Tyson Shelley

Denver, Colorado |720.291.2347| tyshelley@gmail.com

Seasoned expert in the Translation and Localization industry, bringing over 15 years of leadership and operational experience to his consultancy services. With a Master's degree in Translation and Localization Management from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies and a proven track record in roles such as Localization Lead at Zoom Video Communications, Tyson combines deep industry knowledge with hands-on expertise. His career spans end-to-end localization strategies, technology integration, vendor selection & RFP management, and global team leadership, making him an invaluable resource for businesses looking to scale their operations or improve localization ROI. Tyson’s ability to balance quality, cost-efficiency, and speed empowers organizations to engage audiences worldwide with precision and impact.

Education

Monterey Institute of International Studies
MA in Translation and Localization Management (2009 - 2011)

Brigham Young University - Idaho
BA in Spanish (2009)

Professional Experience

Summit Language Consulting

Owner | Current

  • Unleashing a passion for helping businesses grow by unlocking international strategy and multilingual content flows to reach true TAM.

  • Let’s connect!

Director of Localization
Language Network | 2023 - Present

  • Drove AI adoption and implementation to enhance localization workflows, improving scalability and reducing costs by 20%.

  • Ensured successful delivery for localization programs at Specialized Bicycles and SRAM, among other key accounts. 

  • Defined company localization strategies and streamlined workflows to position as a more competitive Language Service Provide within industry top 100 list.

  • Modernized localization tooling and usage to improve efficiency while maintaining high standards for quality.

  • Partnered with cross-functional teams to track KPIs and optimize processes, ensuring business alignment.

Manager, Localization
Zoom Video Communications | 2019 - 2023

  • Owned Localization Program from inception to optimization and continuous improvement in Localization during Zoom’s period of explosive growth.

  • Integrated Zendesk with a localization platform, automating a historically manual and labor-intensive process. This innovation improved scalability, reduced turnaround times by 50 - 80%, and increased localization efficiency to support global customer experiences.

  • Daily evangelization of Localization within the company, which facilitated creation and improvements of end-to-end Localization processes for other teams within Marketing/Web, Support, Product/Engineering. 

  • Hired team of 8 Localization Managers, fostering a collaborative team culture and driving tight alignment with Marketing, Web, Support and Product teams.

  • Successfully spearheaded efforts to launch Zoom Meeting’s application into 7 additional markets, in conjunction with MVP market-readiness content across Web, eCommerce/buyflow content and currency, Support articles, launch notes, blog/press, international legal contracts, and Marketing/Sales collateral.

  • Built many key relationships including with VP of Product, multiple Product Managers, Engineering leads, Localization Coordinators, CMO, VP of Sales and Director of International Sales Operations 

  • Partnered with data teams to identify high-potential markets and used insights to guide expansion decisions.

  • Drove cultural awareness and adjustments within Zoom’s core Meetings application. 

  • Provided style guides to designers to make better and more culturally informed design decisions including images that would resonate and what to avoid.

  • Unified cross-functional teams (Marketing, Sales, Product, Engineering) at Zoom to prioritize global launches, aligning processes and resources to drive impactful, scalable localization. 

  • Led Indonesian launch which yielded 1,800% increase in daily users and a 1,200% increase in revenue. Drove a focused marketing campaign around new language launches, which contributed significantly to localization ROI.

Global Account Director
Lingotek | 2017 - 2019

  • Managed key enterprise Localization Programs valued between $200k and $1.5M ARR, delivering customized localization consultation and solutions.

  • Played a key role in securing a major $1.2M ARR client by designing innovative content integration strategy.

  • Developed and maintained relationships that helped clients achieve their Localization Program goals. 

  • Grew and nurtured key customer relationships. 

  • Created Learning Management System content and required “Loc IQ” Program for a growing salesforce raising. 

Operations Manager
Lingotek | 2013 - 2017

  • Led team of multilingual content producers to generate $21M in revenue by designing scalable multilingual content workflows and enabling clients to expand global offerings efficiently.

  • Created scalable workflows that increased team efficiency and allowed clients to expand global content offerings.

  • Mentored team members, building a collaborative and goal-oriented culture.

Adjunct Professor
Weber State University | Fall 2019

  • Designed and delivered "Intro to Localization" course equipping students with practical knowledge of tools, workflows, and global strategies.

Key Achievements

  • Strategic Localization: At Zoom, I led efforts to launch seven new regions, achieving rapid adoption in emerging markets by tailoring content to local audiences.

  • Collaborative Leadership: Unified previously disjointed teams across Product, Engineering, and Marketing to prioritize international launches, creating alignment that drove seamless execution. Completed 3rd party leadership course offered by Zoom to improve and grow as a team leader

  • Innovation in Processes: Implemented data-driven improvements that reduced translation costs by $2M+ while enhancing overall efficiency.

  • Client-Centered Success: Developed a bespoke localization solution for a major Lingotek client, solidifying a long-term $1.2M ARR partnership.

  • 2-year Humanitarian Service Volunteer in Peru: Provided support to local communities, addressing a wide range of needs with an emphasis on fostering self-reliance and sustainable development. Collaborated with local leaders and organizations to implement programs that improved economic, educational, and social conditions.

  • BSA Eagle Scout Award: Organized community outreach to provide needed blankets to homeless shelters during cold winter months in Colorado. Continuing to aid youth in achieving this award in my community. 

Skills & Tools

  • Near-native Spanish fluency 

  • Localization Tools: Smartling, Phrase, XTM, Lingotek, MemoQ, Trados, WorldServer 

  • Localization Engineering: Familiarity with a wide range of common file types and the best practices for localizing various coding languages 

  • CMS localization experience with: Drupal, WordPress, Optimizely, Zendesk, AEM, Contentful 

  • Leadership & Strategy: Program Management, Cross-Functional Collaboration, Data Analysis