Looking back on LocWorld51

LocWorld is one of the largest and most-established events in the localization industry, bringing together professionals to network and explore emerging trends. And last week, representatives from our marketing, product and sales teams flew into Dublin for LocWorld 51. 

 

It was wonderful to talk with many of the hundreds of attendees who came by the RWS stand to discuss their business challenges and talk through how our translation technology and services would help. It was also a pleasure to meet up with some of our partners, including BeLazy, Blackbird.io, CaptionHub, Consoltec, Kaleidoscope, Plunet, Six Continents, Supertext, Vistatec and Voiseed. Special congratulations to CaptionHub for winning the 'Innovator of the Year – Europe' award in the Process Innovation Challenge! 

 

Besides being an excellent forum for networking, LocWorld is well-known for its thought-provoking sessions. Many of the team took themselves away from the RWS stand to attend several of these. Unsurprisingly, lots of them were focused on Artificial Intelligence (AI), however other topics were covered too.

 

Here are a few of the non-AI session highlights that struck a chord:

 

In this session, Kevin O’Donnell from Global10x took us through how a well-crafted localization strategy can drive user and revenue growth. He emphasized that companies should move beyond KPIs and metrics solely focused on cost efficiency and throughput and instead should consider measures of revenue, user growth, and customer satisfaction. Localization departments, with their unique insights and positioning, can significantly influence a company's strategic direction. 

 

Another key takeaway was the importance of focusing on needs rather than requests. An example would be marketing requesting a report to be translated into a number of languages. The actual need is to generate Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) and build a sales pipeline. Knowing the need behind the request can ensure translations are aligned with strategic goals and that the content resonates more effectively with the target audience. 

 

Kevin also presented a blueprint for an ‘International Growth Playbook’, built around four disciplines: Analyze, Organize, Execute, and Measure. There were practical examples from each stage to illustrate how this continuous loop can drive value. 

 

He also discussed how localization can transition from a cost centre to a growth driver. This shift involves repositioning localization within the organization from an expense to a function that drives revenue growth, expansion into global markets, and provides a competitive advantage. 

 

Here Rucha Sheth, VP of Customer Success at Nimdzi Insights, and Giulia Tarditi from Revolut detailed the finance company’s journey of repositioning their localization function into a broader “language experience” concept. 

 

They defined the concept of language experience as a way to understand how users interact with interface textual elements across languages to deliver an effective user experience. This approach places a strong emphasis on Customer Experience (CX). 

 

Understandably, moving to a language experience model is a gradual process. Companies must begin by assessing the current state of their culture, technology, project management, and vendor management. Understanding the current, and potential, maturity of their localization programs is crucial. By comparing their efforts against global companies with similar challenges, they can develop a multi-year roadmap for continuous improvement. 

 

 

 

Looking back, LocWorld 51 was a perfect place for exploring the future of localization, with sessions highlighting its evolving role in driving global business success. The insights and strategies shared look set to shape the approach to localization in the coming years. 

 

A heartfelt thank you to the LocWorld team for organizing such a fantastic event. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Dublin, and are already looking forward to LocWorld 52 in Monterey.