Executive Summary

As the number of internet users rises around the world, multinational brands are looking for better ways to reach them. Historically, linguistic and cultural barriers have made translation and localization time-consuming and expensive. But new applications of artificial intelligence (AI) are helping marketers more easily connect with their target audiences, regardless of location or language.

How is AI helping marketers reach more audiences around the world?

AI-powered machine translation (MT), voice recognition and computer vision are enabling more efficient translation and localization of digital content and facilitating its distribution across geographies. Machine learning (ML) is also helping translation management systems (TMSs) streamline workflows and improve cross-channel localization.

What do marketers need to know about machine translation?

MT is already a game changer in helping consumers understand web content in different languages and helping businesses speed up their translations, improve quality and reduce costs. While it has improved dramatically in recent years, MT still cannot replace human translation, especially for marketing projects that require high-caliber work.

What role are voice assistants, chatbots and real-time translation tools playing in this equation?

Consumers are becoming increasingly comfortable with voice interfaces, many of which can understand, translate and converse in multiple languages. Over time, voice-first technology will help to further break down language barriers and enhance cross-cultural communication. It will also facilitate more dialogue between marketers and consumers who cannot read or use text.

How is technology affecting the global labor market for translation and localization?

The language services industry, which performs a significant portion of the world’s translation and interpretation work, is in the midst of digital transformation, both in terms of how translations are done and workflows are managed. As a result, many linguistic professionals fear their jobs will become obsolete. While AI is improving productivity, it isn’t likely to replace humans anytime soon. The industry will, however, favor those who use technology to improve their productivity.

WHAT’S IN THIS REPORT? This report examines how AI and related technologies are making it easier and more cost-effective for marketers to reach target audiences with globalized and localized content.

KEY STAT: Nearly six in 10 (58%) international marketers don’t have local support in all the markets in which they operate.