CSA Research

? Insights from CEOs at Leading LSPs ? Reflecting on 2024: Successes and Areas for Adjustments Welcome to this year's installment of CSA Research's 2025 CEO Insights. In this edition, we bring you reflections from CEO members of CSA Research's Leadership Council, highlighting their experiences, successes, and challenges as they navigate a rapidly evolving industry. Today, we feature Pierrick MATHIEU-, CEO at Powerling who shares an in-depth look at Powerling?journey through 2024: “2024 was a year marked by technological acceleration, redefining our business and our interactions with our customers. Artificial intelligence, once seen as a distant innovation, is now better understood by our customers, who are showing a real appetite to deepen their knowledge and maximize its impact.? ?? At the same time, we have observed a consolidation of the market, with players seeking to strengthen their positions in the face of economic challenges. While the United States continues its growth momentum, some European players are experiencing more difficulties, accentuating the disparities between regions.? ?? At Powerling, we have intensified the automation of our processes in order to refocus our efforts on advising and supporting our customers' content strategies. This transformation enables us to respond more effectively to their needs, while preparing for the future with agility.? ?? 2025 promises to be a pivotal year, in which innovation and adaptability will be at the heart of our success more than ever before.” What are your thoughts? Share your insights in the comments as we continue this journey through 2025. #LanguageServices #BusinessInsights #CSAResearch #Leadership #Globalization #Localization

? Insights from CEOs at Leading LSPs ? Reflecting on 2024: Successes and Areas for Adjustments Welcome to this year's installment of CSA Research's 2025 CEO Insights. In this edition, we bring you reflections from CEO members of CSA Research's Leadership Council, highlighting their experiences, successes, and challenges as they navigate a rapidly evolving industry. Today, we feature Stephan Lins, CEO at MediaLocate who shares an in-depth look at MediaLocate?journey through 2024: “???? ???? ???????????????????? ????????????? Last year, the conversation was all about AI replacing traditional translation and localization roles. This year? AI is coming for AI. The real battle isn’t just about adopting AI—it’s about which AI survives. OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google DeepMind’s Gemini, and Meta’s LLaMA may have just met their match with DeepSeek’s R1… and there’s no telling what’s next. Is AI outpacing itself before we’ve even fully adapted? New AI platforms, tools, and features are emerging at breakneck speed, tempting companies to go all in. But jumping in too soon can lead to costly dependencies on technology that may be outmaneuvered before it delivers real value. So how can LSPs and buyers harness AI’s potential while avoiding the trap of technology lock-in? At MediaLocate, we stay ahead by being tech-agnostic. We integrate multiple technologies, develop custom automation features tailored to real-world needs, and leverage both in-house expertise and partnerships with top-tier providers. This keeps us—and our clients—agile, able to scale, and cost-efficient in a rapidly shifting AI landscape. Adaptability is the key to longevity, and in the race of AI vs. AI, flexibility wins.” What are your thoughts? Share your insights in the comments as we continue this journey through 2025. #LanguageServices #BusinessInsights #CSAResearch #Leadership #Globalization #Localization

? Insights from CEOs at Leading LSPs ? Reflecting on 2024: Successes and Areas for Adjustments Welcome to this year's installment of CSA Research's 2025 CEO Insights. In this edition, we bring you reflections from CEO members of CSA Research's Leadership Council, highlighting their experiences, successes, and challenges as they navigate a rapidly evolving industry. Today, we feature Simon Yoxon-Grant, CEO at LanguageLine Solutions who shares an in-depth look at LanguageLine Solutions?journey through 2024: “Having spent two decades with LanguageLine before stepping into a five-year role at our sister company, I returned in 2024 to find an industry where cycles of innovation, once spanning years, now turn with breathtaking speed. This shift is driven by technological advances that challenge every corner of our field. We are at an inflection point. The decisions we make this year will echo for generations, shaping the trajectory of our industry and society. It is a sobering responsibility—one we must navigate with an unwavering ethical commitment. ?????????????????? ???????????????????? ???????? ?????????????? Technology, particularly AI and machine learning, has revolutionized how we work. These tools allow us to deliver services more efficiently, cost-effectively, and at unprecedented scale. Yet, we must remain vigilant. The pursuit of progress should never come at the expense of accuracy, cultural sensitivity, or fairness. These are the pillars of trust on which our industry is built. The challenge before us is not whether we can move fast (technology ensures that we will), but whether we can do so thoughtfully. Will we honor the humanity at the heart of our work? Will we remain an ethical industry? ?????? ???????????????? ?????????? ???? ???????????????????? Temptations will arise along the way. The lure of short-term gains has the potential to push us to compromise, inch by inch: a concession on privacy here, a slight erosion of quality there. But those inches add up. If we sacrifice too much of our value system, the reflections we write in 2025 will reveal an industry that is far less trusted and much more vulnerable. Our industry thrives today not because we have pursued every opportunity at any cost, but because we have held firm to what matters: serving people with integrity, fostering understanding, and enabling connections in essential moments of need. The soul of our industry must not be for sale: not now, not ever. By remaining true to our principles, we can chart a path forward that is both innovative and ethical, ensuring our impact endures for decades to come.? The world will be watching.” What are your thoughts? Share your insights in the comments as we continue this journey through 2025. #LanguageServices #BusinessInsights #CSAResearch #Leadership #Globalization #Localization

