Once upon a time, quality in translation was simple. Back when job ads would warn: 'No Google Translate – this project requires quality.' And that was the standard. If you weren’t relying on clunky, word-for-word machine output, you were hitting the mark.
Times have changed. The rise of AI, the explosion of multilingual content, and the growing demands of global businesses mean that quality is no longer a single benchmark. The 'right' quality depends on who you ask. And it's not necessarily about it being the 'highest'.
One word, many meanings
Back in the early days of localisation, the debate was simple: everyone wanted the highest possible quality. Volumes were small enough that this was feasible.
Fast forward to 2025, and the sheer scale of multilingual content production has exploded. Global organisations now publish blogs, social posts, product descriptions, support articles, training materials, compliance updates, and marketing campaigns across dozens of markets, all at once.
Because of AI, companies now have the option to localise content that would otherwise never have been localised. And that's a massive improvement in terms of reaching new global markets. However, it doesn't come without its challenges.
Many struggle to keep up with the content load. Human reviewers is the resource that most often causes bottlenecks. That is why companies must define their quality needs more deliberately, so these resources can be allocated where they are needed most.
The real question is: what’s the right quality for the purpose, within the constraints of budget and time?
Fit for purpose quality
For some content, like internal notes, the stakes are low. Teams may prioritise speed and cost over quality, and in these cases machine translation can be perfectly acceptable: fast, low-cost, and functional.
For high-stakes, customer-facing or regulatory materials, however, nothing less than full post-editing and proofreading will do.
Between those extremes lies a spectrum of options where human translators and reviewers can play a larger or smaller role.
The challenge for organisations is no longer about chasing one universal definition of quality. It’s about aligning across teams on which level of quality fits each type of content, so that resources are invested where they have the greatest impact.
Let's help you find the right quality
Not all content requires the same level of quality or investment — and with LanguageWire TMS, it doesn’t have to.
Our TMS offers a wide range of solutions powered by proprietary AI technology. It gives you the scalability and flexibility you need, bundled and customised to fit your content’s purpose, audience, and budget.
By combining AI with expert services, LanguageWire delivers scalable, fit-for-purpose translations across diverse content types.
Solve the quality challenge with adaptable translation solutions.
