Localization—not to be confused with translation—is the practice of adapting products or content to local languages and cultures. Essential for businesses looking to expand their global reach, content localization allows companies to reach consumers where they’re most comfortable: in their native language. Recently, DeepL partnered with Regina Corso Consulting to survey marketers in France, Germany, Japan, and the United States who are responsible for translation and localization at their companies. Using the results of this survey, we created the report, The state of translation and localization in 2023-2024: insights, challenges, and opportunities. In this blog post, we’ll summarize some of the survey’s key findings and explore why localization is one of the most important investments for global companies. Then, to learn why DeepL’s AI translation tool is the ideal helper to speed up localization processes, you can access our full report. The study—targeted at director-level marketers in companies with over 100 employees—had three main objectives: Below, you’ll find a selection of the main insights that we uncovered. For businesses to succeed in international markets and drive growth, they need to create multilingual content—which is why localization plays such an important role in global expansion. For this report, we wanted to find out, more specifically, how localized content impacts return on investment (ROI). Here’s what we discovered: Key insight: An overwhelming 96% of respondents reported a positive ROI from localization efforts, and notably, 65% reported an ROI of 3x or greater. Why it matters: For companies that aren’t sure if they should allocate resources to localization, these figures offer compelling evidence to do so. AI’s role in content generation has been expanding over the past months. An interesting trend that’s reshaping the localization process, we wanted to know how prevalent the use of AI tools is with today’s marketers. Key insight: AI-assisted writing tools are used by 77% of respondents, and machine translation by an astonishing 98%. Why it matters: This isn't a passing trend; it’s the new standard. Businesses slow to adapt risk being overshadowed by those who have integrated these technologies into their localization efforts. Many marketers wonder if investing in localization is worth the time and effort. What tangible benefits does it boast for businesses to localize new and existing content? Well, according to our research, increased customer engagement is high on the list. Key insight: 75% of respondents agreed that localized content significantly boosts customer engagement. Why it matters: Engaged customers are more likely to become repeat customers, refer your business, and spend more money on products and services. Even as AI tools become more advanced, human involvement will remain an integral part of a successful content localization strategy. Machine translation isn’t perfect, and a human-in-the-loop approach is the key to success. Incorporating human review allows companies to ensure all content adheres to their style and quality guidelines. Key insight: 99% of respondents supplement machine translation with human review. Why it matters: This underscores the need for a balanced approach that incorporates both technological and human expertise for high-quality outcomes. While machine translation can speed up the localization process, it still has some weak spots to keep in mind. Key insight: A significant 82% expressed concerns about accurately translating industry-specific terms. Why it matters: For industry-specific jargon and vocabulary, companies should consider training custom machine translation models or selecting a machine translator that comes with a glossary feature. These are just a few of the many insights you can expect from The state of translation and localization in 2023-2024 report. It's the ideal resource for anyone interested in: For fast, accurate, and secure AI translations to speed up your localization projects, DeepL is the best solution around. Ready to take the first step towards transforming translation and localization at your company? Download the full report now for free and learn how DeepL can help streamline your localization processes. We’re thrilled to announce a massive expansion of our subscription service DeepL Pro. Now available in 25 additional markets, DeepL Pro unlocks vast business potential for companies of all sizes and industries on a global scale. This expansion continues to advance our mission to break down communication barriers worldwide and to put the best possible AI in the hands of businesses everywhere. In addition to world-class translation accuracy, DeepL Pro users receive unlimited text translation, top-notch data security, expanded customization options, and more. Our translations even take into account sector-specific terminology, further curating brand messaging at an industry level. We’re excited to now offer DeepL Pro to the following markets: With more and more businesses implementing AI into their workflows, DeepL Pro offers a state-of-the-art AI translation service built upon the advanced AI technology that's made us a leader in the field. DeepL Pro is designed with businesses in mind, with features that save time and costs while boosting efficiency and productivity. From small and medium-sized businesses to global corporations, advanced translation features can help any organization reach new markets and customers. Is your business located in one of our newest DeepL Pro countries and looking to expand on a global level? Find the best plan for your team over at the DeepL Pro page and get started today. If you work in the legal industry, you’ve probably been eyeing the most recent wave of AI adoption with a mixture of interest and apprehension. Are you anticipating (or dreading) the slew of lawsuits that are sure to arise from AI use and misuse? Or wondering how AI will impact your own daily work? Ultimately, as technology evolves, the law needs to keep pace—and with it, legal professionals. Whatever your view on AI, it’s here to stay. In this article, we’ll explore five of the most game-changing AI tools transforming the legal profession and how they can benefit your law firm. If you’re not using these tools already, we can guarantee that your competition is! We'll also fill you in on how to vet AI tools suitable for the practice of law and let you know which AI features are most useful for lawyers today. Not even the often traditionalist field of law is immune to the rise of artificial intelligence. In fact, AI is already becoming a linchpin in the legal field, allowing lawyers to work more efficiently and provide better service to their clients. AI-based tools can help law firms stay competitive in a constantly evolving global market. Dr. Axel Freiherr von dem Bussche, LL.M. (L.S.E.), CIPP/E, Partner at