?? Freelance Marketplaces: Opportunity or Challenge? How do freelance translators and interpreters navigate online marketplaces like ProZ versus directories like ATA? Our latest report, based on insights from 338 freelancers across 69 countries, examines the benefits and drawbacks of these platforms. ?? What we uncover: - The most-used marketplaces and their impact on income. - How often freelancers receive jobs through these platforms. - The quality of work, client relationships, and payment reliability. Discover how these platforms shape freelancer success—and whether they are the right choice for your business. https://hubs.li/Q038rs9Z0 #FreelanceTranslation #LanguageMarketplaces #LSPs #CSAResearch #GlobalFreelancers by Hélène Pielmeier, Fatima Bengana

? Insights from CEOs at Leading LSPs ? Reflecting on 2024: Successes and Areas for Adjustments Welcome to this year's installment of CSA Research's 2025 CEO Insights. In this edition, we bring you reflections from CEO members of CSA Research's Leadership Council, highlighting their experiences, successes, and challenges as they navigate a rapidly evolving industry. Today, we feature Matt Taylor, CEO at Dals who shares an in-depth look at DA Languages?journey through 2024: “2024 has experienced continued growth in UK Public Sector interpreting. New public sector bodies have realised the importance and value interpreting can add, and on average, existing clients have double digit growth with no signs of this growth slowing .? ?? Immigration has continued in the UK and across Europe, creating ever more demand on interpreting LSPs. Qualified interpreters are essential to ensure precise communication resulting in better outcomes for our clients and their customers, specifically improving health outcomes and preventing hospital re-admission. Interpreting LSPs will need to invest more in growing their supply chains to keep up with the volume of demand.? ?? Looking back on 2024, two long term investments stand out, people and technology;? - Having great people is the essence of the business and without continuously adding high calibre individuals to the senior team, we would never have kept up with growth opportunities. Over the last 6 years I have strived to maintain a balance with mid-senior hires of circa 50% from industry and 50% new to industry and strongly believe this has helped eliminate complacency.? - Technology is essential to scale. Obviously, technology development of proprietary systems can be expensive, it can take longer than expected, but I was very lucky to receive good advice through 2021 and 2022 around investing in systems for scale and security. Its only years later (2024) when you realise how much that investment has paid off. Tech and people remain strategic priorities.? Finally, throughout 2024 developments in AI continued. Interpreting remains very much a human interaction with vast layers of verbal and non-verbal complexity and currently some strongly divergent opinions continue with regard to how these technologies can complement our industry. I would expect more alignment to emerge in 2025, a great time to be in Interpreting.” What are your thoughts? Share your insights in the comments as we continue this journey through 2025. #LanguageServices #BusinessInsights #CSAResearch #Leadership #Globalization #Localization

Do you really need a TMS in the age of AI? Translation management systems (TMS) streamline complex workflows, connecting CMS platforms, linguistic assets, and human experts—but as AI advances, is a TMS still essential? Just released, our latest report explores: ?? When enterprises might operate without a TMS ?? The impact of AI and other automation techniques on translation workflows ?? What needs are still best met by a TMS. Discover whether you can optimize your process without a TMS—or if it remains a critical tool for success. https://hubs.li/Q038bQmV0 #TranslationTechnology #TMS #AIinLocalization #CSAResearch #LanguageServices by Alison Toon

? Insights from CEOs at Leading LSPs ? Reflecting on 2024: Successes and Areas for Adjustments Welcome to this year's installment of CSA Research's 2025 CEO Insights. In this edition, we bring you reflections from CEO members of CSA Research's Leadership Council, highlighting their experiences, successes, and challenges as they navigate a rapidly evolving industry. Today, we feature Pedro L. Díez Orzas, CEO at Linguaserve who shares an in-depth look at Linguaserve?journey through 2024: “The data from various reports points to a challenging outlook for the sector in 2025, following the difficulties encountered in 2023 and 2024. The negative growth seen in recent years has largely been driven by the decline of traditional translation and localization services, primarily due to the disruptive impact of Generative AI. This trend has continued to gain momentum as 2025 gets underway and is expected to persist in the coming years. Nevertheless, 2024 witnessed significant shifts compared to 2023, which can be grouped into three major trends: A more balanced view of AI. The initial excessive enthusiasm surrounding AI has evolved into a more nuanced perspective. There is now a broader recognition of the need to use this technology responsibly, with an understanding of its limitations (often referred to as “the wall” in reference to current technological barriers). Generative AI is increasingly being viewed not as a one-size-fits-all solution, but as a tool to for creating customized solutions. A growing demand for human oversight. Clients’ initial belief that Generative AI could function without human supervision is gradually shifting. We are seeing an increasing demand for professional services not only to train or fine-tune large language models (LLMs), but also to audit, edit, or validate Generative AI output. In fields like translation and content creation—especially in multilingual communications—it has become clear that Generative AI, on its own, is not sufficient. Advancements in international regulation. Legislation, particularly in Europe, is steering the conversation toward a more responsible use of AI. In some countries, regulations now require labeling content that is fully or partially AI-generated. In this evolving context, the sector is already introducing new services, solutions, and technologies that integrate Generative AI. What once seemed like an uncertain landscape just a year ago is beginning to solidify with greater clarity. After the “tsunami” brought on by the rise of Generative AI over two years ago, the sector is finding its way toward a more balanced approach, navigating the intersection of innovation and responsibility.” What are your thoughts? Share your insights in the comments as we continue this journey through 2025. #LanguageServices #BusinessInsights #CSAResearch #Leadership #Globalization #Localization

