Act 1: The Snapshot
We begin with our feet firmly planted in the present and reflect on where the language services industry currently stands (spoiler: there’s no way to avoid this thing called GenAI).
But do we understand where we are and where we are headed? Are we asking the right questions, or should we just start with the “Why”?
There is a sense of urgency that powers the varied market players. We explore new pathways, test new solutions, learn from the mistakes made along the way, course-correct, and start again.
The industry is evolving, and we are in motion. In the following pages, we examine what this movement looks like.
Serhiy Dmytryshyn
CEO at Crowdin
AI agents are the most significant development we‘ve observed since last year. It‘s impressive how much more capable and reliable AI becomes when you let it plan its work, collect context as needed, check itself before delivering results, and use tools relevant to each project.
At Crowdin, we take inspiration from how the software development industry integrates AI and learn from those approaches. AI Agents are not really a breakthrough, but rather the right way to use AI effectively.
We now focus on equipping AI with all the tools it needs to consistently deliver high-quality translations that humans review, rather than creating them from scratch. The goal is for humans to never have to type translation work — just oversee it.
This represents a shift from AI-assisted translation to AI handling the translation process while humans provide oversight and quality control.
Read the full 132-page Global Ambitions: (R)Evolution in Motion publication featuring vital perspectives from 31 industry leaders on the ongoing AI-spurred (r)evolution.
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Charting the Endgame: What Awaits the Localization Industry
The localization industry is shifting from TMS-centric workflows to AI-driven orchestration, requiring bold reinvention over inertia.
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Our Origin Story
The localization industry’s past decade of incremental progress—APIs, orchestration, and MT adoption—quietly laid the groundwork for today’s AI-driven transformation.
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AI Is Widening the Localization Divide
AI is widening the gap in localization—teams with clear strategies and tools are scaling fast, while others remain stuck in reactive, manual workflows.
