Localization was important for Airbnb's growth because it expanded into many new countries and regions. As of 2015, Airbnb had listings in 191 countries, with over 500 million guest arrivals and 2 million guests per night. Translation at Airbnb was challenging due to the large volume and diversity of content to translate, as well as ensuring proper context and natural-sounding translations. Localization involves more than just translation and includes adapting content for different cultural contexts, languages, file formats and regulations. Good localization aims to provide a localized experience that feels tailored for each unique market rather than just a translated experience.

1. “Lessons of Localization from Airbnb”
Julian Leung | Ex-Product Localization Manager,
APAC, Airbnb
© Growth Marketer Academy 2019 / PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL

2. “Lessons of Localization from Airbnb”
House Rules and Disclaimers
● Presentation will be conducted in English
● I’ll be sharing the slides via GMA
● I’ll be skimming through the content fairly quickly
● Keep your questions and comments until the end
● Connect with me on LinkedIn
● Enjoy!

3. How many of you have traveled
on Airbnb before?

5. What does “Airbnb” stand for?

7. ● 500 million guest arrivals
● 2 million guests per night
● 6 million listings
● 191 countries/regions and 100K cities
● $65 billion earned by hosts
The Scale of Airbnb
2007 to 2019

8. My Story at Airbnb

9. My Story at Airbnb
2012 to 2016
● One of the earliest employees and first tech hire in Asia
● Started as a Host Manager
● Then transitioned to Localization and Product
● One of first two Localization Managers at Airbnb globally
● First Product Manager dedicated to China
● One of very few who have stayed at the original Airbnb
● More than 100 reviews on Airbnb

12. “Lessons of Localization from Airbnb”
Key Takeaways
● Translation is difficult
● Localization is much more than just translation.
● Localization is also much more than just content localization.
● “The devil is in the detail”
● “Prioritization, Prioritization, Prioritization”
● “Different Trailers, Same Movie”

13. Why was localization important
for Airbnb (back in 2015)?

17. What is the scale of translation at
Airbnb (back in the day)?

20. What makes translation at Airbnb
difficult (back in the day)?

21. The Challenges of Translation
2012 - 2016
● The sheer volume and diversity of content to be translated
● Prioritization of what needs to be translated first
● Helping freelance translators understand the proper context
● Direct translations are often odd-sounding and unnatural
● Requires much collaboration with Product and Engineering
● Balancing Speed vs. Quality and Consistency
● Proper quality assurance is very time consuming

26. Genius

33. https://medium.com/airbnb-engineering/launching-airbnb-jp-in-record-time-52f8b0af965d

34. https://medium.com/airbnb-engineering/launching-airbnb-jp-in-record-time-52f8b0af965d

41. What does bad
localization look like?

50. Translation Beyond Just Texts
Examples
● Context, Tone of Voice
● Phone Numbers and Email Addresses
● Currency
● Date and Number Formats
● Line Breaks and UI Fit
● Screenshots, Icons, Logos, Illustrations, Videos
● Relevance and Availabilities
● Abide by Local Regulations

51. What does better
localization look like?

63. Localization is much much more
than just translation

64. Localization is also much more than
just content localization

66. 8 Dilemmas of Product
Localization
JULIAN LEUNG / 2020-03-26

67. ● “Biggest travel market on the planet”
● 400 million millenials in China
● “Fastest growing market domestically”
● “Second fastest (growing) in terms of outbound”
● “Over 10 million guest arrivals by Chinese travelers”
● “80% of user base in China is under 35”
Why China?
Reasons for Airbnb’s Commitments for China

68. Original China Product Team

69. 1. Doing or Understanding

87. 2. Essential or Good-to-have

93. 3. Top or Bottom of funnel

102. 4. Experiment or Gut

109. Challenges and Limitations of Experimentation
Specific considerations when it comes to localization
● Smaller Sample Size
● Lower Sample Quality
● Have to rely more on Proxy Metrics
● More Assumptions Made

110. Experiment Examples

117. Map CDN

122. Increase Referral Bonus
from $25 to $40

123. A: Do Nothing
B: Push/Text
C: Push/Text + Coupon

125. 5. Incremental or Drastic

132. 6. To fork or Not to fork

137. 7. One-time or Scalable

148. 8. Human or Technology

152. Airbnb China Today

168. What is good localization?

186. “Lessons of Localization from Airbnb”
Julian Leung | Ex-Product Localization Manager,
APAC, Airbnb
© Growth Marketer Academy 2019 / PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL