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. 

Ian Evans

CEO at XTM International

Ian Evans is a veteran in scaling enterprise technology solutions globally. He excels in driving growth, optimizing operations, and delivering innovation in localization, privacy, and governance to help organizations achieve efficiency and a competitive advantage worldwide.

For years, AI in localization was more promise than practice. Much of it looked impressive in demos, but it crumbled under real-world demands, especially for enterprise teams juggling speed, quality, and compliance across dozens of markets.

That’s now changing.

The breakthroughs we’re seeing aren’t about academic or translation gimmicks — they’re about solving the complex, high-stakes realities of global content operations.

At XTM, for example, we’re focusing on building AI that’s deeply embedded into the localization workflow.

Language Guard flags anything that could damage your brand or break compliance — from non-inclusive terms to regulatory red flags — and suggests edits instantly. Intelligent Score gives you real-time quality scoring based on thresholds you set, so you know exactly what’s ready to go and what needs attention. And with Intelligent Workflow, those scores aren’t just numbers — they drive action. High-confidence translations get pushed through automatically, while anything that needs review gets flagged for your team.

It’s smart, efficient, and built for the pace enterprise teams are working at today.

These aren‘t isolated features. They‘re part of an integrated ecosystem that helps localization teams do more with less, without sacrificing control.

Why does this matter in 2025?

Translation content volumes are exploding. The old patchwork of disconnected tools can’t keep up. And for industries like life sciences, delays don’t just cost time — they can hold up product launches and regulatory approvals.

The boundary we’re expanding isn’t just technological. It’s operational.

We’re giving teams the power to move faster and with greater accuracy and autonomy,  whether they’re translating web content, software strings, or regulated documentation. And we’re doing it with AI that’s designed for the real world, not just a laboratory exercise.

The future of localization isn’t automated. It’s intelligently orchestrated.

And it’s already happening.

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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