LATEST ISSUE
January 2026
Megan Sharp: A Career Transformation
As Verizon’s head of localization, Megan Sharp ensures its customers receive the same service quality no matter where they live or what language they speak. In this issue, she discusses her career path and what motivates her to do her best work every day.
Post Editing
“N
ew year, new you” — it’s a popular saying come January of each year, suggesting that now is the time for fresh starts and personal transformation. At MultiLingual, we’re channeling this idea with a look at how localization professionals are forging new career paths as artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes the language industry workforce.
First, Mimi Moore shares the stories of seven linguists who upskilled, reskilled, or otherwise reinvented themselves in response to an evolving industry landscape. Next, Nicola Mattina argues that emerging workflows will lead to new roles focused on AI supervision and orchestration. Finally, Teresa Toronjo challenges her peers to pursue more strategic work in order to thrive in the AI era.
This month’s cover profile also touches on this theme. Megan Sharp began as a translator and interpreter in medical, legal, and diplomatic settings. But with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, she pivoted to localization management. It’s a move that allowed her to learn in-demand skills and take her career to the next level of leadership.
But that’s not all in this issue of MultiLingual. We’re also beginning the year with a new column on language access. Plus, an article from Women in Localization recognizes six of its most dedicated volunteers.
With that, I wish you happy reading and a great start to the year!
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Event Recaps
Samvād 2025
Hosted by India’s Confederation of Interpreting, Translation, and Localisation Businesses (CITLoB), the two-day event featured a keynote speech from Jan Hinrichs and a theme of “New Horizons in Localization — Adapting, Innovating, Thriving.”
NTIF 2025
On November 23-25, thought leaders and language industry professionals from all over Europe gathered in Helsinki, Finland, to find inspiration in the concept of sisu: a unique Finnish blend of resilience and determination.
Column
LANGUAGE ACCESS MATTERS
The Global State of Language Access
Where are we now?
The author argues that providing language access more evenly throughout the world depends on recognizing it as a civil right, co-designing solutions with communities most affected by language barriers, and providing stable funding and business models for language access work.
Perspectives
Escaping False Polarizations in the AI Narrative
How the language industry can talk more honestly about AI
By Domenico Lombardini
The author argues for using history and data to evaluate AI’s impact as objectively as possible, including acknowledging the tradeoffs it brings. He concludes by advocating for revamped linguistic training programs that equip young people with tools to compete on value, not price.
Careers
Version 2.0: How Localization Professionals Are Reinventing Themselves
By Mimi Moore
As AI and changing priorities reshape the localization industry, language professionals are finding themselves at a crossroads. Some are upskilling to stay relevant, others are reskilling into new roles, and still others are drawing on transferrable skills to remake themselves entirely. This article features seven people who reimagined their careers and proved that adaptability is the industry’s most enduring skill.
How AI Will Restructure the Language Industry
With new roles for linguists and radically different workflows
The author posits that the shift towards large language models will pave the way for a new generation of language professionals who are architects and supervisors of AI-driven systems — restoring the centrality of linguists in localization workflows.
Stepping Into Strategy in the Age of AI
Localization took the lead in this case study from Malt
This article traces how early observations of localization-related structural inefficiencies led to identifying a dormant strategic opportunity, and how persistent advocacy, data-informed conversations, and cross-team collaboration gradually transformed a sidelined idea into an organization-wide priority.
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Profile
Megan Sharp
From linguistic expertise to inclusive leadership
Interview by Cameron Rasmusson
As Verizon’s head of localization, Megan Sharp ensures its customers receive the same service quality no matter where they live or what language they speak. In this interview, she discusses the career path that led her here, her predictions for the future of localization management, and what motivates her to do her best work every day.
Community
Two Thousand Languages, One Vision
The evolution of the African Languages Conference
By Mimi Moore
This article recounts the establishment, rapid growth, and future goals of the AFLC conference, which was co-founded by Avishta Seeras and Ady Namaran Coulibaly to address the lack of African voices in global language spaces.
Women in Localization’s Top Volunteers of 2025
Meet last year’s awardees, including STAR Award winner Nadja Ruhl
By Uma Kulkarni
Women in Localization (WL)’s 2025 Kudos and STAR Award winners are some of the organization’s most standout volunteers. In this article, WL celebrates their indispensable contributions that inspire excellence and help propel the organization forward.
Sponsored Content
Unlocking Latent Demand in Translation
Supported by Translated
Translated CEO Marco Trombetti identifies the frictions holding back global demand for localization and shows how AI removes them.
How Language Access Transformed Workforce Engagement at One Retirement Community
Supported by Creole Solutions
Positive changes occurred at John Knox Village, a Florida retirement community, after the implementation of professional Haitian Creole interpretation and translation support for its multilingual workforce.
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