Our Analysts' Insights

On September 21st Paris-based Acolad Group announced that it would acquire Luxembourg-based Amplexor. While the firms did not disclose the terms, their deal combines the 12th- (Amplexor) and 13th-ranked (Acolad Group) companies on CSA Research’s list of 100 largest language service providers. Following the acquisition, Acolad nouveau will have a combined US$307 million based on 2019 revenue (after subtracting about US$41 million in Amplexor revenue that will not be included in the sale). The me...

Remote simultaneous interpreting (RSI) platforms create a virtual booth where interpreters can pass the microphone back and forth as they interpret an event in real-time. They are designed to eliminate communication barriers on calls and in meetings, conferences, and other event types, so that participants who do not speak the same language can still participate in the exchange.

COVID-19 has changed the way people work – possibly forever. Those who could easily do so – office workers, financial staff, IT, and many others – have been working from home since early in the pandemic. Retail businesses were forced to make a quick acceleration in their online shopping experiences – meaning that at least some of their staff are now able to do their jobs from somewhere other than a store, warehouse, or delivery van. People are becoming accustomed to working from locations ot...

In late August, UK-based RWS Holdings announced that it would acquire fellow UK supplier SDL in an all-share deal. We analyzed the importance to the market of that deal in “RWS Absorbs SDL – The Business Story.” Here we analyze the impact of the acquisition on buyers and suppliers of SDL’s language and content management technology – and recommend some next steps for the soon-to-be new owners of storied brands like Trados and WorldServer.

In late August 2020, UK-based RWS Holdings announced that it would acquire fellow UK supplier SDL in an all-share deal that valued the latter at £809 million (US$1.07 billion). This transaction will merge the fourth- (SDL) and fifth-ranked (RWS Holdings) LSPs on CSA Research’s list of 100 largest language service providers. It will shuffle the ranking of leading LSPs on our list (see Figure) – and has the potential to touch many industry participants – suppliers and buyers, both – in the lan...

A webinar audience member recently asked about a country not included in our recent “Can’t Read, Won’t Buy – B2C” survey. His question was, “Where is Algeria?” After our half-joking response – “it’s in Northern Africa, east of Morocco” – we answered seriously that the country doesn’t appear on our list of most desirable online markets for economic and technological reasons.

For those who have worked within the localization industry for a while, the concept of “writing for translation” might feel old school, already-learned-and-forgotten-about: something that technical authors take for granted. Just like developers always think about internationalization of software code and processes, right? (We know how well that works!) That’s why a refresher course in how to write content in a way that optimizes the global customer experience is a really good idea – especial...

Enterprises that were used to holding in-person events for customers, employees, partners, or investors have been taken by surprise by the social distancing rules and reluctance to travel due to COVID-19. They must figure out – and fast – how to deliver rich participant experiences in a virtual format. And that is a tall order. Many localization teams have been forced to create miracles in short time frames to transition multi-day, on-location extravaganzas to similarly engaging virtual events.

Recently CSA Research launched the third edition of our oft cited “Can’t Read, Won’t Buy” research. We originated this topic of research in 2006 and continue to provide companies worldwide with the reliable data they need to plan and execute effective international growth strategies. When you encounter data like this from us or any other source, put on your data scientist hat and ask these two questions: what is the population and is it a representative sample?

With over 222 million Arabic-speaking web users, and an online economic opportunity of 2.5 trillion US dollars in 2020, Arabic is an attractive option for global brands. Nevertheless, it appears on far fewer sites than its potential would indicate. Part of the reason is that localizing into Arabic is not a simple task as it is not a single digital language for content marketing and customer experience. The languages used in the Arabic-speaking world for conversation, social networks, messaging, ...