AI hasn’t reduced the need for language services. Instead, the translation industry has adapted to explosive growth in volume and to automation. Along with that, the substance of translation services and the value the industry offers have changed too.
- AI-based services have become the industry standard. According to Slator, 80% of language-service providers used machine translation and AI in 2025.
- A hybrid model has replaced translating from scratch. Around 75% of the text is produced by the machine while the remaining, critical part of the work (refinement and content checks) gets done by an experienced specialist.
- The total volume of translated content has multiplied since the arrival of AI. Because creating content is easier than ever, companies need more localised content for different markets, and faster. The Nimdzi Insights 2026 forecast for growth over the next five years provides some idea of the scale involved.
Translation services now center on one vital quality measurement: human review and quality assurance. Where AI produces text in seconds, assuring of appropriate brand messaging, style, cultural fit, and legal accuracy still requires language experts.
The language-services market hasn’t faded away; it’s undergoing the largest structural change in its history. The value now lies not in routinely translating words from one language to another by hand but in managing and checking AI-driven content processes and addressing cultural context.
What does this mean for buyers of language services?
Whether you order a translation from a language-service provider or use an AI engine yourself, you no longer really pay by the word. As a buyer, you want confidence that the text is correct and meets your expectations. Since AI delivers a raw translation in seconds at nearly no charge, speed and price don’t set providers apart anymore. The difference lies in what happens after machine translation: do people read the text, how carefully do they go through it, and do they know your field?
Not all materials need the same amount of human work. Internal documentation or large volumes of product information can often be safely left to machine translation. Contracts, user manuals, marketing messages, and anything that speaks directly to your customers needs a more thorough check, because that’s where mistakes cost the most. With Lingwise, you decide.