Taylor Wessing, weighs in: The bottom line for many lawyers? AI tools can take over some of the mundane and tedious tasks legal professionals dread, freeing up time for more high-value work (and removing a few headaches along the way.) Let’s take a closer look. The legal industry is already complex, but when you add international clients and colleagues to the mix, things can get even more complicated. Practicing international law requires an understanding of diverse legal systems and cultures, as well as the ability to keep up with constantly evolving laws and regulations. This can be particularly challenging when there's a language barrier. As the legal industry continues to become more globalized, law firms are working with an increasing number of international clients. According to a Maia Research report on legal translation software, there is a growing demand for legal translation services, which is currently experiencing 13-15% year-on-year growth. AI-powered translation tools are useful for providing legally operable translations, such as bilingual contracts, and convenience translations like client communications. However, it's important to note that AI translation shouldn't completely replace human translators. Some official documents require certified or notarized translations that can only be provided by a certified human translator. For example, when a client is applying for citizenship in a foreign country, they often need to provide a certified translation of their birth certificate and other identification documents. To ensure accuracy, "human-in-the-loop" workflows are crucial to approve AI-generated translations. According to Gartner, solutions that combine staffing and software will account for 30% of all new legal tech automation offerings through 2025. AI-powered knowledge management systems have revolutionized the legal industry, giving lawyers lightning-fast access to critical information. With these powerful tools, legal professionals can quickly search through vast amounts of data, identify patterns in legal documents, and stay on top of changes in laws and regulations. Best of all, these systems automate tedious processes such as document categorization, saving valuable time and increasing productivity. Not surprisingly, the use of AI-powered knowledge management systems is on the rise among legal professionals. One of the key areas where AI is making an impact on legal work today is in contract analysis and management. These tools automate mundane tasks such as document review or tracking deadlines for signed agreements. Lawyers can use AI-driven systems to quickly review contracts and identify potential issues, such as risks associated with certain clauses. These systems also store contracts centrally, making them more accessible and automating error notifications. AI-enabled contract management tools also provide insights into past cases to help minimize disputes arising from noncompliance with laws or regulations. Natural language processing algorithms are used to detect discrepancies in existing contracts and to suggest ways to mitigate risks. This helps law firms ensure they provide the best service to their clients while remaining competitive in the market. In the legal field, generative AI is offering a new level of efficiency for document creation. This process entails using AI algorithms to generate documents from templates and structured data sets, as well as analyzing contracts for potential risks or discrepancies. By automating these tedious tasks, lawyers can save time and money while helping their firm remain competitive in the world of advancing AI. AI-powered document creation also helps reduce errors and spot mistakes quickly—allowing attorneys to better protect their clients' interests during negotiations by identifying potential issues before they become problems down the line. As a result, lawyers can provide more personalized services that meet their clients' needs faster than ever before. Chatbots are a valuable first point of contact in the client intake process. AI-powered chatbots provide general advice to clients and understand complex questions using natural language processing, directing clients to the information they need instantly. Chatbots offer 24/7 availability, quickly answering inquiries and FAQs, reducing wait times, and enabling staff members to focus on more detailed queries. Using AI-powered chatbot technology saves time and resources while providing better customer service. However helpful these tools may be, implementing AI technologies isn't to be taken lightly, as there are certain risks associated with using AI. It's important for firms to understand the implications of deploying AI technologies and make sure that the technology is implemented responsibly. This means establishing protocols regarding data privacy and security when dealing with confidential client data. Firms should also consider how to use AI responsibly and ethically, such as taking steps to audit machine learning models for bias or instituting a policy that requires the use of AI to be monitored and supervised by a human. Lawyers must be aware of the evolving legal requirements for AI to give sound counsel regarding its use and to guarantee that the tools they use in their work are foolproof. The General Data Protection Regulation is a stringent security and privacy regulation. It affects businesses that pursue or store data pertaining to people situated in the European Union. Artificial intelligence that abides by the GDPR requirements can be relied on to honor and safeguard confidential information. Data encryption scrambles information to create a code that can only be unlocked using an individual password or key. This makes it far more difficult for any unauthorized individuals to access the data. Regulations like GDPR demand that encryption is used to ensure personal information is kept secure. Single sign-on (SSO) allows users to access various programs and systems with only one set of credentials, eliminating the worry of weak passwords or forgotten login details. This not only saves time, but also helps to secure confidential data from unauthorized access. Two-factor authentication (2FA) adds an extra layer of security by requiring users to provide two forms of authentication, such as a password and a verification code sent to their phone, before accessing their accounts. This reduces the risk of account takeover and prevents unauthorized access to confidential information. ISO 27001 is an international standard that helps businesses manage the security of their information systems. By partnering with an ISO 27001-certified provider, law firms can better protect their data and guarantee a high level of security. Customer research carried out by DeepL in 2023 identified these features as particularly helpful for law firms. Does the AI tool integrate where the team is