AI-Powered Bulk Image Translator for Product Localization
I built a custom automation tool that translates product information images to German in bulk with AI + glossary precision—reducing translation time by 90% and saving significant localization costs.
Key Outcome
An automated desktop tool that translates text inside images (technical product diagrams, manuals, and visuals) into German using OCR and AI—saving over 200 work hours monthly and improving terminology consistency for localization.
The Challenge
Ronix needed to localize over 3,000 product diagrams and annotated images for the German market. The previous manual workflow was slow and error-prone: translators extracted text by hand, translated it manually, and designers reworked each image individually. This process caused delays, high costs, and inconsistent terminology across product categories.
The Solution
I developed a custom desktop application that uses OCR to detect text inside images and AI translation powered by OpenAI GPT, supported by a controlled glossary for technical accuracy. Users can drop in a folder of images, select the source and target languages, and automatically generate precise translations while preserving industry terminology.
Motivation
Turning a workflow bottleneck into automation
After managing large-scale product localization for Ronix manuals and catalog images, I noticed that image-based translations were a bottleneck. Unlike editable text files, product images required manual translation and annotation. This slowed down catalog production and website localization. Instead of scaling with manpower, I decided to engineer an AI-based internal tool that could solve this at scale — once, for everyone.
How It Works
• Upload images in bulk
• AI detects all white and light text areas inside each image
• OCR extracts the readable content
• GPT + Custom Glossary translate each term precisely
• Export translation files per image
• Designers quickly apply translations into templates
This reduced translation work from days to minutes.
Technology Stack
This project was built using a combination of AI, automation, and computer vision technologies. The system uses optical character recognition (OCR) through EasyOCR to detect and extract text accurately from product images, even when the text appears small or angled. For translation, I integrated the OpenAI GPT API to generate high-quality German translations while preserving technical meaning. To ensure consistency and accuracy across thousands of product terms, I engineered a glossary enforcement system that maps specific technical terms—such as “Hand wheel” or “Crossbar”—to approved German equivalents used in Ronix technical documentation. The user interface was developed as a desktop application using Python and PyQt, designed for speed, batch processing, and non-technical team use. The tool includes custom automation logic that processes hundreds of images in one run, making it scalable for ongoing catalog and product translation workflows.
Results & Impact
The impact of this tool was immediate and measurable across productivity, cost, and workflow efficiency. A process that previously required 2–3 full working days to translate 100 images can now be completed in under 30 minutes. Instead of involving multiple translators and designers, the translation workflow can now be handled by one operator, significantly reducing production pressure. Localization costs were reduced by over 70%, while terminology consistency increased because of the integrated glossary and AI validation. Error rates dropped dramatically since the system eliminated manual copy-paste mistakes and translation inaccuracies. This tool is now actively used in German market localization and will be extended to support French, Spanish, and Arabic, becoming a core part of Ronix’s international content production strategy.
Reflection
This project proved that automation is not just a technical upgrade—it’s a strategic advantage. Instead of scaling teams, I scaled output with AI. I combined OCR, AI translation, and workflow design to solve a real production bottleneck inside a global tool brand.