Uber’s Bengaluru Tech Team Streamlines App Localization, Cutting Costs and Time by 25%

Uber’s tech team in Bengaluru has achieved a remarkable transformation in the way the company localizes its app for different regions, slashing the time and costs by an impressive 25%. Thanks to advancements in machine learning and AI, the team has automated a staggering 85% of the localization process, allowing Uber to launch operations in new cities around the world more efficiently.

Localization is essential for ensuring that drivers, riders, and users can easily understand and navigate the Uber app in their native languages. The Bengaluru team, alongside their counterparts in the U.S., has made significant strides in this area, now supporting the app in a total of 63 languages globally, including eight specific to India.

In the past, localizing the app required hiring bilingual agents and dedicating days to translating content. This process has now been revolutionized through the use of Generative AI and monolingual agents, greatly enhancing Uber’s language processing capabilities. With the goal of reaching 90% touchless localization by December, the need for human intervention has dramatically decreased, with errors nearly eliminated.

Megha Yethadka, Senior Director of Program Management at Uber, shared her excitement about these developments: “Our mission for localization is to make our products feel local to everyone, everywhere. We’re continuously innovating our internationalization and localization technology to create a seamless experience for users. In many cases, we can customize the app in local languages within just a few hours.”

This swift localization has proven invaluable in emergency situations. For example, during the recent crisis in Ukraine, the team was able to translate key communications and provide essential support within 24 hours, offering free rides from border areas.

Additionally, the app was localized into Punjabi in the U.S. and Canada in just a matter of days to assist Uber Freight truck drivers from Punjab, ensuring they could navigate the app comfortably.

With a large portion of Uber’s Globalization team based in India, the country is home to the second-largest concentration of localization employees outside the U.S. This team plays a crucial role in creating style guides for 60 languages and driving localization testing, making significant contributions to Uber’s mission of global accessibility.