already working? How easy is it to start using this tool? How much time will it take to implement? Is the AI trainable? Does it save and store data to customize the user experience? How is your law practice approaching safe AI use? Is your legal team working internationally? Learn how DeepL’s secure AI translation technology can help your law firm by visiting DeepL for legal teams. Great news for our file translation enthusiasts, we’ve added exciting new updates aimed at enhancing customization and providing even more options for a flawless translation experience. With these updates, our Advanced and Ultimate subscribers will be able to translate a wider range of files and maintain more control over their output. Before we dig into what’s new, let’s cover how DeepL’s file translation works. With our file translation capabilities, you can easily and securely translate entire PDF, Word, PowerPoint, HTML, XLIFF, and text documents. All translated documents retain their original formatting, saving you time and effort in your daily workflows. Plus, as part of our commitment to the highest security standards, we handle all PDF translations in-house using our privately operated servers, meaning no third parties have access to your data. Translating documents with DeepL is as simple as it gets. Just follow these easy steps: 1. Log in or create an account: Either log in to your existing account or create a new one. If you have a DeepL Pro subscription, you’ll benefit from more advanced file translation capabilities.* 2. Upload your document: Click Translate Files, then drag and drop your document into the translator window or select the file from your computer. 3. Choose your desired target language: With 30+ languages to choose from, select the one that best suits your needs. 4. Translate: Click the Translate button. 5. Download: When the process is complete, simply download your translated document. That’s it, five steps to getting high-quality document translations in 30+ languages. *Free accounts get 3 non-editable file translations per month. Paid subscriptions get editable file translations, with the monthly allowance dependent on the chosen plan. Whether you need to translate dozens of complex legal PDFs or a few simple Word documents, our file translation feature has you covered. So, what’s new? Quite a bit. That’s right—Excel has officially joined the ranks of DeepL’s document translation lineup for Advanced and Ultimate subscribers, with support for API Free and Pro users coming soon, too. As one of our most-requested file formats, we’re excited to now be able to support .xlsx files. Our aim is to make our document translation service more helpful and relevant for your multilingual workflows—whatever software you’re working with. After all, more file translation options mean greater end-user control, allowing you to better manage your processes. With the ability to translate Excel files alongside PDFs, PowerPoints, Word docs, and more, you can increase your—and your team’s—productivity and streamline your multilingual projects with ease. For more detailed information on the current setup and initial capabilities of Excel document translation, check out our Help Center. We’re always looking for ways to enhance the DeepL experience and put more control in the hands of our users. That’s why Advanced and Ultimate subscribers can now download editable .docx files as a result of PDF translations. Why .docx files, you ask? We’ve found that editable .docx files allow for more advanced customization—making it possible for users to manage their translation output and layout on a more detailed level. Choose between .docx or .pdf as your PDF translation output and better meet your team’s individual needs. Finally, we’re also increasing the file size limits for .pdf, .docx, and .pptx files for Advanced and Ultimate subscribers, as well as for API Pro subscribers. The changes are: With these updates, Advanced, Ultimate, and API Pro subscribers will be able to quickly and accurately translate even larger files—providing additional value and allowing for more efficient daily work. Translating documents with DeepL has always been simple and effective. Now, it’s even better than before. By offering additional file options, more control, and increased utility, DeepL has you covered for all of your document translation needs. Interested in seeing how our document translation updates can improve your DeepL experience? Try out the new file translation updates today with your Advanced, Ultimate, or API plan—or consider upgrading.* *Subscribers with a Starter plan can compare and upgrade within the "Plan" tab of their DeepL account. As if these amazing changes aren't exciting enough, we'll also be rolling out an edit mode for document translation in the next few weeks. Watch this space for a full update! Localization isn't an easy process; it requires time, effort, and a great deal of expertise. However, there are ways to make localization easier and less time-consuming—namely, with AI translation. Great for localizing everything from your website content to customer support to marketing materials, an AI translation tool like DeepL allows companies to work more efficiently. With higher quality and more accurate machine translations that improve project alignment and lower costs, your company can get a leg up on the competition. But don’t just take our word for it—ask our customers. In this post, we’ll cover three case studies to see how real DeepL customers used AI translation to enhance their localization processes and take their businesses global. As the largest railway operator and infrastructure owner in Europe, Deutsche Bahn (DB) has employees all over the continent. Of its 320,000 full-time employees, only 64% are based in Germany—meaning communication across multiple languages is key to DB’s international success. Thankfully, DB has DeepL to enable seamless communication for its massive, multilingual workforce. To communicate at scale, DB knew that machine translation technology provided the best solution. However, the company had to overcome its main challenge: highly technical terminology. In order for employees with different native languages and professions to communicate clearly, the translation would have to account for industry-specific jargon, dialects, and idioms. That’s where DeepL’s glossary really came in handy. Since integrating DeepL, DB has added more than 30,000 entries to its glossary, allowing DB employees to communicate consistently across the organization. With the power to specify their own translations for words and even entire phrases, DB ensured the use of industry and company-specific vocabulary in all communications. Additionally, DeepL’s glossaries rely on morphosyntactic terminology integration—meaning that DeepL adapts the formulation of translations based on glossary entries and accounts for factors