This year marks a major milestone for us: 25 years of helping global organisations connect through language. Over the last quarter of a century, we’ve seen technology evolve at lightning speed, and businesses become more globally connected than ever before.
Throughout all of this change, one thing has remained constant: the importance of accurate and authentic communication.
So now we’re sharing five lessons we’ve learnt from the past 25 years, and we hope that you can learn something too.
1) Strong partnerships drive long-term success
The most important lesson we've learnt is that our customers aren’t just clients; they’re partners. Over the years, we’ve learned that the best outcomes happen when we work hand-in-hand with them. When businesses trust us enough to share their goals and insights openly with us, we can build localisation processes that evolve alongside their needs.
Sharing information proactively and working closely with partners helps ensure not only that the quality of each translation fits their needs, but also that their localisation process is sustainable. When customers see us as a partner, not just a vendor, everyone wins. Learn more about our current partners by reading our customer stories.
2) Continuous learning keeps us competitive
One of our employee values here at LanguageWire is curiosity, and for good reason. The localisation industry never stops changing, and neither can we. From the rise of automation to the emergence of AI-driven tools, technology has transformed how we work. But adapting to new technology also requires continuous learning for our employees.
Philip Philipsen, one of our Senior Operations Specialists, put it best when he said: “Always keep learning. Being willing to adapt quickly and embrace change, without losing sight of customer needs, is the most important skill in the industry.”
This mindset, staying open to change while remaining focused on what truly matters, is what has kept us ready for whatever comes next.
3) Technology is only as powerful as the people behind it
It’s fair to say that in the past 25 years translation has gone through more than one revolution. From the introduction of machine translation, to newer features such as a variety of AI-powered solutions. But despite this innovation we’ve learnt that one truth remains: technology is only as effective as the people using it. Technology and people aren’t separate, they’re partners. Technology amplifies human expertise; it doesn’t replace it.
AI and automation can accelerate workflows, but human linguists bring the empathy, context, and cultural understanding that machines can’t replicate.
4) Build for a future you can't predict
If there’s one thing we’ve learned about technology, it’s that it evolves faster than anyone can plan for. That’s why we’ve built our platform to be modular and flexible.
Every business moves at its own pace when it comes to adopting new technology. Some are early adopters, others take a more measured approach. The key is understanding where your customers are in that journey, and being able to support both at the same time. Our VP of Technology, Juan José Díaz Montaña, puts it this way: “technology is always evolving at different speeds across different areas. If your system is rigid, one change can break everything, and then you’re stuck. You can’t keep up.”
Creating scalable and adaptable systems allows you to serve customers today while preparing for tomorrow. The future belongs to those who design for constant change, not for comfort.
5) Quality builds trust, and trust builds your business
In the rush to publish content faster and reach audiences instantly, quality can sometimes take a back seat. But after 25 years in this industry, we can say with confidence: quality in your systems is what sustains relationships.
As Juan José puts it, “You could be localising a marketing campaign, or you could be translating instructions for a surgical device. The stakes vary, but the expectation should always be that you know exactly what the system is doing with your content.”
Speed matters, but trust matters more, and trust is built through quality systems that meet your customer’s needs, whatever the circumstances.
Looking ahead
Twenty-five years ago, we started with a vision: to make it easier for businesses to communicate globally.
Today, our vision remains stronger than ever. As we look to the future, we’ll keep doing what we’ve always done: combining innovation with partnership, and technology with human expertise.
