Languages – Short Term Strategy
- Divya Chayanam
- David Trapp
This document lists the added steps and responsibilities for ensuring smooth feature releases on Litefarm.
Objective: These guidelines are meant to:
a) Optimize engineering bandwidth – For every future release, we plan to have a feature release for all the supported languages in one release. The engineering bandwidth and effort to release a language can be optimized if translations for all the supported languages are planned and done in sync with planned releases. We won’t be doing specific language release, unless as an exception. For an approximate idea of the programming effort and steps needed to release a language, please refer this document.
b) Remove roadblocks for each release – Translations not being available for one or more languages should not be a roadblock to release the feature itself.
Language release strategy
The main takeaways from the above diagram are:
Early and timely communication with the translators to make them aware of the timelines and ensuring we are on track with timely check-ins.
Additional step after design to lock-in any content changes
All relevant material to be available in Crowdin as necessary. If the feature is very big, please prioritize sub-features, pages or components as necessary
Alternate approach as a fallback option
Key roles and responsibilities
Added / modified steps | Owner / driver | Supported by | |
1 | Review & finalize content for new feature | DL | PL, FSL |
2 | Finalize scope and timelines | PL | TL, DL, FSL |
3 | Make content available on Crowdin – screenshot, guidance documents, etc | FSA | FSL |
4 | Ensure all “translation” tagged tickets from Jira have been listed and shared with FS team | QA | FSL |
5 | Share timelines with translators (except German, Malayalam) | FSL | FSA |
6 | Periodical check-ins with translators (except German, Malayalam) | FSA | FSL |
7 | Share timelines with translators (German, Malayalam) | Research coordinator | FSA, FSL |
8 | Periodical check-ins with translators (except German, Malayalam) | Research coordinator | FSA, FSL |
9 | Language testing for content – coordinate with translators | FSA, FSL | QA, research coordinator |
The task is owned and seen to completion by the owner. Supporting roles assist the owner in the task completion by providing them with resources, information and acting as their backup in their absence, as required.
Alternate option / Plan B:
In case one or more languages are not ready in time for a release, we intend to have an alternate option to ensure that the planned release is not pushed further.
Alternate option 1: Do not release the feature for the language.
This will have a need for versioning per language and it means that all features may not be available in all languages at a point of time. A later release can be planned with a next feature release.
Alternative option 2: Release the language with the feature available in English. Even if some of the phrases or words in the feature are translated, we release it in English. “Translation in progress” label can be shown against an incomplete feature without blocking the release.
Alternative option 3 (least preferable): Push release back to allow time for translations to reach 100%
Please add more suggestions if you have.