such as grammatical genders and plurals. This feature was especially important to Deutsche Bahn, with Tom Winter, Data Scientist & Computational Linguist at DB, saying: DB has been a satisfied DeepL customer since early 2022 thanks to its best-in-class translation quality, excellent data security, and customizability via its glossary feature. Going forward, DB is exploring even more instances where machine translation may be able to assist with its railway operations—such as communications with border traffic. To learn more about how DB uses DeepL, you can check out the case study. Weglot is a Paris-based SaaS company that provides localization and translation services to clients around the world. With demand for its localization services high, Weglot needed translation APIs of exceptional quality—which made a partnership with DeepL the ideal choice. As an early adopter of DeepL API, Weglot and its customers have benefited from our accurate, high-quality AI translations since 2018—having already helped over 50,000 companies build multilingual websites. So, why DeepL? Weglot’s founder and CTO, Rémy Berda, was on the lookout for top-quality language translation APIs to enhance his company’s offerings and services. When customers started asking, “Have you added DeepL?” shortly after our DeepL API release, Berda’s interest was sparked. Chosen for its ease of use for developers and high-quality translations, over the last six years, DeepL API has helped Weglot translate billions of characters a month for companies all over the world. Thanks to the accuracy of DeepL’s AI translations, Weglot’s customers save time during their localization processes, which led them to work more efficiently. Since integrating the API, Weglot received plenty of positive customer feedback thanks to DeepL’s speed and accuracy. In fact, Berda himself recommended DeepL to developers who are looking for a high-performing product that’s true to its word, stating: As the e-commerce industry becomes more international, it’s crucial that companies of all sizes have access to high-quality localization and translation services. Thanks to translation tools offered by DeepL and Weglot, quick, accurate multilingual communication with customers and markets around the globe is not only possible–it’s easy. Want to find out more about how Weglot uses DeepL? Read the case study. Known as the “Czech Amazon”, Alza is an e-commerce giant with key markets all over Europe—from Czechia to Germany to Hungary. Since its founding in 1994, Alza has grown from an online electronics shop to a complete marketplace, now offering laptops, video games, pet supplies, cosmetics, and more. In mid-2021, Alza noticed that DeepL added 13 new supported languages, with Czech, Slovak, and Hungarian being the most applicable. After some quality testing, Alza discovered DeepL to be a superior product to their current translation API and quickly made the switch. Since then, Alza has been using DeepL to localize its website into five different European languages: With over 3,000 employees, Alza is growing rapidly—at 20% annually—and recently expanded to Central Europe and the UK. To thrive in these new markets, Alza needed access to high quality translations that wouldn’t overburden its localization team with manual corrections. Thanks to DeepL’s superior translation quality, Alza saved thousands of euros per month in operating costs, as the brand’s human proofreaders spent significantly less time correcting DeepL translations—and could focus on higher-impact projects. Additionally, the migration from Alza’s previous translation API to DeepL took less than one week, and the effect was immediate. In the words of Jakub Kalina, head of Alza’s localization team: Specifically, Alza used DeepL to translate large volumes of reviews, which provided quality assurance for potential customers. Having translated thousands of reviews from Czech into German and Hungarian, Alza saw a significant increase in its conversion rate. As for what’s next, Jakub also foresees a high-volume future for his team: Check out our Alza case study to learn more about how the Czech e-commerce giant uses DeepL to grow. Clearly, DeepL’s high-quality, accurate AI translations are a contributing factor to these three companies’ successful localization processes. Reducing time spent on manual work, improving alignment, and driving down costs, DeepL continues to help streamline DB, Weglot, and Alza’s localization projects to reach global audiences—and we could do the same for your business. To learn more about how your company can benefit from DeepL’s AI translations, visit DeepL Pro for Business. We’re excited to announce that DeepL Pro is now officially available in South Korea. As a forward-thinking and tech-savvy country, South Korea has shown a strong demand for DeepL’s AI communication services—and we’re thrilled to soon become a part of many companies' global growth plans. It wasn’t too long ago that we welcomed Korean to DeepL’s supported languages. Since last January, we’ve seen impressive adoption and received positive feedback from the South Korean community. We’re pleased to see DeepL's seamless integration into users’ daily lives, and our free version will remain a great option for everyday use. However, DeepL Pro, our subscription service which provides access to additional features, is the ideal AI translation solution for businesses. So, how can DeepL Pro help your company grow? Let’s discuss. The AI-powered translation tool you know and trust isn’t just for everyday use. It will change the way you do business—for good—thanks to features like: These types of features not only save you time but also enable your organization to operate more efficiently and securely. From better collaboration to improved alignment to enhanced security, DeepL Pro is the ideal solution to foster meaningful relationships with international customers and colleagues. With our ongoing commitment to AI innovation, stay tuned for exciting new Korean language Pro features in the future, such as glossaries and other capabilities. Taking your business global isn’t easy—especially when your teams need to communicate in multiple languages. Thankfully, this is one of the places where DeepL API Pro excels. When you need instant, high-quality translation at scale, DeepL API Pro is the answer. Integrating DeepL API Pro directly into your website, apps, and more, means it's much easier to connect with and grow your global customer base. DeepL API Pro is great for: DeepL API Pro provides your company with consistent, appropriate, and respectful communication—allowing you to explore new global business opportunities with confidence. As an AI translation tool, DeepL is powered by artificial neural networks and the very latest innovations in AI. Thanks to the quality of our network architecture and size, as well as our training data and