What 100 localization leaders told us about global growth

The overwhelming majority of localization leaders say localization will only become more valuable over the next 3-5 years.  

How do we know? We asked them. In a survey of 100 decision-makers, 92% said that localization will become increasingly important to their overall business strategy. They told us their businesses depend on localization to fuel revenue growth (46%) and improve customer satisfaction (42%).  

But they also shared how their teams are struggling to keep up with the demand for localization that global growth generates. Balancing quality, cost, and turnaround remains a challenge.  

Here’s what their answers reveal about their top priorities, how they view AI, and the shifts teams like yours can make to stay ahead.  

What leaders value most in localization providers 

When we asked our respondents to select the characteristics they value most in their localization partners, three factors stood out.  

• High-quality translations led at 77 percent 
• Cost-effectiveness (62 percent) 
• Responsive, reliable customer support (62 percent). 

In a separate question about future investment priorities, leaders pointed to enhancing quality (47 percent) and expanding language scope (26 percent) as their top areas.  

Taken together, these answers show that  

• localization leaders are focused on buying quality services today while also preparing to broaden reach in the future. Growth depends on reaching the right customers in the right languages, with quality that builds trust and so vendors must have full language sets and solid quality processes 
• High-quality translations are at the top of the list for leaders choosing a vendor. Yet many still say they need better results, showing a gap between the quality they get and the quality they need and expect.   

What about AI for translation? 

AI may dominate headlines (and your LinkedIn feed) and everyone seems to be rushing towards it, but localization leaders are taking a far more grounded view. Ninety-seven percent told us they’re comfortable with MT or AI significantly replacing human translation in the future–because it is proven to bring costs down and speeds up time-to-market.  

But they’re not chasing AI for the hype. They’re chasing outcomes. 

When asked about their primary goals for automating translation, leaders pointed to practical gains:  

• scalability (57 percent) 
• better consistency (45 percent) 
• lower costs (41 percent) 
• faster turnaround (36 percent) 

In procurement respondents, we see pragmatism: while they do expect technology adoption to be a focus of future investment, quality and expanding language scope were more important in the immediate term.  

Localization leaders aren’t buying AI itself. They’re buying the outcomes it makes possible. And to get those outcomes—translating more content into more languages faster, without compromising on quality or going over budget—you need to automate.  

That’s exactly why our approach to AI is modular. Instead of locking clients into a single platform or rigid workflow that promises all those outcomes (but may introduce more risk or not deliver), we build microservices: targeted solutions that plug into existing systems and tackle specific problems. Think of them as Lego bricks. You add only the pieces you need—AI-powered quality assurance, faster file handling, smarter use of machine translation—to get the outcomes you want.  

With this setup, teams scale on their own terms. You can start small, prove value fast, and expand over time.  

Buyers report three obstacles to international growth 

Our respondents know that global growth demands a well-designed localization program. But they also identified three major barriers to global growth: cost, quality, and turnaround speed.  

The companies that solve these problems will be in the best position to seize revenue opportunities before their competitors do. 

Obstacle 1: Cost pressures 

Localization budgets are tight, and leaders are under constant pressure to find savings. In fact, 28 percent of our respondents said managing costs effectively is a top localization challenge. It’s no wonder, then, that 62 percent of leaders told us cost-effectiveness is one of the top things they look for in a partner, whether those savings happen through automation or efficiencies of scale. And even small savings matter: improvements of just 5 to 15 percent were enough for many to switch providers.  

 If managing costs is a concern for you, we have some recommendations.  

First, think about bringing all your localization work under one roof. In our survey, 84 percent of leaders said they’re juggling multiple vendors. That’s a lot of plates to keep spinning, and the extra management time doesn’t come free. Consolidation can cut these hidden costs. And it gives you the chance to build the kind of supportive partnership that pays dividends long-term.  

Next, thoughtful implementation of AI and automation can also help. We’ve seen poor implementations cause more problems than they solve. But we’re still all-in on AI and other automations because we know it’s the best way to keep costs manageable as businesses grow. The key is to find where AI can benefit your program and then give it the right jobs. Let it handle repetitive, high-volume work that eats up time and budget. Let it take care of the grunt work so your team can focus on tasks that drive growth. That’s how AI delivers real savings. 

Obstacle 2: Quality at scale  

Quality was a top priority for our respondents. But 20 percent also listed it as their top localization challenge, meaning that they’re still struggling to get it right consistently. Quality is crucial: without it, customers lose confidence and brands open themselves up to unnecessary risk. A single mistake can throw off buyers or expose the business to costly compliance and liability issues. Poorly translated content can also make international audiences feel like second-class customers, which undercuts the very growth localization is meant to deliver. Nearly half (47 percent) said enhancing quality is where they expect to invest most in the future. The problem? As demand grows, quality gets harder to hold steady. 

 As before, we have some concrete suggestions here for brands that require high quality.    

One solution is to design programs around content tiering. That means aiming for quality that’s “fit for purpose” rather than aiming for perfection every time.   

For example, critical assets like marketing campaigns or product messaging deserve premium treatment. That may mean more intensive rounds of reviews and post-editing from human experts, or it may mean a largely human-driven process. But other content types, like internal documentation or support content, can be managed with lighter workflows. 

AI can also help here. We often hear concerns about AI translation quality. Of course, it’s not perfect, and critical content often still needs human review. However, new advances like AI-augmented translation and Automated Quality Assessment (AQE) can actually strengthen quality control.  

These tools help flag errors, measure consistency, and give teams data they can act on. The result is less guesswork, faster reviews, and more confidence that the right level of quality is being delivered where it matters most. 

Obstacle 3: Turnaround speed 

Businesses need content fast to meet consumer need for translation. The faster you can deliver in-market, the faster you can capture demand. That’s why turnaround time ranked alongside cost and quality as one of our respondents’ top three challenges. Leaders need to move faster, and 36 percent told us quicker turnaround is a primary reason to push for automation and AI. 

Here again, AI is up to the challenge. AI translation with post-editing can make the translation process incredibly fast. AI can also be used for other localization tasks, like prepping content for translation, updating and maintaining glossaries, and speeding up multimedia localization.   

Combined with better workflows and fewer vendor handoffs, these approaches help teams keep pace with global growth instead of constantly playing catch-up.  

Where do we go from here? 

Our survey makes one thing clear: localization leaders are ready to grow, but they need programs that can keep pace with rising demand and increasing quality needs. Some are consolidating vendors to cut hidden costs. Others are turning to AI in targeted ways or prioritizing quality improvements to strengthen customer trust. 

 Now it’s your turn. If you want to scale globally without sacrificing quality or blowing up your budget, it’s time to rethink how your program runs. If you wait, competitors will be the ones setting the pace in new markets. If you act, you can shape how your brand shows up around the world. 

 At Acclaro, we build localization programs that work in the real world, not just on paper. If you’re ready to stop patching problems and start scaling with purpose, let’s talk.