# Biography — Noel McCourt

I’m a localisation engineer who turns messy, real‑world content into reliable multilingual releases. Since 2011 I’ve worked independently with LSPs and direct clients to design file‑safe pipelines, build automations, and integrate CMS/TMS platforms. We fully leverage AI for speed and consistency in checks/analysis — **with humans always in control** of tone, terminology, and privacy.

## Timeline

### 1989–1996 — Early problem‑solver
– Pre‑Windows 286 PC (no hard disk): upgraded memory and got a flight simulator to run — early love for constraints and workarounds.

### 1994–1996 — School lab lead
– Held the keys to the computer lab at lunch; coded, troubleshot, and occasionally gamed with a small group.

### 1998 — Microsoft Dublin (placement)
– Immersed in one of the world’s localisation hubs; embraced multicultural, fast‑paced teams.

### 2000 — Berlitz Globalnet (Dublin)
– Summer role; deeper exposure to production localisation workflows.

### 2001–2008 — Lionbridge (incl. on‑site at Microsoft Dublin)
– Projects: Picture It! and Microsoft Works (2 years on‑site). Presented in Seattle HQ; trained teams in Dublin and Madrid.
– 2006–2008: led a remote engineering team and designed an outsourcing model; travelled to India and hosted engineers in Dublin.

### 2003 — Project transition to Nice, France
– Transitioned a project; trained a new engineering team; learnt the culture and some French.

### 2008 — Built IT & Engineering in a small LSP → acquisition by Welocalize
– Set up the function; supported the merger/transition.

### 2012 — LocServe founded (full‑time freelance)
– One of the first full‑time freelance localisation engineers; built a stable client base that endures.

### 2020–2021 — MyFileTranslator (lockdown → productised pipeline)
– Mobile → cloud → TMS → cloud (Android, Firebase, Smartcat, Python). Admin console, credits, storage conventions, retries/back‑off.
– See case study: [MyFileTranslator — Cloud‑to‑TMS pipeline](/case-studies/myfiletranslator-cloud-to-tms/).

### 2024 — MFT sunset & custom successors
– Discontinued the public app as connectors and TMS APIs matured; still build bespoke versions for specific governance/format needs.

### 2011–present — Independent engineering partner
– Rapid file triage, QA automation, connectors; GlobalSight installs; WordPress ↔ Smartcat integrations.
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## 2011–2012 — Biography

I stepped out on my own and turned ad‑hoc fixes into repeatable localisation pipelines. The early focus was simple: make tricky files safe, reduce rebuilds, and ship on time.

– Launched as a full‑time freelance localisation engineer; secured repeat clients by fixing urgent problems and then standardising the process.
– Built safe round‑trips for complex formats (XLIFF, XML, JSON, HTML, ResX, `.properties`, PO) to cut late defects and rebuild risk.
– Added automation and QA (Python, Regex, Okapi) for placeholder governance, tag parity and non‑translatables; delivered clear batch reports for PMs and linguists.
– Stabilised CAT/TMS flows (Trados, XTM, Phrase, Okapi) with naming rules and “pilot round‑trip” checks before scale.
– Met tight SLAs with fast triage of incomplete sources and hotfixes; earned quick sign‑offs and positive feedback.
– Documented a simple playbook — **intake → validate → pilot → scale** — that became the foundation for long‑term engagements.

## Mini Case Studies (2011–2012)

### JSON ↔ XLIFF for a Web UI (anonymised LSP)

**The problem**
Web strings lived in nested JSON. Translators needed XLIFF. Nightly builds were failing due to broken placeholders and stray quotes.

**What I did**
– Wrote Python/Okapi converters that preserved placeholders as inline tags.
– Added Regex QA for tag parity, brace/quote balance, and non‑translatables.
– Ran a tiny pilot round‑trip before each batch to catch issues early.

**Result**
Zero build‑breakers on subsequent drops, fewer last‑minute hotfixes, and cleaner terminology hand‑offs.

**Skills**
Localisation engineering, Python, Okapi/Rainbow, Regex QA, XLIFF/JSON, pipeline design.

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### XML/ResX Integrity & Go‑Live QA (anonymised enterprise)

**The problem**
Mixed XML/ResX resources fed desktop and web apps. Late rework came from mismatched tags, missing non‑translatables and inconsistent naming.

**What I did**
– Built a preflight QA suite (Python + Regex) for structure, placeholders and inline tag checks.
– Introduced folder/filename rules and a simple go‑live checklist.
– Published CSV/HTML reports that highlighted only high‑risk items.

**Result**
Fewer rebuilds, faster sign‑offs, and predictable hand‑offs to dev teams.

**Skills**
QA/validation, Python/Regex, XML/ResX, CAT/TMS alignment (Trados/XTM/Phrase), reporting, release engineering.