Per-word human translation
Placement: a judgment drawn from the evidence, open to correction (dispute it). As a rung 0 model it carries the family its value is moving toward.
The model
- Definition
- Translation billed by the word a person renders.
- What presses on it
- At TransPerfect, human language services fell below half of revenue for the first time in 2025; RWS reports a trillion machine-translated words a year.
- What still holds it up
- Both incumbents still grew total revenue.
- Stops working when
- The pressure above is the case against it. A stated end condition for retiring models is not yet written.
Evidence
Companies 1
Evidence items 1
Grades 1A 0B
Latest dated 2025
Counter-evidence 1
Evidence items 1
Grades 1A 0B
Latest dated 2025
Counter-evidence 1
The three labels
0. Fights · loop gain negative. The curve shrinks what it charges for (seats, hours, heads, words, clicks).
Toward: Selling the finished work · money lands in the outcome, not the tool or the hours.
Cost-curve loop · cheaper models, lower unit cost, more volume, more revenue.
Same rung and family
Named companies 1 companies · grade per item
| Company | Claim | Date | Gr | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TransPerfect Global, Inc. US · incumbent · best A |
TransPerfect's billed revenue grew 7% in 2025 to $1.32 billion, its 33rd consecutive year of growth, but language services (traditional human translation) fell below 50% of total revenue for the first time, with growth instead driven by GlobalLink technology licensing (up 18%) and AI consulting | 2025 | A | TransPerfect (company press release) |
Counter-evidence Reversals, failures and disputes
| TransPerfect and RWS, the two largest language-services incumbents, both grew total revenue in 2025 (TransPerfect +7%) rather than shrinking; the pressure shows up as a shift in revenue mix (technology licensing and AI consulting growing faster than traditional per-word human translation) rather than outright company decline | 2025 | TransPerfect (company press release) |
Sources 1
TransPerfect (company press release) transperfect.com · 2025