Understanding Post-Localization
If you are a localization professional like me, the term “post-localization era” may alarm you. As with all professions nowadays, there is an underlying fear of being made “redundant” by advancements in technology that both directly and indirectly affect your field of choice. So, what are the keys to avoiding this redundancy? Growth, adaptation, and broadening your skill set.
CSA Research, an independent market research firm specializing in the language services market, deemed 2023 the peak year for localization. The period that has followed has seen a decline in traditional language services and a demand to transition to a broader spectrum of global content services (GCS) that encompasses skills in advanced technology integration, automation, and a range of international content services.
Advancements in AI technologies such as Neural Machine Translation (NMT) and Generative AI have driven the demand for industry professionals including language service providers (LSPs), technology developers, and freelance translators to rethink their strategies to continue to be successful.
The Rise of the GCS Approach for LSPs
In comparison to a traditional translation service provider, GCSs provide a larger scope of content-related services beyond just translation. Additionally, they leverage advanced AI technologies and offer strategic guidance on how to plan to expand into global markets. CSA Research found that LSP revenues declined by $160 million in 2023 even though the demand for localized content due to the explosion of digital content formats has increased. MT has been meeting these growing demands for low-risk scenarios—especially with the improvement of NMT providers like DeepL and Google Translate—providing a low-cost alternative to traditional options. This signifies a need to update strategies to keep up with industry advancements.
AI: Your Post-Localization Ally
To maintain a competitive edge in today’s digital age, LSPs must actively adopt AI tools and integrate them into their operations. This is not to diminish the value of human expertise for many localization tasks, especially cultural adaptation, linguistic nuance, and creativity; however, language professionals should leverage AI-powered solutions to optimize their workflow. Some benefits of utilizing AI-powered tools include speed, improved accuracy, consistency, and cost-effectiveness.
AI will empower humans – not replace them. Remembering this will be important as you adapt your business strategy to the rapidly shifting industry dynamics. Implementation starts with carefully assessing the parts of your workflow that can and cannot be automated. Once you understand your business’s capabilities you should define clear objectives for implementing AI-powered solutions and select suitable tools.
The Future of AI in Global Content
To seize the opportunities that arise with AI, new skills must be acquired, ranging from content management and design to AI-prompt engineering and conversation design. Traditional roles, such as translators, will transition into roles such as AI and language technologists/consultants, content engineers/strategists, proofreaders, and UX specialists.
A recent advancement in AI-powered localization technology comes from Phrase with their Next Generation Auto LQA (Language Quality Assessment) tool. This tool provides instant, actionable feedback on the quality of translated content, enabling Editors/Project Managers to identify and address content areas that require attention. Pairing and empowering language experts with this powerful tool will dramatically improve the previously monotonous job of LQA.
In this rapidly evolving post-localization era, LSPs should be adapting their strategies to a more GCS approach and incorporating AI-powered solutions. It is also crucial to cultivate adaptability and a commitment to continuous learning to stay ahead of emerging technologies. Combining human expertise and AI-powered technology will make the localization process more efficient, consistent, and accurate and enhance the human experience.
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