From October 31st, Clearly Local’s teams gathered for a two-day conference at the scenic Shanghu Lake in Changshu city. This was one of the company’s most pivotal conferences to date. Against the backdrop of an industry thrown into disarray by the emergence of AI, the mood was noticeably more sanguine than at previous conferences.
This year’s theme cast a ray of optimism among attendees: the Pivot to Intelligence, Clearly Local’s transformation from a language vendor to an Intelligent Globalization Partner.
Throughout the event, three senior leaders from the company shared their perspectives on this new endeavor, and employees tackled a novel team-based challenge. Now, let’s unpack the event and explore how the newly transformed Clearly Local aims to help our clients and teams thrive amid the complexities of the AI era.
Day 1: Insights – Pivoting to Intelligence
Industry Disruption and the Need to Pivot
In his keynote speech, Managing Director Philippe Cao surveyed the crowd to gauge industry sentiment. Most responses indicated a reserved outlook. By now, most employees had witnessed the growing demand for MTPE (machine translation post-editing) workflows, along with other AI-driven solutions. As a result, the cost per translation project is decreasing, and in many domains translation is becoming commoditized by the improved, though still imperfect, capabilities of AI translation models.
As Philippe noted, citing a CSA Research report, this trend has been underway since 2021. For traditional translation service providers, remaining in this space without adapting would almost certainly lead to bankruptcy.
History offers several parallels, with Nokia being perhaps the most classic case study. As Customer Success Director Jill Huang pointed out, Nokia’s mobile phone business missed its chance to pivot toward software ecosystems and user experience, ultimately losing its dominant market share to rivals like Android and Apple.
As the industry stands at a crossroads, Clearly Local has chosen to lead rather than follow. The company is enhancing its operations to deliver greater value to clients and guide them through the complexities introduced by AI. It is pivoting to intelligence.
Clearly Local’s Strategic Transformation
So, what does this entail exactly? As Philippe outlined in his speech, it involves shifting away from low-value, transactional services and toward high-value strategic partnerships that blend AI and human expertise to deliver measurable business impact. Two key evolutions form the backbone of Clearly Local’s Pivot to Intelligence strategy:
- Language Solutions Product Integrator (LSPI)
Clearly Local is no longer just delivering translation services. It has upskilled and expanded its workforce. For example, Philippe noted the company’s increased hiring of Solutions Architects to help orchestrate AI workflows and provide end-to-end solutions that are faster, smarter and more scalable. This has led to their roles becoming increasingly merged with those of project managers, including responsibilities for direct customer interaction.
He also spoke of another vision that LSPI facilitates: a closed-loop model where language professionals become the guarantors of quality. As clients adopt MTPE and other AI-driven workflows, they need high-quality data to train their AI systems. This is especially critical for low-resource languages, which often yield lower-quality outputs.
Here’s how the process works:
- Curate – Ensure the quality of data fed into AI systems (think: “garbage in, garbage out”).
- Orchestrate – Assemble the right technologies and workflows to boost productivity.
- Guide – Help clients choose the right tools and manage complexity.
The closed-loop process ensures Clearly Local not only delivers outcomes but continuously improves them through high-quality human feedback.
- Multimodal Global Content Service Provider
Clearly Local has been steadily expanding its scope to support the entire content lifecycle through its Content 360 initiative. Services now extend beyond language to include design, UX, multimedia, and marketing, signaling our shift away from localization-only services. This strategy has enabled the company to evolve from a service provider into a strategic partner, co-creating content that drives engagement, performance, and brand consistency worldwide.
This shift aligns perfectly with the Pivot to Intelligence: it’s about delivering deeper value, smarter solutions, and global business impact.
Empowering People: The Human Side of the Pivot
Community Director Alma Gomez offered powerful and deeply human insights on personal transformation and mindset shifts during her session. Her message complemented Philippe’s strategic vision by focusing on the individual’s role in driving change.
Alma emphasized that transformation begins with people, not just systems or strategies. “We are the company,” she said, meaning that without individual change, organizational change is impossible.
She used a compelling basketball metaphor to illustrate the fundamental nature of the pivot Clearly Local is undertaking. In basketball, when you take a step, one foot remains grounded—representing your foundation, values, and identity—while the other foot moves to explore new directions, symbolizing adaptability and innovation.
Day 2: Activities – Forging Bonds and Embracing the Pivot
On the second day, we traded the conference room for the lakeshore to embody the very adaptability we discussed: to embrace the pivot not just in strategy, but in spirit and collaboration.
Nature, Serenity, and Shared Beginnings
The first activity, bamboo rafting, truly captured the tranquil spirit of the location. The experience was a step back in time: gliding silently across the placid water, propelled only by a skilled local using a long bamboo pole. It was a form of sensory deprivation from the usual hustle and bustle, allowing for genuine mental clarity and unplugging.
Then came a moment of pure, unplanned magic. As our team drifted on the rafts, the sound of traditional Chinese music floated across the water from another boat. This serendipitous serenade was a cultural highlight we could never have planned. It sealed the deal on the morning’s purpose: to create a calm, serene atmosphere for our team to unwind, connect with nature, and with each other. This mental recharge ensured that when we later shifted gears, our collective energy would be more focused and amplified.
The CL Olympics and Competitive Camaraderie
With minds clear and spirits refreshed, we pivoted dramatically. If the morning was about quiet reflection, the afternoon was about pure, modern, competitive execution. The “Clearly Local Olympics” became the absolute highlight of the retreat, shifting the focus from quiet contemplation to friendly conquest.
We broke into four color-coded teams—blue, purple, orange, and green—encouraging colleagues from different departments and international offices to bond quickly under pressure. The sports lineup was equally thoughtful: football, frisbee, archery, tug of war, and a relay race. This mix demanded a range of skills—pure athleticism, team coordination, ancient individual focus, and raw power—ensuring that every type of person, from the thinkers to the tactically strong, could contribute.
The competitive spirit was fierce, but what made it truly human and fun were the moments of physical comedy. There were plenty of tumbles and falls. This shared physical vulnerability was crucial. When leaders and employees are all falling over together, trying their hardest, it acts as a great equalizer. It doesn’t matter if you’re the CEO; you can still trip in a relay race. This intense, physical, but ultimately fun competition built trust at an incredible speed, testing how we perform under pressure and use our team’s diverse strengths. In the end, the blue team emerged victorious, but the real win was that everyone, without exception, genuinely had fun.
From Strategy to Song
That successful release of competitive energy flowed seamlessly into our farewell evening: a BBQ feast followed by a KTV session. After hours of physical exertion, gathering around warm fires with food and colleagues allowed those endorphins to settle into shared celebration rather than just exhaustion.
Karaoke became the new stage where company singers showcased impressive talents, maintaining high energy in a completely different register. Some performances were surprisingly professional.
The day was a powerful embodiment of our pivot in action—a unified team living its core principles of adaptability, shared focus, and the intelligent combination of diverse strengths.
Pivoting Together Toward the Future
As Phillipe mentioned in his closing remarks, the Pivot to Intelligence is not just a strategic initiative—it’s a collective movement. Success will come not from isolated efforts, but from a unified team embracing change together. His message was clear:
“Let’s pivot all together.”
This call to action invites every individual at Clearly Local to reflect, align, and act—transforming not only their roles but the company’s trajectory.
As Clearly Local evolves into an Intelligent Globalization Partner, it is doing more than adapting to industry disruption. It is leading the transformation, blending AI and human expertise, expanding content capabilities, and delivering smarter, scalable solutions that drive global impact.
Clearly Local is not just responding to the future of language services—it is shaping it.