methodology, our machine translation technology is able to produce incredibly accurate, linguistically nuanced translations that sound human. This means you can communicate with confidence, knowing that you sound natural and professional in DeepL’s 30+ languages. But it’s not just our unmatched accuracy that sets us apart—trust is extremely important at DeepL. Thus, businesses that use DeepL Pro can rest assured that their sensitive information is in good hands. To ensure the highest level of data security, we use state-of-the-art transport layer security (TLS) encrypted data transmission and house our servers in ISO 27001-certified data centers. Plus, all Pro texts are deleted after successful translation and are never used to train our AI. With DeepL Pro, your company benefits from accurate, secure, and efficient translations that will take your business to new heights. There’s always room for growth. But companies small, medium, and large looking to expand don’t necessarily have the right tools to get there. That’s where DeepL Pro comes in. As the go-to AI translation solution for businesses searching for a path to growth, DeepL Pro allows your company to extend its reach and global presence with high-quality translations and AI-powered accuracy. To find the plan that’s best for you or your team, visit the DeepL Pro page and get started today. In a rapidly expanding global economy, effective cross-cultural communication has become more important than ever. For many organizations, a document that used to exist in a singular language now has multilingual requirements. Not fulfilling these requirements has consequences—namely, slower global growth, lower customer satisfaction, and decreased reach. However, thanks to the increasing use of AI-powered translation software, companies are meeting these challenges head on and experiencing a new era of productivity, speed, and efficiency for document translation. In this post, we’ll discuss the integral role of machine translation in global business expansion. Then, we’ll explain why AI translation tools like DeepL are the go-to solution for global companies looking to boost efficiency, enhance customer satisfaction, and improve return on investment (ROI). For businesses, the benefits of machine translation are far-reaching. Organizations across countless industries are recognizing the important role machine translation plays in everything from internal communications to localization strategies to document translation. With automotive, healthcare, IT, and legal industries leading the way, AI-powered translation tools are spearheading international growth. According to a recent market forecast from Acumen Research and Consulting, machine translation will see a steady increase in use over the next eight years, with a key driver being new demand for multilingual communication. From technical information to customer communications, AI is reshaping the translation landscape. In fact, the European Language Industry Survey 2022 found that more than 70% of independent language professionals in Europe report using machine translation to some extent, demonstrating the technology's expanding footprint. Clearly, machine translation plays a vital role in organizations’ global expansion plans. But what are companies looking for when choosing an AI translation solution? Let’s discuss. When searching for a solution to their document translation needs, quality remains a critical factor for companies. In this regard, highly-trained AI shines. According to a recent survey from Unbabel, 83% of marketers using machine translation in their localization strategies expressed confidence in the quality of the translations. Furthermore, the highest quality translations were found in content with heavy documentation and technical terms—especially in sectors such as computer software, legal services, and telecommunications. This indicates that AI-powered solutions like DeepL possess real potential to improve translation accuracy and speed in these, and other, industries. This, in turn, will allow international companies to grow and expand more efficiently. When it comes to document translation, there are a few features and capabilities you should be on the lookout for. First, there’s speed and ease. Here, DeepL excels by providing an easy-to-use, real-time online document translator. With DeepL Pro, you can transform your PDFs, Word Docs, PPTs, and more into 30+ languages with a single click—all while preserving their original format. Next, there’s accuracy and security. Be it internal reports, legal contracts, user manuals, or any other business document, DeepL’s AI-powered translation is an accurate, high-quality solution that prioritizes data security. With state-of-the-art transport layer security (TLS) encrypted data transmissions and a completely in-house PDF translation process, you and your team can rest assured that your translated documents are both accurate and secure. DeepL’s document translation feature helps foster meaningful communication between colleagues, teams, and offices, regardless of their language skills. And with the ability to translate documents at scale with DeepL Pro, you can ensure everyone is on the same page. Return on investment can be a tricky metric to track with 100% accuracy. However, it’s still an important calculation to take into account when evaluating the relative efficacy and success of different projects. Here, AI translation solutions can improve companies’ ROI—not only in terms of cost, but also in terms of time. Whether you need to translate a document from German to English or French to Japanese, an AI translation tool’s ability to perform real-time translations is a game changer. Often, it eliminates the need for multiple revisions and ensures that companies can communicate effectively cross-culturally. In the race to expand globally, companies can and should rely on AI tools to translate large volumes of text and complex documents—making the process efficient and less daunting. So, which companies are already using DeepL to go global? We’ll cover that next. At DeepL, we’re honored to support global leaders in important industries such as media with our AI-powered translations. Let’s take a look at how Nikkei uses DeepL Pro to get a leg up on the competition. For Japan’s premier news media company, Nikkei, AI translation is more than just a tool—it's a critical part of the organization’s workflow. As the world’s largest provider of business news, Nikkei reaches a readership that spans the globe. With publications such as Nikkei Asia and the Financial Times, Nikkei’s content is consumed by thousands of global leaders in economics and finance. Given the nature of its work in the media sector, Nikkei deals with a high volume of content that needs to be made available to a global audience. In order to share news and reports quickly and accurately, Nikkei