Act 3: Reframing the Scene

What does the future hold?

Chances are, every person you ask this question will offer a different answer. And that’s as it should be (let’s leave the probable-words-in-a-sequence prediction to something else). The future will likely be composed of a multiplicity of parallel realities, much like a multi-colored glass vitrage.

Any discussion about the future comes with its share of responsibility. A responsibility toward ourselves, the teams we work in, and the communities we are involved in. A responsibility for those who come next — the next generation of talent that will be entering our industry.

When reading this closing section, ask yourselves: What are YOU doing to affect those around you positively?

Renato Beninatto

Chief Advisor at Nimdzi Insights

Renato Beninatto is Chief Advisor at Nimdzi Insights and a recognized leader in the global language services industry. He is known for his sharp industry analysis and pragmatic perspective on localization strategy.

The CEO of Cirque du Soleil was the keynote speaker at the GALA conference in Montreal this year. There was a moment during that talk when everyone suddenly started rethinking their job titles. That’s when it hit me: We’re all trapeze artists now. No net, just platforms constantly shifting underfoot. Welcome to the localization industry in the GenAI age.

We keep asking ourselves the same question in different costumes: Is this the end of localization? Are we being replaced? Have we lost the narrative? Honestly, it feels like a collective midlife crisis, just with better coffee and more acronyms.

The existential panic is misplaced. Localization isn‘t going away. It‘s just moving out of the basement and into the architecture. AI didn’t kill the translator. It just changed the lighting on the stage. What we do has always been about enabling outcomes, not preserving tasks. We don’t fight to save the act of translation. We fight to stay relevant in the value chain.

Let’s talk about value. For years, we’ve sold our work in units that sound like we should be on a factory floor: words per hour, lines per day, pages per deadline. That mindset made sense when the business was about volume. But GenAI doesn’t care about word counts. It cares about context, intent, and results. So should we.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: Maybe AI didn’t come to replace us. Maybe it came to expose how replaceable our pricing models, workflows, and self-perception have become. We’re clinging to the methods when we should be owning the mission.

In my conversations with buyers of localization services, through Nimdzi’s Lessons in Localization events, dozens of interviews, and surveys, we’ve heard a consistent message. The struggle isn’t with technology. It’s with proving value. Buyers are under pressure to show ROI, but they don’t have the data or tools to make the case. They’re stuck translating operational metrics into something the C-suite understands. Word counts don’t translate into revenue.

And while AI is generating excitement, it’s also generating anxiety. Leaders are being told to use it, sometimes without a strategy or infrastructure. They want AI to work, but they’re not sure how to make it fit into their existing systems. Worse, they’re being sold features and cost savings, not business impact. There’s a disconnect between what’s offered and what they actually need: integrated, practical, context-aware solutions.

The same goes for stakeholder engagement. Buyers are still battling to be involved earlier in the product lifecycle, to stop being seen as a final step or afterthought. They’re advocating for education, storytelling, and metrics that resonate beyond the language department. They want to help their companies win globally, but often feel excluded from strategic conversations.

Where does this leave us? Not at the end. Not even close. But definitely on a different hill. The one where we stop pretending that every multilingual asset needs handcrafted perfection and start asking harder questions:

• What needs to be localized, and what just needs to be understood?
• Are we optimizing for pride or impact?
• Do we want to be artists, strategists, or vendors?

The hidden success stories, because yes, they do exist, aren’t about perfect translations. They’re about companies that embedded localization thinking into product development, marketing campaigns, customer support, and community building. 

They’re not shouting about localization. They’re just winning at global.

Buyers have told us what they want: clear ways to show impact, smart AI they can actually use, real integration into company processes, and a seat at the strategic table. They don’t want one-size-fits-all solutions. They want partners who understand their context, including size, industry, and internal politics, and can help them evolve.

That’s the future. Not a department. Not a deliverable. A discipline.

It’s time we stopped mourning what localization was and started building what it should be. We’re not in the business of translating words. We’re in the business of creating outcomes across borders. That takes language, yes, but it also takes courage, vision, business sense, and occasionally, a trampoline.

Because just like Cirque du Soleil, the show goes on. But only if we remember we’re not the safety net. We’re the act.

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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