Jun 17

Jun 17 Cultural Intelligence - the future of management!

Last week I was fortunate to attend the 37th edition of the LocWorld. The biggest event in the Globalization / Localization industry. It took place in Warsaw, a beautiful Central European city where its people treated us really good; they were super friendly with us, very warm. I'm really thankful to the lovely Polish people I met there! thank you guys!

In my post this week I bring a summary of the presentation we gave on How to develop your Cultural Intelligence? My talented and lovely colleague Maria Kania-Tasak (@MariaTaniaKasak) and I talked about what we believe is the future of management. Cultural Intelligence is like a superpower :) Do you want to know about how to develop this superpower? Well, I have great news for you! I have created an eBook which is a summary of the presentation we gave and it contains some reflections and tips to work towards the journey of developing our CQ. I hope you like the summary. Enjoy!

Click HERE to download the eBook

Twitter

@yolocalizo

Favourite books

Miguel Sepulveda

Prioritizing the right ideas is crucial for effective #localization, but how can you determine if an idea is worth… https://t.co/CNRZjgwdxa
Mar 5, 2023, 2:35 AM
Miguel Sepulveda

The benefits of prioritizing customer experience in your #Localization strategy (and how to do it) https://t.co/pbxBtVO5wI
Feb 26, 2023, 2:57 AM
Miguel Sepulveda

5 examples to illustrate how Localization boosts the business growth of a company https://t.co/jPGTU89TEg This blog… https://t.co/RQbWeINkVS
Feb 12, 2023, 2:58 AM
Miguel Sepulveda

✏️✏️ New BLOG POST ✏️✏️ ============ How Long Does Localization Take? It depends; The Answer Nobody Wants to Hear… https://t.co/811gsYu9bi
Feb 5, 2023, 2:46 AM
Miguel Sepulveda

📢✏️New blog post📢✏️ ================= From Individual Contributor to #Localization Team Leader: what should be cons… https://t.co/x2PzZ2715A
Jan 29, 2023, 3:13 AM
Miguel Sepulveda

🖊 NEW BLOG POST🖊 ================== Taking control of our Localization future https://t.co/6fdPKB1SF0 A 3-phase pr… https://t.co/E44DS9DzuF
Jan 22, 2023, 2:49 AM
Miguel Sepulveda

Never "give up" is terrible advice. The crux of the matter here is knowing when we have to push harder and keep wor… https://t.co/ScpOBcFoeW
Jan 15, 2023, 5:37 AM
Miguel Sepulveda

RT @IAmPascio: ChatGPT is a FREE copywriting assistant But most people don't know how to unlock its full potential That's why I… https://t.co/BceRVex8Lv
Jan 14, 2023, 6:50 PM
Miguel Sepulveda

📢✏️New blog post📢✏️ ==================== #Localization metrics strategy - our secret weapon to overcome the valley… https://t.co/gXELkc9nSv
Dec 18, 2022, 3:47 AM
Miguel Sepulveda

📢✏️New blog post📢✏️ ====================== How does a transcreation professional work? https://t.co/6fdPKB1SF0 In… https://t.co/64vixdiIs3
Nov 13, 2022, 2:51 AM

Connecting Localization metrics to business meaning and impact

Localization teams collect tons of data, edit distance, LQA errors, fuzzy matches, deadlines met, but too often, that data doesn’t speak the language of business. This post explains how to change that. By linking each localization metric to one of the classic project management levers, quality, time, or cost, and showing its real-world impact, we can turn linguistic KPIs into insights that leaders understand, value, and act on.

Oct 3, 2025

8 Key factors influencing Localization cost

Let’s be honest. Our industry has not done a great job explaining the cost behind a good translation. What does the translation cost? Is it by word, per page, per type of document? We've been opaque for years about this topic. There are many reasons behind the cost of translation. This post will help you understand what you should take into consideration when purchasing a localization job.

Sep 27, 2025

Global customer-centricity audits: a practical framework

Many companies claim to be customer-centric, but too often that promise stops at English. Surveys and focus groups are run in the US or UK and treated as if they represent the entire customer base, leaving most global customers unheard. In this post, I share a practical framework 5 audit questions to help leaders test if their strategy is truly customer-centric or just a slogan.

Sep 20, 2025

Why customer insights in English are not enough for global products

Many companies claim to be customer-centric, but in practice their listening stops at English. Most research is based on customers in the US or UK and then applied everywhere else. The result is predictable: cultural blind spots, costly rework, and frustrated global customers. In this post, I explore why true global listening begins when localization insights are treated as part of the customer voice

Sep 11, 2025

Playbook for Localization leaders during reorgs

Reorganizations are disruptive. For localization teams, they bring a double challenge: the fear of being affected and the pressure to keep global launches on track. While executives focus on restructuring, customers still expect consistent experiences across markets. That’s why reorgs can be an inflection point an opportunity for localization leaders to show resilience, protect business continuity, and earn a stronger seat at the table.

Aug 22, 2025

Applying Kaizen-inspired ideas to the gym or to Localization!

Usually, when we want to improve something in our Localization strategy, we first set an ambitious goal. From there, we design a strategy to reach it as quickly as possible. If we don't see rapid changes, we feel like we're not improving. To break this cycle, we can try changing the way we set goals—smaller, but consistent objectives that, when we look back, show us that we are indeed making progress. This progress can be the driving force for us every week, every month, every year.

Here are some ideas on how we could apply this Kaizen methodology in the Localization world.

Why accountability is still the missing piece in Localization

"The Localization Accountability Ladder" explains how to go from avoiding responsibility to becoming a leader in localization. The blog covers seven simple steps, showing key behaviors, skills, and tasks to help teams improve.

Localization ROI: avoid these KPI pitfalls in an AI-Driven world

I'm passionate about Localization metrics, but it can be frustrating. We live in a data-rich world, allowing us to measure our impact better. However, this data abundance brings challenges when building a Localization metrics system.

In my experience, two main pitfalls emerge (but they are not the only ones 😅). One is overemphasizing Localization ROI, which can lead to unproductive discussions. The other is tracking effort-related KPIs without translating their impact on company success into terms that matter to leadership and product owners.

Aug 16, 2025

It shouldn’t bother me… but it does .... The “Localization is slow”

Several factors affect the duration of localization for a digital product, including translators' availability and the technology setup level. This blog post explores the various elements that impact the amount of time needed for product localization.

Aug 8, 2025

Maybe it’s time for cultural LLMs, understanding the cultural impacts of AI

Seven years ago, my twin Maria and I stood on the LocWorld stage in Warsaw and talked about Cultural Intelligence ….how culture shapes trust, feedback, leadership, and collaboration. Back then, the big question was: How can humans work better across cultures?

Today, that same question still matters but with a twist:
How can AI LLMs can work better across cultures?

In an AI-driven world, we’re seeing that language alone isn’t enough. Multilingual doesn’t mean multicultural. And as we rush to scale AI globally, cultural nuance is too often left behind.

Maybe it’s time to rethink how we build. Maybe it’s time for Cultural LLMs.

Jun 17 Cultural Intelligence - the future of management!

Jun 24 Twins ... CMS and TMS. So similar, so different

Jun 11 Thoughts about quality measurement via DQF + my summary of the first edition of the Games Global Forum!