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”
Be Careful What You Wish For.
Getting buy-in for localization feels like a big win, until the requests start piling up and it’s impossible to keep up. More teams want your help, more content needs translation, and suddenly, you’re overwhelmed. In this post, I share my experience and the signs that show it’s time to grow your localization team
With tools like LLMs and GPT, we’re at a turning point, and staying curious, planning carefully, and aligning efforts are key. Missing any crucial element could hinder progress. A "slow and steady" approach is essential to navigate the AI wave.
AI is everywhere, and localization teams feel the pressure to "do something with AI." However, without a clear strategy, AI adoption can become an expensive distraction rather than a real value driver. In this post, I explain how to define an AI localization strategy that enhances efficiency, improves quality, and delivers real business impact without just following the hype.
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.
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.
This blog explores how AI-driven post-editing frameworks, like ChatGPT, can redefine localization quality assurance by providing automated checks, real-time feedback, and prioritization of critical issues. If manual LQA feels impossible in your environment, this post will help you explore actionable AI solutions to bridge the gap.
"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.
Working with a coach has helped me see the bigger picture, stay focused, and find balance as a leader. I’ve discovered strengths I didn’t fully appreciate, faced blind spots I used to avoid, and learned how to manage stress while staying (kind of) on track with my goals. This post covers all that!
Transitioning from one job to another can be an enriching experience, or it can be a nightmare.
I have detected in my different movements, and after seeing many colleagues making transitions, that there are a series of usually effective tips.
When it comes to offering a customer-centric experience, language, culture, localized pricing, and payment options play a crucial role. Companies aiming to reach a diverse audience can leverage hyper localization as a powerful tool.
Localization is often seen as an afterthought, focused on translating content late in the process. This post looks at how Globalization teams can step in earlier by identifying invisible tasks and using AI tools like to influence decissions from product teams to create products designed for global audiences. It’s about rethinking localization as a strategic partner instead of a support function
In this blog post, I imagine three roles that could become as popular as the Social Media Manager did: AI Workflow Localization Manager, Localization Data Curator and AI Localization Quality Specialist
These roles blend human expertise with AI, pointing to a future where localization jobs look very different from today.
In this post, I discuss the key indicators that suggest it's time to hire an International Localization Product Manager. Understanding when to bring this role into our team is essential for successfully navigating global markets and securing sustained international growth.
This post explores the key differences between working on the buyer versus the provider side of the localization industry. While there are some tasks common to both, others vary significantly in areas such as people management, operations, strategy, and metrics. The article breaks these tasks into four categories, providing examples for each to highlight these distinctions
While localization fundamentals are the same across software, video games stand out for their unique challenges. There are elements complicated to deal with such as the narrative arc, or syncing voiceovers with character lip movements, timing subtitles perfectly so they appear in the right scene at the right time …
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.
Post-localization activities are crucial for maintaining high-quality localized content even after a product launch. These include collecting user feedback, monitoring translation consistency, and ensuring legal compliance, all of which aim to improve the user experience. Continuous efforts in localized SEO, metrics tracking, and stakeholder alignment keep your localization strategy strong and relevant across global markets—and this post covers all that!
In this post, I compare the excitement of discovering the internet to the rise of AI in localization today. With tools like LLMs and GPT, we’re at a turning point, and staying curious, planning carefully, and aligning efforts are key. Missing any crucial element, as shown in the infographic, could hinder progress. A "slow and steady" approach is essential as we navigate this change.
Handling feedback like "this translation sounds weird" requires us to be armed with patience and resist the temptation to push back, as we might be labeled as defensive. It’s better to take an analytical approach, as described in this post, and why not use ChatGPT as a friend instead of a threat
In this post, I explore how chatGPT can become your devil’s advocate in localization, helping you challenge assumptions and think beyond the obvious
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.