Elise Tan

Scaling global
localization,
from zero.

Product · Operations · Program Disney+ · 2020 – present
Impact · Scale · DeliverablesElise Tan
01 The Mandate

Joined in 2020 to centralize localization and
build it into a platform, with no dedicated
engineering team.

I owned localization across Marketing, Messaging, and Customer Services for four direct-to-consumer streaming services: the content that lives outside the app.

It spanned different content types, workflows, source systems, and stakeholders, none of it connected. My job was to make it scale.

4 phases
Bootstrap · advocate · integrate · scale. Build the vessel while it sails.
0 → 1 platform creation
From manual, tedious hand-offs to an integrated, AI-assisted content pipeline.
Elise TanThe Mandate
02 Scale at a Glance

The footprint I operated.

Annual run-rate · four-service streaming portfolio

Reach
155 countries
across 33 languages, four streaming services
Content volume
2.5M words
localized each year, up from 1.57M (~70% YoY)
Messaging
13B
localized messages deployed in one year
Help content
88–92%
support deflection, every region
Launches
79 launches
product & market launches in one year
Efficiency
$1M+
vendor & tech cost savings
Elise TanScale at a Glance
03 What I Owned

Four content domains, each its own product,
workflow, and set of stakeholders.

Built the end-to-end system for each, then connected it to its source platform.

A

Marketing
Landing Pages

Acquisition & splash
  • 1,288 localized pages / yr
  • Built the page workflow end-to-end
  • fr-CA drives 10% of CA sign-ups
  • LQA on every splash launch
B

Messaging

Email · Push · In-App
  • 13B messages deployed / yr
  • 72% of all word demand
  • Owned global lifecycle campaigns
  • Copy & character-limit guidelines
C

Help Center,
Chat & Feedback

Support experience
  • 88–92% support deflection
  • 3,900+ articles / yr
  • Relaunched on a unified stack
  • NLU chatbot into LATAM
D

App Store

Metadata & screens
  • Localized metadata & screenshots
  • LQA across major launches
  • Standardized intake & review
  • Trained the team to run it
Elise TanWhat I Owned
A Marketing Landing Pages

Turning one-off page translations into a
repeatable, integrated publishing pipeline.

1,288
20%
of landing-page visits depend on one language, French-Canadian, which drives 10% of CA sign-ups.
  • Mapped the workflow end-to-end
    One source of truth from copy to live in 40 languages.
  • Shipped a CMS → TMS integration
    Pivoted from a stalled deep build to a pragmatic data bridge.
    delivered
  • Embedded LQA into every launch
    Quality assurance built into every splash & landing-page release.
Elise TanMarketing Landing Pages
B Messaging · Email · Push · In-App

The highest-volume domain, automated from
manual hand-offs to billions of sends.

13B
messages deployed in one year across email, push, and in-app.
72%
of total word demand, from messaging alone.
  • Marketing platform → TMS integration
    Automated engagement email end-to-end; extended to transactional, push & in-app.
    delivered
  • Owned global lifecycle campaigns
    End-to-end from translation to email proof, with final say on copy.
  • Authored the quality guidelines
    Character limits, keyword & copy standards for in-app and push.
Elise TanMessaging
C Help Center · Chat · CSAT Feedback

Localized support that deflects nine in ten
contacts, across every region.

88–92%
support deflection from localized articles, every region.
3,900+
articles published each year, plus 7,200+ via integration.
  • Knowledge-base → TMS integration
    Automated help-article localization; saved 126 hours, 7,267 child articles.
    delivered
  • Expanded the NLU chatbot to LATAM
    Natural-language chat into es-LA and pt-BR; led the CMS migration & relaunch.
  • Led customer-feedback localization
    Drove discovery & the MT pilot for user-generated CSAT feedback.
Elise TanSupport Experience
04 The Platform I Built

Five CMS → TMS integrations, the quiet
connective tissue that let localization scale.

No dedicated engineering team: I built the business cases, wrote the PRDs, and brokered the agreements to connect every source system.

  • Marketing email platform → TMS
    Engagement-email automation
    live
  • Landing-page CMS → localization platform
    Acquisition & splash pages
    live
  • Knowledge base → TMS
    Help-center articles
    live
  • Messaging platform → TMS
    Push & in-app automation
    live
  • Unified messaging platform → localization
    Phased PRD sign-off
    delivered
5 integrations
across all four content domains, direct and indirect.
63%
shorter delivery time. Manual hours cut, launches de-risked.
49%
of jobs now flow through integrations, cutting manual tasks 24%.
Elise TanThe Platform
05 The Inflection Point · AI & Automation

Machine translation, post-edited by people,
the shift that broke the cost-versus-speed knot.

I led discovery, requirements, and the business case to launch MT post-editing across support and lifecycle content, twice as fast, with wider coverage.

×2
faster delivery, end-to-end
+150%
linguist capacity, same team, far more output
−46%
translation cost per word
3,300+ hrs
saved each year through automation
Elise TanAI & Automation
06 Impact Over Time

From bootstrap to AI-powered platform in four years.

’22
Scale the operation
  • 1.57M wordslocalized; jobs up 70% YoY
  • First integrationknowledge-base → TMS MVP live
  • APAC launchmessaging, marketing & support
’23
Connect everything
  • 1.8M words37 languages · 1,726 jobs
  • 13B messagesdeployed; 3,900+ articles
  • Help centers relaunchedon a unified tech stack
’24
Introduce AI
  • 2.5M words79 launches · 40 languages
  • MT post-editing+150% capacity, −46% cost
  • Automation~500 hrs saved; manual −24%
’25
Run at scale
  • 2.5M wordssustained across 40 languages
  • 1.5-daymedian vendor turnaround
  • 551 hrssaved; integration adoption up
Elise TanImpact Over Time
07 Recognition

“She oversees a massive effort and team to ensure localization meets our high standards, an outstanding partner who advocates for her team while finding solutions that align with the greater organization.”

Senior Stakeholder · Product

“Your attention to detail is second to none. You always have an eye toward the future, ensuring our decisions and processes were scalable and future-proofed. A true partner and a leader.”

Marketing Partner

Nominated for the company's Integrity value: “She strives to ensure the product experience meets all of our global audiences' needs… she epitomizes integrity.”

Company Value Nomination
Elise TanRecognition
Elise Tan

I build localization into a platform,
then make it faster, quieter, and global.

Product
5 CMS→TMS integrations from zero: business cases, PRDs, phased delivery, no eng team.
Operations
2.5M words & billions of messages a year across 40 languages, 1.5-day median turnaround.
Program
79 launches a year across marketing, messaging, support, and vendors.
Scaling Global LocalizationThank You