Challenges
Fragmented and slow localization workflow
Before Gridly, localization was handled through a string manager in Haufe X360’s core system which was essentially a plain string list with no context or metadata. The system suffered from long load times and only supported one-at-a-time updates, each requiring manual saving. Even a simple terminology update became painfully slow.
“Every time you searched for a string, you’d get like three hits out of who knows how many, and you had to scroll through pages…and it would be loading for minutes,” recalls Erik Heussler, localization engineer at Haufe X360.
No audit trail or change tracking
Exporting to Excel and subsequently reimporting became the workaround, but it added additional steps for each update and offered no context or history. There was no visibility into who changed what, when and how the strings were modified.
Complex string management
With more than 380,000 strings spread across different database tables in their system, Haufe X360 needed to identify the context in which each string is used, as this affects how it should be translated.
A typical example mentioned by the localization team is the word “account,” which can be translated as Bankkonto (bank account) or Kundenkonto (customer account) in German, depending on the context. Since strings can appear in multiple locations, the localization team needs to track each of these instances to ensure accurate translations.
The core platform for the cloud ERP is in American English, and Haufe X360 localize the solution for the German market while also adding new market-specific features. Compared to English, German is much more wordy—two words in English can become a full sentence in German. This increases the need for checking the length of strings in the target languages more carefully.
Non-linguist translators with domain expertise
Product managers and business analysts, who are responsible for translations, needed an intuitive interface and a transparent workflow without complexity or confusion. To ensure accurate and high-quality translation, it was essential to provide them with precise context and clear character limits.
Haufe X360’s headquarters in Freiburg, Germany
The solution
When searching for a new solution, robust string management capabilities were at the top of the list, along with the ability to run QA checks and collaborate seamlessly with in-house translators, who needed to work in a simple editor. Other key requirements included the possibility to work with DeepL, Haufe X360’s machine translation provider, and the ability to connect with their core system via API.
Falling in love with Gridly
The localization team arranged an introductory Gridly demo, followed up by a more specific technical call where they invited their technical lead to assess integration possibilities. Gridly’s intuitive interface, TMS module, metadata support, and DeepL integration stood out.
Then they started a free trial, during which they tested Gridly API and successfully imported their data into the newly prepared structure.
“The moment I saw our data for the first time, not just from our system and Excel exports, but really the whole database with metadata, tags, and other information, along with all the ways we could work with it, that was actually love at first sight,” comments Erik Heussler, Localization Engineer at Haufe X360.
Fast implementation and easy onboarding
Within just a month, the team completed the full setup:
- API-based import/export, consolidating content from SQL and XML tables into a single grid
- Metadata columns to provide context and define length constraints
- Translator onboarding, enabling the team to start working right away
Seamless, end-to-end localization process
The localization team leverages all three modules — CMS, TMS, and CAT — of the Gridly platform to fully support their localization workflow. After importing source data from their core system via API into the CMS module, new strings are automatically detected and assigned a ready-for-translation status.
The localization team checks the data and creates jobs in the TMS module. These are assigned to Haufe X360’s business consultants, who work in Gridly’s CAT editor with access to translation memory and concordance search to translate, enabling them to translate each batch efficiently and accurately.
Finally the completed localization job is delivered back to the CMS, where differences are reviewed. The new translations are imported with a single click and merged back into the master system.
Results
With Gridly, Haufe X360 overcame a slow, opaque, and context-lacking localization process—transforming it into a fast, transparent, and scalable workflow.
Localization accelerated 10x
Where string changes once took minutes each, updates now happen instantly within Gridly.
- Efficiency gain: from ~2 minutes per string to seconds
- With thousands of strings, localization cycles dropped from weeks to days.
- Scripts and API automations now handle imports/exports
By removing tedious manual steps and providing translators with the context they need, Gridly also eliminated much of the frustration and stress of the old workflow, giving the team more energy to focus on quality and expansion.
Context-driven, quality translations
Metadata, granular editing by context, and the use of the DeepL machine translation engine substantially improved the overall consistency and quality of translations.
Full visibility and control
No more blind spots: every change is transparent and auditable. “Now we have actual visibility at a glance when we scroll through the database. We can easily filter out anything we want and update content in bulk,” comments Erik from Haufe X360’s localization team.
Future plans
Encouraged by the success of the German rollout, Haufe X360 is preparing to launch in Dutch, Czech, and Slovak, all using the same streamlined Gridly-based process. They’re also planning to enrich their style guides and continue expanding their translation memory over time.
