At a New Year’s Eve dinner with my family, I saw a familiar situation play out: someone speaking with strong confidence about something they only partly understood. In Spain, we call this el efecto cuñado. What I didn’t realize for a long time is that this behavior has a name in psychology too. It’s the Dunning–Kruger effect, and it shows up just as often in localization and AI conversations as it does at Christmas dinner tables.
This feels like a pivotal moment. Localization teams are being asked to support more markets, move faster, use AI responsibly, and show impact, not just output. Expectations are higher than ever, but many teams are still trained mainly for execution. We are strong at delivering localization work, yet we often struggle to move from output to outcome and to clearly explain the impact of what we do.
AI isn’t just changing tools, it’s changing expectations
Three years into working with AI in localization, I’ve seen the pressure build: automate faster, scale more, do it now.
But the real challenge isn’t the tech itself. It’s the gap between hype and reality , and what happens when teams are expected to act like everything’s already working.
In this post, I break down five common challenges that keep showing up, and what we can actually do about them.
Words have the power to shape perceptions and influence actions, which is why reframing is such a powerful tool. In localization, we can reframe our role from simply translating to driving alignment across the company. By ensuring content is consistent, culturally relevant, and strategically aligned with business goals, localization professionals play a key role in helping businesses grow globally. This post explores how we create that alignment and why our work is much more than just translation.
Choosing between a single-vendor or multi-vendor localization model is not only about price. The real difference shows up in the day-to-day metrics: turnaround time, quality stability, cost control, and how much coordination your teams need to do. In this post, I walk through the core metrics that tend to improve with a single-vendor setup, and how they can help you understand which model fits your localization strategy right now
Even when localization teams aren’t directly affected by a company reorg, everything around them can change fast sponsors move, teams merge, budgets shift.
That’s when weak governance shows its cracks.
This post explores how strong localization governance keeps programs stable, visible, and credible no matter how often the org chart moves.
Over the years, I’ve noticed that localization buyers, like the emotions in Inside Out, are often driven by one dominant need. Some are in survival mode, juggling too much. Others are just getting started and need guidance. Some care about speed, others about cost, and some are laser-focused on how things feel in-market.
Most localization discussions stop at per-word rates. However, what appears inexpensive on paper can often turn into costly delays, rework, and frustrated teams.
Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) provides a more comprehensive view, one that encompasses engineering fixes, QA cycles, support tickets, and brand impact.
When procurement and leadership focus only on price, localization becomes a cost center. When they consider TCO, it becomes a key driver of quality and efficiency. And this post explains how to approach that
Many teams treat localization vendors as interchangeable compare rates, sign the contract, move on. But every switch comes with invisible costs: lost context, quality dips, and team fatigue. In this latest post, I unpack what really happens behind a vendor change ( and how to prepare for it like a continuity project, not a quick fix)
“Welcome to my blog. The space where I document my passion about Localization, Project Management and Leadership”
Sometimes hiring directly the services of several freelancers to carry out the Localization tasks of your project can be the best option. However, there are cases in which outsourcing all your work to an LSP/MLV may be the best localization strategy for your product.
Dealing with cultural diversity in Localization management in our industry is a dilemma in communication and stakeholders relationships. Such multicultural diversity puts in front of challenges that greatly hinder getting the best out of areas such as team dynamics or building alliances. The good thing is that today many resources can help us (a lot) raise our cultural competency and improve our cultural awareness.
Building Transparency in the Translation Supply Chain. How can we do it?
The localization industry is largely fragmented, and that fragmentation does not help achieve transparency and trust throughout the supply chain. Is this something that can change? It is not easy, but those who are in a position to buy services linguistic services can take the first step
Involving the Localization team in Playtest might be a great idea! Find out here why ☺️
Making your way as a localization professional in the video game industry might be tricky at the beginning. But it's obviously not impossible! In this post, I share 7 ideas so that all those who want to work localizing, testing, or managing video games will know where to start.
Is there anything more human than language?
Is there anything more user-centric than giving the user the product in their native language?
There is a better way to approach it, and that way is to understand that Localization is User Experience.
And in this post, I explain why (and how to do it!)
Can generic MT engines be used for business?
MT has come a long way in the last few years, but there is still a long way to go for stakeholders who are not very familiar with this technology to understand if the valid option for their global expansion is to use a generic MT engine or if a custom mt is what is needed.
In the second part of the LQA design post, I explain to you how to make LQA part of the design process
Building a digital product is an iterative process that includes several phases. Different localization activities to a greater or lesser extent are carried out throughout the different phases. One of these activities is Localization QA (LQA). LQA is traditionally done in the deployment phase; however, it is too late in most cases.
Much has been written and talked about the ROI of Localization and the reality is that localization activities by themselves do not generate a profit.
In this post, I analyze the different phases necessary to develop software. At the top, we can find a summary of the typical tasks/deliverables that the Product Development team performs. In the bottom part, we can find the different Globalization activities needed to create a digital product Global ready from the beginning. They are executed in parallel. Working side by side. Not as an afterthought
The role of the Internationalization engineer is one of the most unknown and complicated jobs in the #localization industry, and yet it is one of the most important because thanks to their work, they contribute to making the localization phase more accessible.
For those of you who like programming, technology and are interested in languages, specializing in this area can be an excellent option to build a promising future, as it is a role in high demand.
Culture Fit can lead to misunderstandings if it is not explained well because it can be interpreted as only hiring similar people. That's why I believe that better than Culture Fit is to embrace a Culture Sum mindset.
Culture Sum is all about understanding that people who are different can achieve great things together by relying on shared values.
Localization ROI has never seemed to me a good metric to measure the impact of a Localization team. However, Sentiment Analysis feedback can give more clues about how the work of a Globalization professional contributes to the success of your product.
A big part of the customer-centric experience is related to the language, culture, the localized price per market, and payment methods
A company that really wants to reach a diverse audience has a potent weapon through hyper localization.
Some tips to create Global content ready when creating content
What skills should we develop as a localization/globalization professional if we want to go further?
Have you ever wondered how someone fills their time when they work in a Localization team but don't translate anything?
Here is a braindump of factors that I can think of that affect the perception that a localization project is cheap or expensive!
Why do we translate into some languages and not others, and who decides this? This is a question for which we must have a ready answer. This post explores possible answers to this question.
Localization professionals often focus on translation quality and best practices, but decision-makers care about customer impact and revenue. If we frame localization as a cost, it risks being deprioritized. Instead, we must highlight its value driving engagement, trust, and business growth.