GenAI is moving fast. Why isn’t language services?

The language services industry is at a turning point. While GenAI has rapidly transformed sectors such as software development, marketing, and customer service, its adoption in localization and translation has lagged. Many organizations remain cautious, but they are held back by legacy systems, privacy concerns, and a wait-and-see mindset.

But that caution now carries risk: as generative AI delivers measurable business results elsewhere, the language services industry must evolve to stay aligned with enterprise goals.

GenAI is progressing rapidly

GenAI as we know it traces back to Google’s introduction of the Transformer architecture in 2017, a neural model tested on machine translation benchmarks and now foundational to nearly all modern large language models (LLMs). Though translation was its showcase application, the Transformer fundamentally reshaped natural language processing and enabled capabilities far beyond sentence-to-sentence translation.

Since then, AI-driven language tools have expanded well beyond translation into intelligent quality estimation, styled adaptation, and multimedia support. Forward-thinking organizations are using GenAI to perform tasks like automating voice-over, generating multilingual subtitles, and streamlining post-editing. These capabilities, especially when combined with human review, are accelerating turnaround times and improving consistency across global content.

At Centific, we’re using AI to deliver stronger results in language services, such as helping a global music streaming platform triple its translation volume while improving cultural relevance and reducing costs.

The client needed to localize listener engagement content like polls across multiple languages without losing nuance. We introduced a large language model for direct translation, going beyond traditional machine translation and paired it with human reviewers to ensure accuracy and cultural sensitivity. The result was faster time to market, greater cultural impact, and a significant boost in localized content quality.

At LocWorld recently, industry professionals emphasized how AI is now a core part of their roadmap. The conversations underscored the urgency of integrating AI dubbing, automated QA tools, and machine translation quality estimation into workflows established over a decade ago.

Adoption remains uneven despite real momentum

Despite growing momentum, adoption remains uneven. Many in language services still limit GenAI to machine translation. In conversations with customers and prospects, we continue to hear concerns like:

• What will happen to years of investment in translation memories?

• Can AI preserve quality and brand voice?

• Will it introduce compliance risks or privacy issues?

• What about AI hallucinations?

These questions are valid. Many localization workflows are deeply embedded in regulatory or client-specific review processes. However, GenAI is advancing quickly. Today’s models are more auditable, configurable, and secure than even a year ago. The bigger risk is doing nothing.

The industry must adopt AI with intention and balance

That doesn’t mean the industry should embrace AI blindly. GenAI should be viewed as part of a long continuum of innovation from CAT tools to neural MT to today’s LLMs. Successful localization depends on striking the right balance between speed and quality, automation, and human oversight.

We still need people. We still need linguists. We still need teams who understand the cultural, technical, and brand implications of global content. But the job is changing. Content volumes are rising, formats are multiplying, and timelines are shrinking. The question is not whether AI will play a role but how to adopt it responsibly, and with purpose.

Centific is relaunching language services as Multilingual AI

That’s why we’re relaunching Centific’s language services business with a new focus and a new name: Multilingual AI.

Built on our industry-leading Centific Flow platform, Multilingual AI integrates generative AI across the full spectrum of language work. This includes transcreation, machine translation quality estimation, automated post-editing, and AI-driven multimedia creation such as auto-captioning, voice-over, and subtitling. In addition, we’ll soon announce several more exciting functionalities.

These capabilities are already helping clients reduce turnaround times, lower costs, and expand into more markets—while preserving quality, brand tone, and compliance. The future of multilingual content isn’t about replacing human talent. It’s about scaling that talent with better tools.

I’m excited to step into this next chapter with a team dedicated to shaping the future of language services.

Learn more about Centific Flow, an AI-driven localization platform.