Redesigning TMS Workflows to Eliminate File Corruption
I was frequently brought in after localization workflows had already started failing:
-
XML files breaking on re-import
-
Inline tags becoming unstable
-
Segments merging or splitting unpredictably
-
QA issues caused by the TMS configuration itself
These issues often recurred across languages and releases.
What I did
Rather than patching individual files, I audited and rebuilt the underlying TMS workflows.
My work typically included:
-
Reviewing segmentation and filter configurations
-
Correcting tag handling and inline structures
-
Introducing validation steps before and after translation
-
Ensuring files could round-trip safely across multiple releases
The outcome
-
File corruption issues stopped recurring
-
Emergency fixes became unnecessary
-
Translators worked with cleaner, more stable content
-
CMS and dev teams regained confidence in localization outputs
In several cases, workflows ran for years afterwards without the same issues resurfacing.
Fixing files is short-term. Fixing workflows is permanent.