About the Role
The WordPress Polyglots team is looking for a Translation Lead to coordinate and manage the translation of WordPress Core, plugins, themes, and meta projects into languages spoken around the world. WordPress is available in over 200 locales, and this role is essential to ensuring that non-English-speaking users can experience the full power of WordPress in their native language. As Translation Lead, you will serve as the bridge between the global translation community and the WordPress project, ensuring that translation workflows run smoothly, quality standards are maintained, and volunteer translators feel supported and valued.
This is a part-time role (approximately 20 hours per week) that requires excellent organizational skills, a deep appreciation for linguistic nuance, and the ability to coordinate volunteers across dozens of time zones. You will manage the GlotPress translation platform, develop translation guidelines and glossaries, and work with locale managers to resolve translation disputes and maintain consistency across the WordPress ecosystem. The position offers significant flexibility in scheduling, as long as you are available for occasional synchronous meetings with translation teams in various regions.
Responsibilities
- Oversee the translation workflow for WordPress Core releases, ensuring that translations are complete, reviewed, and approved before each major and minor release ships
- Manage and administer the GlotPress translation platform, including user role management, project configuration, translation memory maintenance, and glossary updates
- Coordinate with General Translation Editors (GTEs) and locale managers across 50+ active locales to ensure consistent translation quality and timely delivery
- Develop and maintain translation style guides, glossaries, and best practices documentation that help translators produce accurate, natural-sounding translations
- Review and approve translation editor applications, evaluating candidates based on translation quality, community engagement, and adherence to locale-specific guidelines
- Organize and facilitate monthly Polyglots team meetings, translation sprints during WordCamp events, and ad-hoc coordination calls with locale teams
- Identify and onboard new volunteer translators by partnering with regional WordPress meetup groups and promoting translation contributions at community events
- Monitor translation coverage metrics across locales and prioritize outreach efforts for under-represented languages
- Collaborate with plugin and theme developers to ensure their projects are properly internationalized (i18n) and ready for translation (l10n)
- Work with the WordPress Meta team to improve translation-related tools, workflows, and integrations on WordPress.org
Requirements
- 3+ years of experience in translation management, localization project management, or a similar role in the software or open-source industry
- Fluency in English plus native or near-native proficiency in at least one additional language
- Hands-on experience with GlotPress or similar translation management systems (Crowdin, Transifex, Pontoon, or Weblate)
- Understanding of software internationalization (i18n) and localization (l10n) concepts, including gettext, PO/MO files, and string extraction workflows
- Excellent organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple locale teams, competing priorities, and tight release schedules simultaneously
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with demonstrated ability to motivate and coordinate volunteer contributors across cultures and time zones
- Familiarity with the WordPress ecosystem, including basic knowledge of how themes, plugins, and Core handle translatable strings
Nice to Have
- Prior experience as a WordPress Polyglots contributor, General Translation Editor, or locale manager
- Proficiency in three or more languages, particularly languages with complex script systems (CJK, RTL, or Indic scripts)
- Experience with machine translation tools and post-editing workflows, including quality assessment of MT output
- Knowledge of CLDR (Common Locale Data Repository) standards and how they apply to date, time, number, and currency formatting across locales
- Background in computational linguistics, translation studies, or a related academic discipline
- Experience running translation sprints or hackathons at WordCamp or similar community events
Benefits
- Competitive hourly rate of $40 - $55 per hour, based on experience and language expertise
- Flexible part-time schedule (approximately 20 hours per week) with the ability to set your own hours
- Fully remote position - work from anywhere with a reliable internet connection
- Travel support for attending WordCamp events and Polyglots contributor days (2-3 events per year)
- Professional development budget for language courses, localization certifications, and industry conferences
- Opportunity to shape the translation experience for millions of WordPress users worldwide
- Direct collaboration with a passionate global community of translators and open-source advocates
How to Apply
To apply for the Translation Lead position, please submit your resume along with a cover letter that highlights your experience with translation management and volunteer coordination. Include a list of the languages you speak and your proficiency level in each. If you have a WordPress.org profile with translation contributions, please share your username so we can review your translation history. We also welcome links to any translation glossaries, style guides, or process documentation you have created in previous roles. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, and shortlisted candidates will be invited to a brief translation exercise as part of the interview process.