How LSPs Are Rebranding in a Transforming Industry

A Changing Industry with Evolving Labels

In the early 20th century, translation offices advertised with lines like "Precision in EveryWord" or "Bridging Borders with Ink and Intellect." Their service offering was largely linguistic, craft-based, and personal.

Today, language solutions are enterprise-scale, AI-enabled, and delivered in milliseconds.

In the early 2000s, an LSP was expected to deliver professional human translation, often project by project.Today, similarly to espell, many providers extend their scope to offer a wide range of services such as end-to-end content lifecycle management, integrated technology stacks, platform-based delivery models, and increasingly, AI-powered solutions. As a result, the way these companies define themselves – and by extension, the industry as a whole – is also shifting.

Tech Is the Catalyst: From TM Tools to AI

The redefinition of the industry didn't happen overnight. The heavier lifting probably started sometime around the introduction of Translation Memory (TM) tools, allowing for consistency and cost efficiency. This was followed by ever more sophisticated CAT tools, incorporating Terminology Management, and eventually we were facing complex workspaces that liked to refer to themselves as Translation Management Systems (TMS). Over time, these solutions evolved into fully integrated environments that support real-time collaboration, file versioning, automated QA, and continuous delivery models.

Fast forward to today, and AI and neural machine translation (NMT) have become the most current transformative forces.

_{Modern LSPs must now navigate data privacy, information security (e.g., ISO 27001), and machine learning optimization while continuing to deliver high-quality, human-reviewed content across dozens or even hundreds of languages.}

As a result, what companies choose to call themselves is increasingly telling. Are they still "just" LSPs – or are they something more?

Self-Descriptions as Strategic Positioning

In this changing environment, it’s revealing to examine how major players now refer to themselves. A company’s self-description often reflects its positioning strategy, target market, and value proposition.

Below are some illustrative examples from leading companies in the space.

Disclaimer: These insights are based on publicly available company websites and materials as of June 2025.While the exercise is subjective, we believe it reveals important trends in industry identity and evolution.

Redefining Who We Are

Across the localization and multilingual content industry, leading companies are carefully rewording how they define themselves. A look at their most visible self-descriptions –mainly their homepage headlines or Gooogle snippet summaries – reveals a shift that mirrors the technological and strategic expansion of the sector itself..

^{Where once "translation" or "language services" were dominant, many providers now speak in terms of "content platforms", "transformation partnerships", and "technology-enabled communication". This isn’t just branding; it’s a reflection of the industry's evolution.}

Presenting yourself as a “translation” company is now the punk thing to do: take TransPerfect, for example. Its current self-reference is "Professional Translation and Localization Services," a phrase rooted in legacy terminology and linguistic professionalism. Yet even here, the homepage snippet emphasizes “global reach” and “customer experience” – kind of balancing between its traditional brand recognition and a wider, platform-driven service scope.

RWS, by contrast, now identifies as "A content solutions company, powered by technology and human expertise." Its tagline, "Smarter content starts here," suggests a deliberate repositioning toward value-added content services, automation, and regulated industries. This shows the industry is no longer about translation alone – it’s about managing complex, high-stakes content ecosystems.

Lionbridge takes a bolder approach. Its self-reference, "The World's Most Trusted Global Communications Platform," places it firmly in the realm of enterprise-wide messaging and brand delivery. The tagline, "One World, Many Voices," retains a familiar global-humanist tone but supports a much broader scope of services – from localization to managed content workflows.

Welocalize moves even further from legacy definitions. It omits any direct mention of translation in favour of the tagline: "Global Content. Smarter AI. Better Business." Here, the focus is clearly on automation, strategic content enablement, and artificial intelligence as part of the core offering – positioning the company closer to a digital transformation partner than a traditional LSP.

Keywords Studios, operating in the gaming sector, exemplifies sector-specific branding. It positions itself as "The #1 technical and creative solutions partner to the global video games industry." Localization here is just one part of a broader stack that includes testing, audio, UX, and development support – making it clear that content adaptation is embedded within a much wider production process.

_{These shifts tell a story: LSPs are no longer content to be seen as vendors of linguistic services.They increasingly position themselves as strategic content partners, data providers, or platform-based enablers. Translation is still there – but it’s folded into a more complex, tech-enabled, and often AI-enhanced proposition.}

espell is not an exception: we offer a wide range of multilingual content services shaped and designed to match the demands and processes of our global clients. Find out how we do it: request a check-in in the contact form next to this article!