This edition provides data-driven insights on key shifts in AI adoption, freelancer market trends, and executive perspectives on the evolving language services landscape. ???Inside this edition: ??CEO Insights?– 2024 reflections and 2025 strategies. ??AI in Localization?– Challenges, risks, and opportunities. ??GenAI and Language Spend?– Budget shifts and investment trends. ??Market Forecast?– Stability amid ongoing disruption. ??Freelancer Confidence Survey?– Income trends and AI’s impact. ??LangOps: Industry Shift or Rebranding? ???Read the full newsletter below. #LanguageIndustry #AI #Localization #GlobalContent #MarketResearch Alison Arle Tahar

? Insights from CEOs at Leading LSPs ? Reflecting on 2024: Successes and Areas for Adjustments Welcome to this year's installment of CSA Research's 2025 CEO Insights. In this edition, we bring you reflections from CEO members of CSA Research's Leadership Council, highlighting their experiences, successes, and challenges as they navigate a rapidly evolving industry. Today, we feature Maximilian Lachnit, CEO at Transline Gruppe GmbH who shares an in-depth look at Transline?journey through 2024: “As we enter 2025, we face both challenges and exciting opportunities. AI entered the market and a lot of industries understood what they can use it for without having their own experts, so it’s the people who know the technology who truly drive the change. While AI offers new tools for automation, it’s the human ability to innovate that remains at the core of our success. The need for content transformation, localization, and connection is stronger than ever with a demand for globalization, and as an industry, we have the opportunity to embrace AI in ways that enhance our work rather than replace it. In 2025, we will continue to focus on innovation, operational efficiency, and customer-centricity, all while adapting to a rapidly evolving landscape. By staying true to our claim—creating global success stories—we are well-positioned for future growth, no matter what challenges lie ahead. Here’s to a year of progress, collaboration, and success.” What are your thoughts? Share your insights in the comments as we continue this journey through 2025. #LanguageServices #BusinessInsights #CSAResearch #Leadership #Globalization #Localization

? Insights from CEOs at Leading LSPs ? Reflecting on 2024: Successes and Areas for Adjustments Welcome to this year's installment of CSA Research's 2025 CEO Insights. In this edition, we bring you reflections from CEO members of CSA Research's Leadership Council, highlighting their experiences, successes, and challenges as they navigate a rapidly evolving industry. Today, we feature Henning Hinz, CEO at t'works Group who shares an in-depth look at t'works Group?journey through 2024: “With 2024 ending, our industry finds itself at a pivotal moment of recalibration. The rapid pace of technological advancements over the last two years, especially in AI and machine learning, has reshaped how services are delivered, creating new opportunities while also introducing novel challenges. Innovation has been a cornerstone of success in the LSP industry for many years. Artificial intelligence has continued to evolve, enabling us to offer faster, more efficient, and scalable services. AI-powered tools are now seamlessly integrated into translation and quality assurance workflows, reducing turnaround times, and increasing productivity. Furthermore, the focus on localization and personalization has expanded, as businesses and organizations increasingly recognize the importance of tailoring content to specific cultural and linguistic contexts. While the adoption of innovation has driven success, 2024 has also highlighted new risks that customers and service providers must navigate as the rapid development of AI has raised concerns regarding data privacy, quality control, and ethical implications. The focus has shifted to ensuring that language solutions go beyond mere translation to create truly localized content to reach our customers’ goals while complying with all external requirements. Human oversight remains crucial. LSPs must find the right balance between leveraging AI for efficiency and maintaining human expertise to avoid compromising quality and compliance. As we move into 2025, the key to continued success will be balancing innovation with thoughtful risk management. By reinforcing human-AI collaboration and diversifying risk management strategies, the LSP industry can navigate this evolving landscape. Continuing to provide high-quality language services in an increasingly globalized world, guiding our customers through the more and more complex field of options, and advising when to involve experts are becoming the key factors of 2025.” What are your thoughts? Share your insights in the comments as we continue this journey through 2025. #LanguageServices #BusinessInsights #CSAResearch #Leadership #Globalization #Localization