by David Grunwald
Abstract: As the world of translation evolves, 2025 has firmly cemented AI as its defining force. With industry players racing to adapt, the question arises: Is there a place for conventional workflows in this tech-driven era?
Introduction: AI in Translation
In the world of translation and localization, the hot buzz word in 2025 has to be AI. To the point that people in the industry must be asking themselves if the conventional translation workflows of yesterday are still relevant. Is there anyone who is not using AI in their process? At GTS, our process is certified compliant with the ISO 17100:2015 standard. No AI/MT is allowed and we have so far not adapted MTPE. But other companies?
How has AI impacted the demand for professional translators? How has AI impacted the price of translation services? I am positive that thousands of people are scratching their heads while contemplating these issues. After all, livelihood is a stake, a serious concern for many professionals.
Case in point: I know for a fact that a translation company named Tomedes is selling or has sold Hebrew to English legal translation service of contracts at a price of US$0.045 per English word. In my opinion and knowing very well the price of professional human translation, there is no way that they can sell at that price unless they are using an MTPE process. Is there anything wrong with it? Of course not. As long as there is transparency in the sales process.
Impact of AI on Translation Workflows
While AI-driven workflows have made translations faster and more affordable, they often fall short in industries like legal and medical, where accuracy and nuance are paramount. For example, here is a prediction made by one industry thought leader.
… we predict that 2025 will see at least one major lawsuit in which unverified LLM translation will play a role, potentially leading to a rush back toward human services for critical content (CSA Research).
Here is another translation industry prediction for 2025 from a leading LSP executive:
It’s not just about saving money; it’s about doing more with the resources we have. AI can help teams handle larger volumes, shorten turnaround times, and localize content that previously would have been out of scope or budget.
Clearly, the traditional cost model for professional translation service is trending downards.
The impact on translators
One indicator that we have seen at GTS is a huge flooding of job inquiries by translators.
Insights from GTS: 2025 Case Studies
Can traditional translation services coexist with AI-driven workflows? Or will the industry evolve entirely in favor of MTPE? I can’t say that I have an answer to these questions. Instead I will tell you about some projects that we have started in 2025. Spoiler: business seems to be as usual if not better for us at GTS.
Here are some of the projects we have done since the start of 2025:
- English to Greek translation of medical device IFUs for Energist Medical.
- Spanish to English translation of foreign trade audits document for Neville Peterson LLP
- Translation of FAQ into Haitian Creole, Portuguese and Spanish for Proven Behavior Solutions
- Translation of medical device IFU into Spanish to Soterix Medical
- Translation of prenuptial agreement into Thai for private individual
- Translation of SDS into French Canadian for Zoll Medical Corporation
- Translation of Catalog into Spanish and French for Southern Champion Tray
- Translation of video subtitles to Portuguese and Spanish to Dreamtek.
- Translation of SDS to French for Sunbelt Lubricants
- Translation of medical device IFU into Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Slovak, Spanish (European), Swedish for Paragonix Technoloies
- Translation of SDS to Chinese for Coburn Technologies
- Hebrew and English to Swedish translation of court documents for Kalai Rosen LLP
Conclusion: The Road Ahead
- As the industry continues to embrace innovation, companies like GTS are proving that there’s still a strong demand for high-quality, human-driven translation services. The challenge lies in balancing tradition with technology.
- Prices are dropping as more and more translation companies are selling MTPE service which appears to be going over well with customers.
What are your thoughts on AI in translation? Share your experiences in the comments below!
