It sure is February. By now, the "strategic" goals you set in January are just spreadsheets roaming like zombies in corporate purgatory. Don't worry; your secret is safe with us.
We talk constantly about translation speed: how fast we are to market, how quickly a linguist hits "implement feedback." But we ignore the speed that actually breaks a business:
The Speed of Sight.
If you have to export a CSV, bug a Project Manager, or manually filter a chart just to see your MT leverage or LLM spend, you aren't moving fast. You’re just busy.
In most companies, data is technically "available" but practically useless. Insight shouldn't be a hostage situation. Visibility isn't a feature. It’s the ground you stand on. This update is about removing the intermediary.
We’ve closed the gap between your questions and your data so you can stop asking for permission to see your own business. No more "asking people for reports." No more waiting. Just your data, ready when you need it.
If you can’t see where you’re going in February, you’ll be lost by June. Here’s what’s new.
Say hello to the all-new Bureau Works Analytics
It’s hard to compare analytics tools.
When all you see are beautiful dashboards and colorful pie charts, everything looks impressive. Templates everywhere. Hundreds of ready-made reports.
If analytics were a social network, it would be Instagram. On the surface, everything looks perfect.
But surface beauty is usually empty.
The real question is: how fast and how easily can you get the exact data you want right now?
Not one of 234,908 pre-built dashboards that don’t quite fit. Not a rigid template that looks good but won't let you move the furniture.
You know those micro-apartments that look stunning in photos, but when you step inside you can’t even open your arms without hitting a wall?
Some analytics tools feel like that.
We’ve revamped our analytics layer from the ground up to make reporting faster and easier to use, but more importantly, easier to get the data you actually want.
You can now:
- Schedule dashboards to be delivered automatically.
- Click into charts to drill down to the exact projects or files behind the numbers.
- Assign users with specific roles and permissions in analytics
Want to jump in a call and see a quick demo? Let’s go.
Improved Usage Dashboard
Since we are on the topic of data, the Usage page now separates your activity into three clear boxes: Raw Processed Volume, Machine Translation, and LLM AI.
You can instantly understand how your content is being processed and how that mix evolves over time.
As models continue to evolve, and as we expand the capabilities of our Augmented AI actions, you now have more flexibility than ever to define how translation happens, whether through MT, non-MT workflows, or Context-sensitive AI.
This usage breakdown becomes a reflection of those choices.
It’s a live snapshot of your localization strategy in action.
Take a look when you get a chance!
Keeping the Final Files Inside the Platform
Ideally, translation files are part of the workflow from the very beginning. But we know that in real operations, things don’t always follow the ideal path. Sometimes projects start one way, and for formatting, DTP, or other adjustments, a new file needs to be uploaded as the true final version.
Now that process is fully supported inside Bureau Works.
Vendors can download reference and translated files, work offline when necessary, and upload the final deliverable directly to the Work Unit. PMs can refine and re-upload adjusted versions, and when clients download the file, they receive the actual final version.
No version confusion.
Bureau Works always remains the single source of truth!
XLSX Preview
With the new XLSX Preview, you can view Excel files directly in the Editor without downloading them. The full structure is preserved: multiple tabs, formatting rules, conditional logic, embedded images, wide layoutsall visible as they were designed.
You can zoom in, navigate across sheets, scroll horizontally through large datasets, and resize rows and columns to better understand layout and intent.
It’s read-only by design. Because the goal isn’t to edit the spreadsheet, it’s to understand it.
For complex localization workflows, especially multilingual spreadsheets or structured datasets, this minimizes the risk of accidental deletions while preserving the full context and structure of the original file.
Spell Check Exceptions
In localization workflows, not every flagged word is a mistake. Brand names, product terms, proprietary language, stylized spellings, these are intentional. And when they keep getting flagged, they don’t improve quality. They create noise.
With Spell Check Exceptions, you can now define which terms should not be treated as errors.
Exceptions can be configured at both the Organizational Unit and Project levels, giving you flexibility in how broadly those rules apply. Company-wide terminology can be inherited automatically across projects, while project-specific exceptions stay local.
What’s New
The God Metric is Dead: Why Words Are Smarter Than Numbers
MTQE is long dead. We just forgot to bury it.
Gabriel Fairman said this in his latest LinkedIn conversation, and let’s just say it sparked a lot of comments.
Because here’s the uncomfortable truth: if something is 86% correct, what exactly are you supposed to do with that? You can’t fix a percentage. You can’t edit a score.
A number tells you how worried to be. It doesn’t tell you what to fix.
Semantic analysis changes that. It points to context. It shows you where meaning shifts. It gives you something actionable.
Take a few minutes to read it and tell us what you think. Join the conversation on Linkedin:
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7424852018823077888/
Read the original article here:
https://mergingminds.substack.com/p/the-god-metric-is-dead-why-words
DEBATE: How Big is the Translation Industry?
This is going to be EPIC!
In this debate, Nimdzi Insights and Slator come together for a rare, direct debate.
These are two of the most respected consulting and intelligence firms in the language industry. They speak with large enterprises, agencies, investors, and tech companies every day.
The goal is to explore multiple angles, challenge the usual assumptions of our sector.
Renato gave us some spoilers on his LinkedIn, last week:
- Do you count sign language interpreting alongside translation?
- Does game localization belong in the same bucket as technical documentation?
- Where's the line between language technology and language services? - -- What about markets in Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America that don't always make it into rankings?
Watch on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7422745036699795457
or YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/live/ablrGtNKih0
Grateful to have you with us. Let’s move forward with purpose, together.
Let’s make it happen,
let’s make it WORKs!
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