The real shift isn’t from humans to AI

Much of the discussion surrounding language services focuses on whether AI will replace human translators. In reality, this isn’t the question many businesses are asking. The bigger challenge is managing an ever-growing volume of multilingual content.

A company that once translated a handful of brochures each year may now publish product pages, knowledge bases, mobile apps, social media campaigns, customer emails, help centre articles, instructional videos and software updates simultaneously. Many of these assets are updated continuously rather than once or twice a year.

The result is that multilingual communication has become considerably more complex. Rather than managing individual translation projects, businesses are now maintaining ongoing content ecosystems. Success depends not simply on producing multilingual content but managing it efficiently across teams, channels and markets.

Artificial intelligence certainly helps increase throughput. Machine translation, large language models and AI-assisted writing tools make it possible to generate and process content faster than ever before. But faster production also introduces new complexities. More content means more terminology to manage, more quality assurance, greater consistency requirements and more opportunities for errors to spread across multiple markets.

Which language services are growing?

The clearest areas of growth are localisation, multilingual content operations, video adaptation, accessibility-related language services and AI-enabled expert workflows. Rather than eliminating language expertise, AI has made structured multilingual communication even more valuable. The strongest growth is no longer concentrated in standalone translation but in services that help businesses solve communication challenges throughout the entire content lifecycle.

1. Localisation supports commercial growth

Translation relays a message to customers. Localisation ensures that it resonates with them and feels natural within their cultural context. This distinction has become increasingly important as businesses compete globally. Customers expect products, websites and digital experiences to reflect local conventions, currencies, measurements, cultural expectations and purchasing habits. Even seemingly minor details, such as date formats, imagery or payment methods, can influence trust.

CSA Research’s widely cited Can’t Read, Won’t Buy study found that 76% of online shoppers prefer to buy products with information in their own language, underscoring the commercial importance of localisation.¹ Since language directly influences purchasing decisions, localisation is strategically relevant and not just a linguistic consideration.

This is why many organisations no longer treat localisation as an afterthought. It has become an integral part of product launches, marketing campaigns and customer experience because it directly influences how customers perceive a brand and whether they choose to engage with it.

2. Multilingual content operations

Creating multilingual content is one challenge. Managing it efficiently is another. As content volumes continue to increase, companies are focusing more on workflows rather than individual deliverables. Instead of commissioning translation project by project, they are looking for structured processes that keep multilingual content organised over time.

These include terminology management, translation memories, editorial guidelines, content governance, CMS integration, review processes and quality assurance. Operational elements rarely receive much attention outside the industry, yet they are often essential for maintaining the consistency of international communication as organisations grow.

In many cases, the greatest value now lies not in translating individual documents, but in helping businesses build scalable multilingual publishing processes. For growing organisations, this reduces duplicated effort, shortens publishing cycles and makes it easier to ensure consistent messaging across markets.

3. Video adaptation and multimedia localisation

Over the years, business communication has expanded to include much more than just written content. Training videos, webinars, product demonstrations, social media clips and customer support videos have become essential communication channels. As a result, demand has grown rapidly for multilingual subtitling, captioning, script adaptation and voice-over preparation.

Unlike traditional translation, multimedia localisation requires consideration of timing, readability and audience engagement. Captions must be easy to follow, subtitles need to fit naturally within limited screen space and spoken dialogue often requires adaptation rather than literal translation.

Businesses now recognise that video localisation extends the value of existing content, helping them reach international audiences without recreating every asset from scratch.

4. Accessibility-related language services

Accessibility is also changing the way organisations think about communication. Historically, accessibility was often viewed as a legal or compliance requirement. Many companies have now come to recognise it as part of delivering a better user experience.

Captions help not only people with hearing impairments but also commuters watching videos without sound. Plain language improves comprehension for non-native speakers. Clear document structures support assistive technologies, such as screen readers, while also making information easier for everyone to navigate.

As accessibility becomes more closely integrated into digital communication, language specialists play a vital role in producing content that is understandable, inclusive and usable across diverse audiences. For businesses, that means improving the customer experience while making content accessible to the widest possible audience.

5. AI-enabled expert workflows

Perhaps the fastest-growing area is not AI itself but the services surrounding it. Many organisations are adopting machine translation, large language models and automated content generation. But publishing AI-generated content without human oversight is a much bigger leap—and not one we would recommend.

This has created growing demand for services such as AI post-editing, terminology management, prompt development, quality assurance and editorial review. In other words, AI has not removed humans from the process. It has changed where their expertise is applied. Rather than translating every sentence from scratch, language professionals are shifting their focus towards improving quality, ensuring consistency, reducing reputational risk and making AI-generated content fit for purpose.

How businesses are redefining value

These developments have also changed what organisations expect from language service providers. Accuracy remains essential, but it is no longer the only measure of value. Businesses now evaluate providers according to their ability to integrate with existing workflows, support multiple content channels, maintain terminology across departments and scale in line with organisational growth.

As organisations rethink multilingual communication, localisation is now viewed less as a standalone service and more as an operational capability that helps businesses enter new markets, build customer trust and scale internationally.

What defines a modern language services partner?

The role of the language services provider has evolved accordingly. Today, organisations look for partners who understand not only languages but also content ecosystems, localisation strategy and digital workflows. That means combining linguistic expertise with practical knowledge of content management systems, AI-assisted production, accessibility requirements and international communication. Rather than just delivering multilingual content, the goal instead is to help organisations communicate more efficiently, consistently and confidently as they grow.

The rapid pace of technological development has opened up remarkable new possibilities. But technology is only one aspect of modern language services. The most valuable partners understand when automation improves efficiency, when human judgement is indispensable and how the two can work together to produce reliable results. Their work goes beyond delivering translated files: they help organisations design multilingual processes that remain manageable as content grows.

Looking ahead

The fastest-growing areas of the language services market have one thing in common: they solve business problems, not simply language problems.

Translation continues to form the foundation of multilingual communication, and it will remain indispensable for organisations operating internationally. What is changing is the context in which translation takes place.

Businesses are creating more content, publishing across more channels and serving more diverse audiences. AI is accelerating production, while accessibility expectations and customer experience standards continue to rise. These developments create new demands that translation alone cannot solve.

Far from disappearing, language services are becoming more deeply embedded in the way organisations communicate across borders. They do this by connecting language expertise with localisation, workflow design, accessibility and operational thinking. The companies best positioned for international growth will be those that treat multilingual content not as a series of isolated translation projects, but as a strategic capability that strengthens customer relationships, supports operational scale and enables them to expand with confidence.

1. [CSA Research, “Consumers Prefer their Own Language,” 2020]. Based on the Can’t Read, Won’t Buy – B2C survey of 8,709 consumers in 29 countries.