How Localization Lab and Transifex ensured web access to all

A look back at a long-standing collaboration that has been instrumental in making the tools of a free and open internet accessible to all, regardless of language. We explore the partnership between Localization Lab and Transifex, the critical role it plays in shaping access to technology, and why the fight for a truly multilingual digital world matters more than ever.

“When the internet is under attack, localization is not optional,” declared Localization Lab in a blog post documenting the crisis in Myanmar. When the 2021 military coup shut down Myanmar's internet, a different kind of network came to life: a global collective of volunteer translators working urgently to complete Burmese versions of circumvention tools like Psiphon and Lantern.

Within days, ordinary citizens with instructions in their own language were able to get around the digital blackout. This moment highlights a 13-year partnership between Localization Lab and Transifex. A collaboration forged through political instability, shutdowns, and revolutions, where language access became the difference between isolation and connection.

How it all started

Localization Lab’s journey with Transifex began in 2012, sparked by a shared commitment to open-source tools and language equity. Localization Lab’s core mission is to bridge the language gap that prevents billions from using tools designed to protect against censorship and surveillance. And they needed infrastructure that could grow with them, not force them into rigid workflows.

Transifex had launched three years earlier with a specific mission: to make localization more streamlined and accessible to all. The freemium model for open-source projects enabled organizations like Localization Lab to access enterprise-grade localization infrastructure. But more importantly, they'd have a real voice in shaping how that infrastructure developed.

This created the perfect conditions for innovation. At a time when few platforms could handle complex scripts or right-to-left text, Localization Lab and Transifex worked together to build something stronger - a digital home for localizing tools like Tor Browser, Signal, Tails OS, Psiphon, KeePassXC, and dozens more.

Learning from real-world challenges

The collaboration quickly shed light on aspects that would challenge most localization providers at that time. Localization Lab's translators were working with languages that many platforms overlooked or handled poorly. Burmese script didn't render correctly. Arabic and Farsi translators struggled with UI elements that broke when text flowed right-to-left. Languages like Uyghur, Kyrgyz, and Uzbek needed support for multiple scripts (Latin, Arabic, and Cyrillic) because their speakers span different regions and writing traditions. Localization Lab raised the alarm, and Transifex responded.

Transifex treated this feedback as an opportunity to build something better. The engineering team didn't just patch the Arabic UI problems—they rebuilt the underlying functionality to handle text directionality reliably across all 30+ right-to-left languages. When Burmese translators flagged script display issues, the fixes improved support for Myanmar script and helped other Southeast Asian languages like Khmer, Thai, and Lao.

Each improvement made the platform stronger, not just for Localization Lab but for everyone using it. These enhancements included:

• Reliable RTL (right-to-left) rendering
  
  
• Support for making complex scripts like Burmese accessible
  
  
• Multi-script capabilities for Central Asian languages
  
  
• Interface changes to support underrepresented languages like Shona, Kalanga, Wayuunaiki, Nahuatl, and Misak

"Working with Localization Lab has shaped how Transifex evolved over the years," says Nina E., Head of Strategic Initiatives and Ops at Transifex.

The feedback loop and improvements have continued over 13 years, with translators, reviewers, and project managers sharing insights that shaped everything from editor enhancements to workflow features designed for distributed volunteer teams.

Creating language where none existed

Sometimes the challenge isn't just translation—it's invention. In 2018, Localization Lab translated digital security tools into Quechua and Aymara. These were the first tools of their kind to exist in these indigenous languages, providing communities in Bolivia and Peru with secure communication resources for the first time.

"Language access is a foundation for participation in the digital world," says Dragana Kaurin, Executive Director of Localization Lab.

The work often requires creating new vocabulary. When you're translating rapidly evolving cybersecurity concepts and terms like "VPN," "pluggable transport," or "proxy" simply don't exist in a language, you can't just skip them. Localization Lab brings together native speakers—technologists, linguists, activists, educators—to decide on standardized terms and publish glossaries that others can use.

This is where Transifex's translation memory becomes particularly valuable. Once Localization Lab's language groups coin a term for "pluggable transport" in Burmese, that exact term needs to appear consistently across Tor Browser, Orbot, and every other project. Inconsistency isn't just confusing—in tools where people's safety depends on understanding what something does, it can be dangerous. The translation memory ensures that carefully chosen terminology stays consistent as projects evolve.

Working through crises

“We’ve grown with Transifex, and we’ve helped each other improve,” says Kaurin. “Because we work in extreme situations—conflict zones, political unrest, low-bandwidth regions, communities experiencing internet shutdowns. We work with minority communities whose scripts are often missing from the digital ecosystem. Transifex has become a sturdy, resilient platform that can truly take on any kind of project. And the developers we’ve worked with since 2012? They understand that access to these tools can mean life or death.”

That mutual understanding has made Transifex one of the few platforms where tool developers and minority-language translators can meet directly. It’s where urgency meets design.

Why Signal and Tor became household names

Localization Lab's outreach campaigns helped tools like Signal and Tor reach people worldwide, and they needed infrastructure that could keep pace.

When Tor Browser needed emergency updates during crackdowns, translators could access new strings immediately. When Signal added features, localization happened alongside development. When Tails OS released security patches, documentation could be updated across dozens of languages within days.

For more than a decade, Localization Lab has led training programs, worked with trusted local messengers, and ensured that tools arrived with translation, cultural context, and community trust.

A different model for collaboration

The combination of Localization Lab's on-the-ground understanding and Transifex's technical capability created something neither could have built alone: a system that connects tool developers with translators who understand both the technology and the communities who need it.

Today, Localization Lab manages 137 active projects on Transifex, coordinating 6,088 collaborators across 208 languages, with 66 projects supported as open-source initiatives and nearly 67 million words translated.

“This is not just a story of tools translated, it’s a story of futures preserved,” Kaurin says. “And in the age of generative AI, when speed threatens to outpace care, it’s worth remembering: real impact comes from listening to people first and building platforms flexible enough to meet them in their language.”

Transifex has supported open-source communities for over 15 years through programs that provide localization infrastructure to projects building technology for social impact.

Visit transifex.com/open-source to learn more.