What's in a Word? Lessons from Localizing Kubernetes Documentation to Arabic
summary
A team of five to six contributors internationalizes the Kubernetes docs for Arabic, fixes broken RTL CSS fixes by untangling custom forks, chooses a Google-aligned k8s transliteration to keep the k8s numeronym, builds a public glossary page after inconsistent terminology appears, uses generative AI for drafts plus manual review, has no automation yet, and targets a site-wide Arabic rollout by v1.32 release while noting Arabic is the 13th–14th localization effort.
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chapters (21)
- 0:00Localization in Kubernetes
- 3:57Supportive localization team
- 6:26RTL infrastructure setup
- 8:11Transliterating Kubernetes
- 10:17Consistent transliterations
- 12:04Domain-specific terms
- 15:14Arabic sentence structure
- 18:45Clear sentence writing
- 19:05Gendered terms and dialects
- 21:11Dialect-neutral docs
- 23:00Cultural context in translations
- 24:49Arabic docs status
- 26:13Localization checklist
- 27:23Q&A: Glossary & consistency
- 28:07Q&A: Automation & linters
- 29:31Q&A: Code examples & terms
- 30:34Q&A: Code in English vs comments
- 32:45Q&A: AI vs manual translations
- 34:53Q&A: AI disclaimers
- 36:17Q&A: Dialects & localizations
- 37:42Q&A: Speaker & resources
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