SPOTLIGHT: AI Isn’t Just Faster Translation, It’s a $40B Tug-of-War for Global Attention with Bryan Murphy of Smartling

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Aug 14, 2025

Bryan Murphy, CEO of Smartling, revolutionizes the translation industry with AI, tackling a $40 billion sector still mired in outdated methods. He highlights how AI not only speeds up translations but also enhances quality, maintaining brand voice. The discussion covers the challenges of disrupting traditional practices, integrating advanced technology, and the importance of effective team dynamics. Bryan also shares insights on managing stress through slow mornings and exercise, crucial for entrepreneurs navigating this fast-paced landscape.

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INSIGHT

Translation Is A Massive $40B Growth Lever

The global translation market is about $40 billion and drives revenue by enabling local-language purchases.
Localized content directly increases conversion, engagement, and market reach for companies like Apple and retailers.

INSIGHT

Legacy Workflows Still Dominate And Hold Back Growth

Traditional translation workflows remain manual, slow, and costly at roughly $0.20 per word.
That legacy process forces firms to ration translations and limits their international growth.

INSIGHT

AI Has Closed The Quality Gap Rapidly

Smartling measured quality with MQM where machine translation scored ~86 and human translation ~98.
Newer AI approaches close that gap to ~96–97, unlocking high-volume, on-brand automation.

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Bryan Murphy, CEO of Smartling, confronts a $40 billion industry stuck in the slow lane, the world of translation. Most companies still handle translations like it’s 1999: manual, expensive, and painfully slow. Bryan saw AI as the game changer that could rewrite the rules, but integrating it wasn’t a walk in the park. He shares how Smartling harnessed AI to not just cut costs and speed up translation but to finally boost quality close to human-level precision without losing control over brand voice or nuance. Yet, making this leap meant upheaval: reorganizing teams, hiring AI experts, and establishing ruthless R&D discipline to separate winning ideas from distractions.

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Key chapters:

(00:00) - Introduction to Bryan Murphy and Defining the Translation Challenge (02:30) - The Hidden $40B Translation Market and Its Untapped Potential (04:00) - The Evolution of Translation Services: From Manual to AI-Driven Automation (06:00) - Early AI in Translation: Faster and Cheaper, But Not Yet Better (08:00) - Defining Quality: The MQM Standard and Bridging AI-Human Gaps (09:20) - Human-in-the-Loop AI: Boosting Translator Productivity Tenfold (10:30) - Full AI Translation Approaching Human Grade: The Game Changer (11:45) - The Future Mix: Human Expertise vs. Automated Scale in AI Translation (13:00) - Unlocking Market Expansion Through Improved SEO and Digital Footprint (15:00) - The Moment of Truth: Recognizing GPT’s Impact and Rolling Out Rapid Innovation (16:30) - Founder’s Speed: Breaking Plans and Aligning Teams for Urgent AI Adoption (18:00) - Overcoming Organizational Challenges: From Excitement to Structured Execution (20:00) - R&D Reimagined: Timeboxing Experiments With Clear Metrics to Avoid Spinning Wheels (22:00) - The Discipline of “Customer-First” in AI Development and Roadmapping (24:00) - Leadership Lessons: Listening Without Losing Vision Amidst Painful Change (26:00) - Winning Customer Trust: Betting On Proofs of Concept Against Skeptics (28:00) - Personal Insights: Favorite Leadership Books and the Role of Intellectual Curiosity (29:30) - Staying Sharp: Daily Reading and Customer Conversations as Strategic Tools (31:00) - Managing Stress and Longevity: The Art of Mental Compartmentalization for Founders (32:30) - Final Thoughts: The Unseen Power of Humility in Leadership and Continual Learning (33:00) - Wrap-up and Invitation to Follow Smartling’s AI-Empowered Evolution