Hybrid Localisation Lead - Thai / Vietnamese / Hindi chez Booking.com

Localization Lead

About Us: At Booking.com, data drives our decisions. Technology is at our core. And innovation is everywhere. But our company is more than datasets, lines of code or A/B tests. We’re the thrill of the first night in a new place. The excitement of the next morning. The friends you encounter. The journeys you take. The sights you see. And the memories you make. Through our products, partners and people, we make it easier for everyone to experience the world.

Role Overview:

The Localization Lead is responsible for production, delivery and quality of localization for their market and ensures all localization requirements are delivered on time, within budget and in line with local market needs. They help ensure that our platform and channels are culturally resonant, brand-aligned and market-optimized.

In this role, the Localization Lead oversees the quality of their language for all streams of localization, working closely with the central Quality Team. They will monitor and optimise language quality, and identify and escalate systemic issues affecting quality. They will also oversee product testing for their market conducted by third party vendors.

The Localization Lead acts as the ambassador for localization in the market(s), proactively building relationships with key stakeholders. They will also look for opportunities for market-specific localization strategy - as well as informing central localization strategy - to deliver a more locally-relevant and customer-centric experience.

Key Job Responsibilities and Duties: 

• Delivery

  • Ensure on-time delivery of localization work for their language(s)/market(s)

• Quality Monitoring:

  • Monitor quality of localized content for their market, provide feedback to quality vendors, address issues with translation vendors, take a lead role in arbitrations, and escalate recurring issues to the central Quality Team as required;

  • Oversee localization product testing for their market;

  • Manage localization assets (Localisation Style Guides, Glossaries, Translation Memories);

• Vendor Management:

  • Assess and onboard new vendors;

  • Build and foster rapport with vendor linguists;

• Localization services:

  • Provide urgent ad-hoc marketing translations as required;

  • Provide consultation on selected localisation services such as transcreation, voice-over, post-editing, etc.;

• Strategy

  • Provide local market perspective to inform central localization strategy as required;

  • Identify localization opportunities in customer journey to enhance international customer experience for their market;

  • Be ambassador for localization and establish relationships with key localization stakeholders in the market;

  • Provide cultural, linguistic, and market consultation to the business as required;

  • Facilitate research, experimentation, and A/B testing as required. 

Qualifications & Skills:

• 5+ years experience in a similar localization role in the online space

• Must have good communication skills in English (both written and spoken). Able to speak Thai/Vietnamese/Hindi language in order to liaise with Thai/Vietnamese/Hindi speaking stakeholders and clients.

• Proven experience in translation, localization and language quality management;

• Experience managing linguistic teams and/or multiple Language Service Providers;

• Deep understanding of the end-to-end localization processes;

• Good knowledge of localization technology, incl. CATs, TMSs, MT and post-editing

• Good understanding of internationalization with experience in product testing and bug reporting

• Experience in creative writing, media or online marketing industry a plus 

• Excellent communication, presentation and interpersonal skills with ability to influence diverse stakeholders across business and leadership levels. 

• Manage relationships with global vendors to ensure seamless collaboration and high-quality service delivery. Proficiency in Thai/Vietnamese/Hindi is required to effectively oversee quality standards and support localization initiatives for the Thai/Vietnamese/Hindi market.

Benefits & Perks - Global Impact, Personal Relevance:

Booking.com’s Total Rewards Philosophy is not only about compensation but also about benefits. We offer a competitive compensation and benefits package, as well unique-to-Booking.com benefits which include:

• Annual paid time off and generous paid leave scheme including: parent, grandparent, bereavement, and care leave

• Hybrid working including flexible working arrangements, and up to 20 days per year working from abroad (home country)

• Industry leading product discounts - up to 1400 per year - for yourself, including automatic Genius Level 3 status and Booking.com wallet credit 

Inclusion at Booking.com: 

Take it from our Chief People Officer, Paulo Pisano: “At Booking.com, the diversity of our people doesn’t just create a unique workplace, it also creates a better and more inclusive travel experience for everyone. Inclusion is at the heart of everything we do. It’s a place where you can make your mark and have a real impact in travel and tech.”

Read all about Inclusion and the Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) at Booking.com here 

Application Process: 

• Let’s go places together: How we Hire

• This role does not come with relocation assistance.

Booking.com is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. We strive to move well beyond traditional equal opportunity and work to create an environment that allows everyone to thrive.