The localization world is drowning in jargon. From TMS to LLM, CAT tools to segmentation, the terms are piling up, and they’re not making things easier.
In fact, they’re making things worse. Gabriel Fairman believes it’s time we clear the fog and get back to something real.
“Jargon separates people from instinctual capability.”
Instead of helping, these terms often confuse.
People use the same word to mean different things, or different words to mean the same thing.
And when AI terms enter the mix? It becomes complete chaos.
The Jargon Trap
We’ve built an “alphabet soup” in localization.
Everyone’s throwing around acronyms and buzzwords, hoping to sound up-to-date.
But few people truly understand what these tools do.
Parsing? Segmentation? Embeddings?
“If I haven’t built a parser myself, maybe I don’t really know what parsing means.”
This lack of clarity creates two problems:
- People think they’re talking about the same thing when they’re not.
- People focus on the label, not the process or the result.
When AI Becomes Theater
A lot of companies say they’re “AI-first.”
But Gabriel challenges that idea.
“They’re still sending emails to assign tasks to translators.”
Many companies claim innovation but don’t change their core processes.
They might use LLMs for pre-processing or post-processing, but without true automation or quality control, it’s just theater.
Tech Potential ≠ Tech Adoption
Gabriel sees three layers in our industry:
- What’s actually happening now
- What could happen with current tools
- What might happen in the future with AI agents and automation
The real challenge is the gap between tech potential and tech adoption.
“The more I try to learn it all, the more anxious and paralyzed I become.”
And when people are overwhelmed, they freeze.
They read more, attend conferences, hoard information, but take little action.
Gabriel argues we need to focus on what’s right in front of us.
Back to the Basics
We don’t need another fancy term. We need better processes.
Gabriel breaks the translation workflow into key steps:
- Inception (file intake and quoting)
- Pre-processing (business rules, MT, knowledge base, RAG)
- Dispatch (right content → right person)
- Quality checks and delivery
If these steps aren’t automated, scaled, and well-designed, no amount of AI will help.
“Adding more AI on top of a broken process is like building a house of cards.”
Letting Go to Move Forward
It’s tempting to hold on to the familiar, especially when it gives us a sense of identity.
But that might be the very thing holding us back.
“First step is you have to get rid of the clutter.”
Change is uncomfortable. Rewiring systems takes effort. But only by letting go of the outdated can we make space for something better.
The Real Superpowers: Creativity and Resilience
In the end, two simple words stand out: creativity and resilience.
“Creativity means your mind is open. It means you’re hopeful.”
“Resilience means you keep going, without immediate gratification.”
Together, they are the mindset we need. Not more jargon. Not more fear.
But the patience to stretch again. To learn. To adapt. To build something better.
Let’s stop chasing the next acronym. Let’s start creating real change!
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