I use ChatGPT (and Claude.ai) every day. I use it for all sorts of tasks. It’s part of my workflow. I use it to help me learn about new topics and industries, and in many ways has replaced google as the first place I go to. This got me thinking… What if you were using it to research the localization industry? Would this change how people find LSPs on the web? Who would ChatGPT recommend you work with and why? And more importantly, how (as a marketer) can you influence the results?
So… let’s do an experiment. Let’s pretend we’re a customer with little knowledge of the localization industry and want to know more (top of funnel stuff). What will ChatGPT recommend and what will the process look like?
For this experiment I’m using ChatGPT 4 (the paid for version) and have all custom instructions turned off.
Here is the first prompt I used:
Hello ChatGPT. I need your help. I am a content manager for a very large agency in London and I have a requirement for language translation services. Can you provide me with a list of all the LSPs in the area, the pros and cons of each, the name of their head of sales and examples of their customers. I want you to return this in a table format for me. Please cite your sources.
This is what ChatGPT returned:
Here are some examples based on globally recognized LSPs that might have a presence in London:
| Name | Pros | Cons | Customers | Source |
| Lionbridge | Global presence – Diverse service offerings | Can be pricier than smaller providers | Major tech companies | Lionbridge’s official website |
| SDL | Comprehensive solutions – Strong technology base | UI can be complex for some users | Multinational corporations | SDL’s official website |
| TransPerfect | Large scale operations – Multiple sectors | Some reported management challenges | Global 500 firms | TransPerfect’s official website |
Remember, this is a general table, and details like the name of their head of sales are not included. This information changes frequently, and for the most up-to-date details, you might want to directly contact these companies or check their official websites. The provided sources are the companies’ websites, but for detailed customer examples and more pros and cons, a deeper dive into industry publications or reviews might be necessary.
Not much use really… It’s picked 3 of the largest LSPs (guess you never get fired for buying blue) and cited the sources as their own websites 🙄. So let’s try something else.
Next I asked
Can you tell me some trusted sources of information about companies supplying localization and language translation services. Please provide URLs and cite all sources. Return in a table format.
It returned the following table.
| Name | Description | URL |
| Common Sense Advisory (CSA Research) | A well-regarded market research firm that focuses on the global language service industry. | https://www.csa-research.com/ |
| GALA (Globalization and Localization Association) | A global trade association for the translation and localization industry, offering resources, research, and events. | https://www.gala-global.org/ |
| Multilingual Magazine | A publication that covers topics related to localization, translation, and global website services. | https://multilingual.com/ |
| Slator | Provides news, analysis, and updates about the translation, localization, and language technology industry. | https://slator.com/ |
| Translation Commons | A nonprofit online community of volunteers sharing tools, resources, and initiatives. | https://translationcommons.org/ |
| ProZ | A community and workplace for language professionals, with directories, job postings, and more. | https://www.proz.com/ |
| TAUS (Translation Automation User Society) | An innovation think tank and research centre for the global translation sector. | https://www.taus.net/ |
Not a bad source of info…
But… back to the LSPs.
I asked a more specific question to see if it would recommend a reputable company to provide Localization Services. Using this prompt:
Could you give me a list of 10 reputable companies that provide localization and language translation services?
It returned this list of companies in this order:
- Lionbridge
- SDL (now part of RWS)
- TransPerfect
- RWS Holdings
- Welocalize
- Keywords Studios
- Moravia (now part of RWS)
- Straker Translations
- AMPLEXOR (now part of Acolad)
- Acolad
I then asked it to give me specific information about how it determines that these companies are reputable… I was hoping to get it to tell me what process it’s going through and how these companies above all others have been returned. This is the prompt I used:
Can you tell me specifically why you think these companies have a good reputation. Explain the process and where the data came from?
And it returned this info:
OpenAI’s GPT models, including the one you’re interacting with, are trained on a mixture of licensed data, data created by human trainers, and publicly available data in multiple languages. This corpus was used to pre-train me on a range of language tasks, such as language modelling, text completion, and text classification. I then fine-tuned on a narrower dataset generated with the help of human reviewers. When it comes to the reputation of specific companies or any other subject, I don’t “know” in the way humans know something based on experience or specific study. Instead, my responses are generated based on patterns in the data I was trained on.
Here’s the breakdown:
Volume of Mention: Companies that are frequently mentioned across diverse sources often signal their prominence in the industry. Larger players in the industry are often more widely discussed.
Positive vs. Negative Sentiment: The data contains many textual clues. If, in many instances, a company is mentioned in a positive context, it suggests the company may be reputable. Conversely, frequent negative mentions could signal potential issues.
Association with Established Entities: Being cited in reputable industry reports, associations, or collaboration with known entities can be an indicator of a company’s stature in the field.
Historical Consistency: Companies that have been in the industry for an extended period and are consistently mentioned positively over time could indicate a sustained reputation.
However, some caveats are essential:
I don’t have real-time data. My training only goes up until January 2022, so any developments or changes in a company’s reputation after this point are unknown to me. I aim to provide a general overview based on patterns in the data. These patterns represent aggregate sentiment but might not reflect every individual’s experience. There’s always a degree of subjectivity in terms of what “reputable” means. My aim is to provide a general overview that is broadly accurate, but it’s crucial to conduct independent research and due diligence.
In the context of the mentioned companies, they are often cited in industry-specific literature, have a global presence, and have been involved in major industry events and collaborations. Still, for the most current and detailed insights, especially if making business decisions, primary research or consulting current industry reports would be advisable.
What does this tell us?
The type of marketing strategy required to benefit from the above is centred around building, enhancing, and maintaining a company’s reputation and brand perception. This will use a mix of several marketing tactics. The commonly used ones being:
Reputation Management: The practice of crafting strategies that shape or influence the public perception of an organisation, individual, or other entity on the Internet.
Brand Management: The process of managing a brand’s reputation and improving its image with the target audience over time.
Public Relations (PR): The professional maintenance of a favourable public image by a company or other organisation or a famous person.
Content Marketing: Creating and sharing material online (like blogs, videos, social media posts) that doesn’t explicitly promote a brand but is intended to stimulate interest in its products or services.
Influencer Marketing: Leveraging individuals with influence within an industry to promote a company, product, or service.
Thought Leadership: Establishing a brand or individual as an expert and authority within their industry by producing content and insights that address industry challenges and trends.
When combined, these tactics create a holistic approach aimed at positively influencing how a brand or company is perceived, leading some to refer to it under the broad umbrella of Reputation Marketing.
As we move into an age increasingly influenced by Generative AI, the conventional paradigms of digital marketing will face inevitable disruption. Just as SEO-focused content creation evolved to accommodate more sophisticated search algorithms, the emergence of AI-driven tools in reputation research will necessitate another leap in marketing tactics.
If a Generative AI is asked by your customers to assess the reputation of a company, it won’t just scan for keyword-stuffed articles or shallow SEO-driven content. It will analyse patterns, sentiment, association with industry leaders, historical consistency, and more. In such an environment, writing for SEO won’t be enough (it probably never was). The depth, authenticity, and holistic representation of a brand’s value become paramount.
Marketing teams need to be forward-thinking, prioritising genuine reputation-building over short-term digital gimmicks. It’s not just about being visible on the internet; it’s about ensuring every piece of content, every mention, and every association adds substantive value to your brand’s narrative.
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