needed an AI document and content translation solution like DeepL. Using DeepL’s AI-powered translation, Nikkei is able to distribute information faster, keeping its audience informed in real time. Whether it's news reports or research papers, AI translation has significantly increased the speed at which Nikkei can serve its global readership. Additionally, DeepL is one-fifth of the cost to Nikkei’s previous translation system and is more accurate—which has allowed Nikkei to work more efficiently and save on operating costs. Read the full case study for even more insights into how Nikkei uses DeepL. For companies looking to grow on a global scale, seamless multilingual communication is a requirement. Thankfully, AI translation tools like DeepL provide the accuracy, speed, and security international organizations need to expand quickly and intelligently. AI translation solutions like DeepL are a valuable tool in our increasingly globalized world, and businesses should embrace this technology to navigate the complexities of multilingual communication and stay ahead in the competitive global marketplace. To learn more about how DeepL’s AI document translations can support your company’s growth plans, visit DeepL Pro for Business. Although they may seem similar at first glance, translation and localization are distinct processes that serve different purposes. While the former transforms a text from one language into another, the latter takes the process a step further by focusing on a target market, thereby adapting the translated text to cultural, linguistic, and structural differences. In essence, translation is an integral part of the longer and more intricate localization process. Ultimately, translation and localization work very well together—especially when utilizing AI translation. Unlike manual human translation, AI translation is an automated machine learning process that provides highly accurate, instant translations. Thanks to their speed and accuracy, AI translation tools fit very well into the localization process and can even be used to streamline workflows and increase efficiency. So whether you’re interested in reaching new global markets or improving customer satisfaction, localization allows your company to meet customers where they’re most comfortable: in their native language. In this post, we’ll discuss what differentiates translation and localization, as well as explore how AI translation can enhance, simplify, and accelerate the localization process to increase customer loyalty and satisfaction. Short answer: yes. Longer answer: read on. In its simplest form, translation is the transformation of text from one language to another that preserves the meaning and purpose of the original text. By contrast, our own localization specialists define localization as a more complex process that aims at adapting a product or a service to the needs of a specific market. When successfully localizing a product or text for a specific market, we should consider more than just cultural or linguistic characteristics. Rather, we should also consider changes at the structural level. Great localization happens when a product or service feels like it's been designed specifically for its target market—not as though it's simply been modified. Keep in mind, content can’t be localized properly if it hasn’t first been translated well. This is where AI translation provides an ideal solution. Usually, AI translation tools use deep neural networks to provide accurate and human-sounding translations. Overall, AI translation is a far more advanced, efficient option for companies that require high-quality translations at scale as a part of their localization processes. In fact, according to a recent survey run by Regina Corso Consulting for DeepL’s own research*, we found that “87% of marketers agree that machine translation is an indispensable tool for localization/translation projects.” So, if you’re looking to extend your company’s reach to a global audience, you might be wondering: how can localization help my company succeed internationally? Good question, that’s what we’ll cover next. Described by localization tool Phrase as "a bold undertaking that goes beyond the mere translation of text,” language localization “includes modifying a range of aspects to local preferences, expectations, and conventions.” An involved process that requires attention to detail and a thorough understanding of the culture and preferences of the target language, localization is essential for companies looking to succeed in new markets. According to a recent survey from CSA Research, “76% of online shoppers prefer to buy products with information in their native language,” while another 75% report that they’re "more likely to purchase [from] the same brand again if customer care is in their language.” In the words of Dr. Donald A. DePalma of CSA Research, “Localization improves customer experience and increases engagement in the brand dialogue. It should be a rigorously planned and executed business strategy for any company looking to grow internationally.” Clearly, localization plays a significant role in modern companies’ global success, from attracting new customers to retaining existing ones—and the benefits of quality localization are far-reaching. In fact, a recent article from Weglot highlighted marketing firm Net Media Planet’s success thanks to localization, with the company experiencing “a 20% increase in conversions after localizing its content and paid ads.” From gaining a competitive edge to increasing customer satisfaction and revenue, providing localized content to potential customers increases a company's chances of success in new markets. By now, the differences between translation and localization should be clear—which means we’re ready to dive into what localization can look like in practice. Let’s consider the following examples of situations that require more than just translation: Consider the following situation: A U.S.