The document discusses Coursera's efforts to make top education accessible globally through localization. It introduces Coursera's Global Translator Community (GTC) which utilizes over 100,000 volunteers across 40+ languages to translate 50,000+ videos. Coursera switched its translation platform to Smartling to tightly integrate the GTC and handle the scale, and also uses Smartling to translate the user interface into several languages. The new system provides a better user experience while allowing Coursera to address technical debt issues from its previous solution.

1. &
Make top education accessible
through localization

2. Agenda
December 6th, 2017
Introduction
Solution Overview
Next Steps
Lessons Learned
Q&A

3. Introduction
Speakers
Ben Ries
Engineering Manager@Coursera
Built Coursera’s Global Translator
Community (GTC) product
Xiaoke Kang
Localization Community Manager@
Coursera
Managing Coursera’s Global Translator
Community (GTC) and UI localization

4. Introduction
Coursera
We envision a world where anyone, anywhere
can transform their life
by accessing the world’s
best learning experience.
2012
Apr - First free
MOOCs launched
on Coursera
Coursera is founded

5. Introduction
Global Translator Community (GTC)
● Steadily improved functionality to help
translators to easily contribute to our mission
● Needed a product that can tightly integrate
with our community and can handle the scale
of our translation efforts
2014
Sent an email to all
Coursera learners
The GTC is founded

6. Solution Overview
Global Translator Community (GTC)
The GTC is a community of Coursera learners who help
make the world's best online educational content more
accessible through translation.
100,000+ sign ups 40+ languages 50K+ videos
http://www.coursera.community/#gtc

7. Solution Overview
Smartling as the translation platform
Course
Videos
on Coursera
Smartling GTC portal

8. Solution Overview
UI Localization
● English > Spanish, French,
Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Chinese
(Simplified), Chinese (Traditional)
● Translated by a vendor
● Smartling as the translation platform

9. Solution Overview
Technical solution/challenges
Previous solution
lacked deep
integration and speed
Switching solutions
is a lot of work that
pays off: Better
user experience,
chance to pay
down technical
debt

10. Next Steps
Goals of Coursera
Future vision of
Coursera localization

11. Lessons Learned
Think long term -
find a TMS that
can keep up with
your growth
Bugs can be
unexpected -
always leave
extra time for
fixing it

12. Q&A
Thank you !