Independent economic impact study models payback in under six months, with benefits from lower translation costs and faster international launches
RWS, a global AI solutions company, announced the findings of a new Forrester Consulting study examining the potential financial impact of combining its AI-powered language technology with expert linguistic services.
The study calculated that a composite organization realized $21.7 million in localization-related benefits (translation savings, avoided revenue loss, efficiency improvements and reduced third-party validation) over three years, compared with costs of $6.9 million, adding up to a net present value of $14.7 million and an ROI of 212%.
Behind those headline figures is a broader shift in the economics of global content. Rather than treating technology and linguistic expertise as separate investments, the study examined an RWS solution that brings together translation technology, AI, automation and expert services – progressively increasing automation as the organization’s localization model matured.
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Forrester Consulting interviewed four decision-makers at organizations using RWS and aggregated their experiences into a composite organization – a global technology company with more than $30 billion in annual revenue. The composite organization expanded its multilingual content operations over three years, across 32 languages in Year 3.
The study identified financial benefits from translation savings, reduced delays to international launches, improved localization project management efficiency and reduced quality validation costs. It also identified benefits beyond the financial model, including brand voice consistency and governance, security and compliance readiness and greater visibility into translation activity.
Ben Faes, CEO of RWS, said: “For years, localization has been seen as a cost center and, too often, a bottleneck to launching content and products in international markets. AI promised to make the process faster and cheaper. But this study shows that the opportunity is much bigger.
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“The real value comes from combining AI with human expertise in the right way. As organizations increase automation while applying specialist knowledge where it matters most, they can reduce costs, accelerate international launches and create measurable business value. A modelled 212% ROI shows just how significant that opportunity can be.”
RWS brings together in an integrated solution Trados Enterprise, Language Weaver and expert linguistic services to help organizations manage and automate multilingual content at scale. The study modeled a three-year journey in which the composite organization increased its use of translation memory, machine translation, automation and self-service. As adoption matured, financial benefits increased year over year.
The findings come from The Total Economic Impact™ Of RWS: Cost Savings And Business Benefits Enabled By RWS’s AI-Powered Language Intelligence Platform And Expert Services, a commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of RWS, September 2026.