-based e-commerce company has recently expanded into the European market, and, as a result, its content and communication needs have evolved. Its website then needs to be adapted to multiple languages to fit new market requirements. Thus, the following sentence about a global sale must be translated from American English to German: AI translation might provide the following output: While this is an acceptable straight-through translation, a localized version would consider the fact that the German language uses a 24-hour time format. The localized version of this translation would read: Small changes like this may seem nit-picky, but they add up to make a real difference. For example, without proper localization in the above example, German customers could have misunderstood the timeline and missed out on the sale—which means lost revenue for the company and frustration for potential customers looking to save. These types of changes create more accurate content and a better overall user experience. As Phrase explains, proper localization also allows companies to “overcome cultural obstacles and . . . avoid potential cultural faux pas that could be detrimental to your brand image.” When it comes to localizing content, companies' needs are varied and situational. The to-do list may include: The materials and content a company chooses to localize are up to its discretion, reach, and capacity, but developing a detailed localization strategy is always a smart approach. A truly high-quality localization strategy prioritizes efficiency—which is where AI translation really shines. There are many ways in which AI translation positively impacts localization efforts, with some tools providing more advantages than others. When using DeepL, the top four benefits are: Your company can enjoy more efficient workflows if your localization team isn’t translating from scratch but, instead, using DeepL’s AI translation as a jumping-off point. This approach allows for speedier, more streamlined project delivery. When you save time in the translation process, your localization team can produce more work. This allows them to get more done in less time, which can also increase profitability and ROI. Ensuring localized texts are accurate is a lot of work. When you harness the power of a high-quality AI translation tool such as DeepL, your localization team benefits from more accurate, nuanced translations—meaning there’s less for them to edit, leading to better overall quality. Manual translation provides high-quality results, but often requires a lot of coordination and time. Ensuring company-wide alignment of translation and localization processes is always difficult—especially when companies work with external translation providers or rely on the in-house, unofficial language skills of colleagues. However, it’s much easier when all localization teams rely on the same method of translation and can specify industry- or company-specific terms via handy glossary features. Such features can reduce coordination time and help maintain a consistent voice and tone in all locales, which define “the language and region preferences that the user wants to see in their user interface”. Even with all these benefits in mind, it's important to note that AI translation is only one step in the localization process. While it’s designed to improve alignment and speed up the process, it doesn’t replace true localization efforts. Instead, AI translation tools like DeepL should be used in combination with localization for the best results. For companies both big and small, DeepL’s AI translation is the go-to solution for streamlining localization efforts and strengthening customer loyalty across language barriers. Remember, the best AI translation tools are flexible and easily integrated into existing platforms and tooling—meaning they improve localization processes without adding more hassle to the workday. From easy-to-use API integrations to convenient SSO login capabilities, high-quality AI translation tools make all the difference for companies working to bring their business to the world. To learn more about how DeepL’s AI translations can enhance and streamline your company’s localization process, visit DeepL Pro for Business. *This research was conducted by Regina Corso Consulting between March 23–April 5, 2023, with a sample size of 415 marketers from France, Germany, Japan, and the United States. The advances made in AI technology over the past few years have been astonishing, and there’s no doubt that AI will continue to evolve. However, to do so responsibly, proper data security and data privacy management must remain a top priority. A recent article from World Economic Forum underscores this issue, stating: “As AI models depend on data quality to deliver salient results, their continued existence hinges on privacy protection being integral to their design.” With AI’s diverse and growing application in the business world, companies that adopt AI need to be more informed than ever about proper data protection measures. In this post, we’ll discuss why DeepL Pro is the best option for both first-rate translation quality as well as the highest standards of data security and compliance for your company. As a leading AI communication tool, DeepL provides high-quality AI translations for thousands of companies around the world to help them get ahead of the competition—but it's not just first-rate translations that set DeepL apart. Dr. Benedikt Kohn, an associate at the global law firm Taylor Wessing, explains—modern businesses must understand that “AI relies on the processing of huge amounts of data. And sometimes . . . even the most personal data.” To protect this sensitive information, data protection must be considered “first and foremost” when evaluating AI software. By providing customers with optimal data protection without sacrificing quality, DeepL has become the AI communication tool of choice for companies that want to streamline processes and gain a competitive edge in their industry. To ensure top-notch data security, DeepL servers are controlled exclusively by DeepL SE and operated in ISO 27001-certified data centers with excellent security measures. DeepL does its utmost to protect its servers and ensure that no one can gain unauthorized access. Unlike in cloud-based environments, this setup guarantees that DeepL retains full control over all your data from start to finish. With this approach, your sensitive data can be securely processed via DeepL’s software. Additionally, all texts from Pro subscribers are deleted after translation—meaning they aren’t stored permanently but only for the duration of translation, then deleted. Plus, Pro subscribers’ texts are never used to train DeepL's AI models. As an EU-based company, DeepL complies with all GDPR regulations concerning: Alongside GDPR compliance, DeepL Pro users also enjoy enterprise-level data security and state-of-the-art transport layer security (TLS) encrypted data transmissions. Moreover, DeepL's cipher suites—which are a set of algorithms that secure a network connection—are regularly reviewed and updated. To further assess the security of its infrastructure and applications, DeepL’s internal security team conducts regular penetration testing with the help of external specialists. All findings are followed up by DeepL’s compliance team to constantly increase the security of DeepL. This ensures only authorized users can access sensitive data and all personally identifiable information remains secure. Thanks to DeepL’s excellent data security, full GDPR compliance, and high-quality translations, companies can maximize productivity and reduce costs—all while maintaining the highest level of protection for their sensitive data. DeepL not only provides high-quality translations, but