The Nimdzi Lessons in Localization series highlights the largest, most innovative, and most successful globalization programs in the world.
A lesson by Tucker Johnson.
About VMware
VMware is a global leader in cloud infrastructure & digital workspace technology, accelerating digital transformation for evolving IT environments. VMware’s compute, cloud, mobility, networking, and security offerings form a digital foundation that powers the apps, services, and experiences that are transforming the world. For this Lesson in Localization, we spoke with Clara Macedo, Senior Manager of LATAM Localization Operations and Head of Marketing Globalization PMO, and Zhenhui Chao, Localization Manager at VMware.
TL;DR
Semi-centralized localization: There are two official localization teams at VMware. One supports the R&D department, while the other works under Digital Marketing. While the two teams have been operating mostly autonomously and there’s no plan to centralize them given the difference in the nature of their activities, they collaborate closely on TMs, terminology, and tooling.
Strong focus on stakeholder engagement: Project managers (PMs) spend a lot of their time working on strategic initiatives and engaging with their internal stakeholders. The goal is to provide excellent service and to continually move localization considerations further upstream. Working with stakeholders allows the localization teams to identify new products coming their way and also allows them to educate internal teams about the importance of planning for localization.
High expectations: VMware has very high expectations of their vendors, and invests a lot of resources into building strong relationships with them. Strict key performance indicators (KPIs) for on-time delivery (OTD) and language quality expectation (LQE) are defined and reviewed at least quarterly. High language quality expectations are supported by internal language leads for priority markets such as Japan.
Dedicated focus on technology: Both the Marketing Globalization team and the R&D team have dedicated resources responsible for technology initiatives such as building integrations, deploying machine translation, and piloting new technologies. Having these dedicated experts on each localization team means they are not reliant upon other internal teams or vendors for this much-needed expertise.
Fast figures
Included in this lesson in localization
- Organization and culture
- 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 Clara Macedo, Sr. Manager LATAM Localization Operations at VMware for sharing a valuable lesson in localization.
Special thanks to Zhenhui Chao, Localization Manager at VMware for sharing a valuable lesson in localization.
This Lesson in Localization was prepared by Nimdzi's Managing Director, Tucker Johnson. If you wish to learn more, reach out to Tucker at [email protected].
