The Nimdzi Lessons in Localization series highlights the largest, the most innovative, the up-and-coming, and the most successful globalization programs in the world.
A lesson by Andrew Warner.
About Booking.com
Making travel plans hasn’t always been as simple as it is today. Though brick-and-mortar travel agencies might seem like a relic of a bygone era, they once played an important role in the travel economy, allowing travelers to book flights and hotel accommodations. Yet, with the rise of the internet, a well-planned vacation is just a few mouse clicks (or smartphone taps) away — thanks in large part to online travel agencies like Booking.com.
The company was first founded as Booking.nl in 1996 by a student at the University of Twente in the Netherlands who’d grown tired of the hassle of booking hotel accommodations abroad. Booking.com has since grown to become one of the largest online travel agencies in the world, with 554 million users visiting the site in March 2023.
Nimdzi spoke with Booking.com’s localization manager Mikolaj Szajna and their localization quality manager Mark Lesun to learn a bit more about the company’s localization efforts and how it makes travel simpler for tourists the world over.
TL;DR
Much of the company’s work is done in-house, thanks to a large localization team of about 200 people.
About 70% of the company’s revenue comes from non-English-speaking markets, so the localization team doesn’t feel pressured to prove their value.
The Booking.com localization team leverages their in-house MT engine and works with external MT vendors to localize 700 billion words each year.
The team is currently in the process of developing a five-year modernization plan.
Fast facts:
Included in this Lesson in Localization
- Localization at Booking.com: an overview
- Organization
- Culture
- Languages
- Project and process management
- Supply chain
- Quality control
- Technology
- Interesting initiatives
This has been a preview. The full report can be accessed online by Nimdzi Partners.
Who should we feature next?
Special thanks to Mikolaj Szajna, Localization Manager at Booking.com for sharing a valuable lesson in localization.
Special thanks to Mark Lesun, Localization Quality Manager at Booking.com for sharing a valuable lesson in localization.
This Lesson in Localization was prepared by Multilingual's Staff Writer, Andrew Warner. If you want to learn more about this topic, reach out to Andrew at [email protected].