it also delivers extremely reliable service. All DeepL Pro services are redundant—meaning availability is ensured thanks to additional or alternate uplinks. They’re also protected by automatic failover mechanisms—a process which moves applications to standby servers in the case of a failure to preserve data availability. In plain terms, these safety features ensure trouble-free, consistent data availability from DeepL—which helps companies streamline their workflows and operate more efficiently. Whenever possible, DeepL avoids involving subcontractors—since it can be more difficult to maintain full visibility and control when third parties are involved in data processing. For example, DeepL recently moved the processing of PDF translation completely in-house, removing any third-party involvement. If deemed necessary, qualified subcontractors are carefully selected and audited according to ISO 27001 policies. This approach allows DeepL to retain tight control over who is accessing information—keeping your sensitive data out of the wrong hands. In a recent sit-down conversation for the DeepL AI Talks series, Dr. Axel Freiherr von dem Bussche, a partner at Taylor Wessing, touched on how DeepL's security measures protect data and benefit its customers, stating: According to Cybersecurity Ventures, the predicted global annual cost of cybercrime in 2023 alone will amount to $8 trillion USD (€7.29 trillion). This means that protecting data with proper data security measures, like those used by DeepL, is more important than ever before—and could play a vital role in your company's overall success. That’s also why, on the user’s side, DeepL adheres to the “principle of least privilege.” This means that Pro account admins can easily control all team members’ access levels. This approach allows admins to: Knowing that the data protection measures in place will keep their sensitive information secure and encourage efficient usage, Pro users can integrate DeepL into their workflows with total confidence. Industries that prioritize data protection, proper data management, and GDPR compliance routinely adopt DeepL Pro as their AI communication tool of choice. For this reason, many of DeepL’s customers are industry leaders who demand the highest levels of data protection alongside world-class quality, such as: In the words of Dr. Freiherr von dem Bussche from Taylor Wessing, with DeepL, companies benefit "from the German/EU gold standards" of data protection, which allow them to “roll out products globally more easily.” Additionally, since DeepL’s translation AI has been trained using official, public EU documents, it’s able to provide the highest quality outputs. This is especially important for certain industries—such as legal, manufacturing, and governmental organizations—where technical terminology can prove difficult to translate. As AI continues to transform the way the world works, data protection must remain at the forefront of all decisions on how to responsibly adopt and integrate AI. DeepL strives to not only meet but exceed its users’ expectations with its data protection strategies and translation quality—and is committed to doing so as AI technology changes and develops in the years to come. Uniquely positioned to keep users’ sensitive information secure, DeepL is the best choice for privacy-conscious companies. If your business wants to benefit from DeepL’s first-rate translations and unparalleled data protection, you can learn more at DeepL Pro for Business. Accessibility is an integral part of how we develop and test products at DeepL. This year, we are celebrating Global Accessibility Awareness Day on May 18 by looking back at our ongoing accessibility improvements and achievements at DeepL since our update last year, starting with our Accessibility Statement. While improving accessibility is a long-term process, we’ve made some significant strides, and our improvements will continue as our product offerings grow and mature. Accessibility is not only limited to how users interact with the final product or feature e.g. DeepL Translator for desktop, or our Android mobile app, but also in how and with whom we conduct testing. This past year, we continued to diversify our testing pool, working closely with visually impaired testers who use screen magnification technologies, alternative color schemes (this allows us to comply with certain operating systems, like Windows, where users can select between multiple themes with higher contrasts), and various screen readers. Furthermore, we made sure to include testers who were dependent on alternative navigation methods, like voice control software. We used the feedback from these tests to help improve readability and control when using DeepL products. In addition to adding to our diverse tester pool, we’ve maintained a regular frequency of our tests. Since April 2022, we’ve conducted five tests per month, and we continue to use Fable Engage as our user testing platform. We highlighted this platform in our 2022 accessibility blog post, but we feel it’s worth reiterating what it does as well as the impact that it has on our users: Last year, our scores trended at 90 or higher. While the overall score fluctuates depending on our test results, we are proud to say that our score typically hovers around the same number. That said, when our score drops, it is a clear indicator that we still have room for improvement when it comes to both accessibility and usability. What happens when accessibility issues are flagged to us? Our team treats them as bugs, and a ticket is created for each issue. It’s our goal to resolve these as quickly as possible, and we are proud to say that in the last 300 days, our engineering team solved 63 tickets related to accessibility. Working closely with several teams at DeepL, particularly with those who help develop and improve customer-facing products, we make accessibility a top priority, ensuring that we keep it top-of-mind for all teams at our organization. Although we are always aiming to improve our products, we also want to recognize the efforts of our team and highlight positive feedback from our testers. Here are a few quotes from a few people who enjoyed using our language selection tool when translating: At the time of the last blog post (April 2022), we were only testing the desktop web translator. Now, we’ve extended our testing to all other products to include: Not all are as accessible as the web app, but we continue to improve every year. Accessibility is an integral part of our product development process and a quality criteria throughout all our teams. We are proud of how far we’ve come but promise to prioritize accessibility for all users as we move forward. If you ever have any feedback on our products, we’d love to hear from you. Thank you so much for continuing to use and help us improve our products and features each year.