From Manual to Millions: Rapidly Empowering a Global Classroom Through Translation Automation
The Challenge
Before partnering with Burwood Group, ASU’s Thunderbird School of Global Management faced a daunting challenge: translating course content to enable learners all across the globe to access ASU’s Thunderbird course content. The initial goal was to start small with five languages and expand from there.
However, the existing process was manual, fragmented, and unsustainable, even for the first phase of this ambitious goal. Faculty and staff lacked a centralized system to manage translation workflows, assign reviewers, or track approvals. As a result, course localization was slow, inconsistent, and inaccessible to many students who needed it most.
This bottleneck directly impacted ASU’s ability to reach learners in remote and disadvantaged regions. These students often rely on translated content as their only path to higher education. Without a scalable solution, the university’s global learning mission was at risk.
The Solution
Burwood Group designed and delivered a custom-built translation portal leveraging tools built around Google Translate. The platform was built to automate the end-to-end translation workflow—from content upload to language processing, reviewer assignment, approval tracking, and final publishing.
The system is designed for a seamless workflow where faculty and staff can export course content from their Learning Management System (LMS), process it through the portal, and import the translated content back into the LMS upon completion.
Key features include:
Ability to upload many different file types associated with courses.
Automated translation using Google Translation API.
Role-based workflows for translation review and approval as well as Admin functions such as assigning content for translation and final approval.
Scalable architecture to support hundreds of languages and thousands of learners.
Business Results
Global Reach: ASU’s Bootcamp course is now published in 20+ languages, with more in progress
Speed to Impact: What once took months can now be completed in days, enabling faster course launches in new regions.
Student Empowerment: Learners from non-English-speaking backgrounds can now access high-quality education in their native language—many for the first time.
Operational Efficiency: Faculty and staff can manage translation workflows with ease, freeing up time for teaching and innovation.
Looking Ahead
ASU continues to expand its translated course offerings, with the Burwood-built platform serving as the backbone of its global learning strategy. The university is now positioned to reach millions more students—regardless of geography or language—fulfilling its mission to democratize education at scale.
Arizona State University (ASU), a global leader in online education, launched the ambitious “100 Million Learners” initiative to make high-quality education accessible to underserved populations around the world. A key barrier to this vision was language: ASU needed a way to translate its online courses into dozens of languages—quickly, accurately, and at scale.
Burwood Capabilities Leveraged
Product Innovation
Software Engineering & Modernization
Cloud Data Platform Development
Workflow Automation
Google Cloud Integration
