI in particular. “Our translators know they have to pick up every Thursday and Sunday. It’s a continuous process that I could completely leave on autopilot if I wanted.” Within Transifex, Patrick gains quick visibility into translation process, able to easily search for strings by filters so he can make sure his team is focused on the right translations – it’s always clear which languages and projects need to be worked on.

Results

Implementing an automated localization process saves the Eventbrite team a significant amount of time per week, and has made it possible for the company to support 16 locales in addition to the United States. As Eventbrite continues to grow and attract global interest, they plan to leverage Transifex which gives their localization team the flexibility to scale, easily adding new locales and languages when they’re ready. Eventbrite’s methodical expansion strategy is based on the company’s belief that localization is more than translating digital content, it’s making sure new users have an authentic and delightful experience when interacting with their brand.