In an era of borderless business, global communication should be seamless. But in reality, most messages still don’t land how they’re meant to.
For William Mamane, CMO of Tomedes, a leading translation agency and the strategic mind behind MachineTranslation.com, the problem isn’t just about language barriers—it’s about contextual failure. Words may travel across borders, but their meaning often doesn’t, and that’s where traditional translation tools fall short.
We sat down with William to unpack why even well-intentioned businesses keep missing the mark in multilingual messaging—and how AI-powered translation is shifting the entire conversation.
So, let’s start at the core. Why are global communications still falling flat, even in the age of AI?
William Mamane: The biggest misconception is that translation is just about converting words. But in practice, it’s about transferring meaning—and that’s a much more complex, nuanced process.
Many companies rely on basic machine translation engines or single-source LLMs, which are optimized for speed and fluency but not for intent, tone, or audience relevance. The result? Flat, generic content that might be technically accurate but emotionally hollow—or worse, culturally tone-deaf.
AI translation is evolving, yes—but most tools still don’t take users’ goals or brand voice into account. That’s what we’re changing at MachineTranslation.com. We’ve reimagined translation not as a backend process, but as a front-line communication strategy.
What role does MachineTranslation.com play in transforming that process?
Mamane: Think of us as the control center for intelligent global messaging. Instead of choosing one translation engine and hoping it works, MachineTranslation.com aggregates multiple AI and LLM translation sources, so users can compare results side-by-side.
Each output is scored for quality, and our AI Translation Agent goes further by asking the user:
Who is your audience? Is this message formal or friendly? Do you want to keep certain terms in English?
And here’s the breakthrough: for registered users, the agent remembers. It learns from past translations, preferences, and even manual corrections. So over time, your translations don’t just get faster—they get smarter, more consistent, and more brand-aligned.
That’s personalization at scale, and it’s what makes our platform radically different.
Personalization sounds powerful, but is it practical for industries with strict standards, like legal or healthcare?
Mamane: Absolutely. That’s where we shine. Our Key Term Translations feature identifies up to 10 industry-specific or sensitive terms in a given text, and offers the top translation options from multiple engines—all in a clean, side-by-side table. This is a game-changer for legal, medical, financial, or technical fields where terminology accuracy is non-negotiable.
And when more precision is needed, we offer Human Certification, where a certified linguist reviews and validates the translation. This hybrid workflow is ideal for compliance-heavy sectors: it cuts costs by 70–90% compared to full human translation, but still delivers publication-ready results.
Can you share a real-world example where this made an impact?
Mamane: One standout case was a global skincare brand entering the Swedish market. They had dozens of products, each with nuanced claims—“cruelty-free,” “fast-absorbing,” “non-comedogenic.”
These aren’t just words. They carry emotional, ethical, and regulatory weight. A literal translation wouldn’t cut it.
Using our AI Translation Agent, the brand was able to refine how key phrases were rendered in Swedish, choosing between direct translations, cultural equivalents, or explanatory notes. The segmented bilingual view allowed them to tweak line by line and ensure clarity across every product description. The result was rapid deployment, brand consistency, and full regulatory compliance.
That’s the kind of speed and control businesses need today.
What would you say to companies still relying on single-engine tools like Google Translate?
Mamane: You’re flying blind.
Look, platforms like Google Translate are great for casual use, but they’re not built for brand-sensitive communication or industry precision. You don’t get comparative views, you don’t get glossary control, and you definitely don’t get quality scores or revision memory.
With MachineTranslation.com, we’re not just offering more translations—we’re offering better decisions. Users can evaluate tone differences, see which engine handles a phrase best, and choose the version that actually fits their audience.
That’s what global messaging should look like in 2025.
How do you see AI translation evolving next?
Mamane: Two big directions: contextual intelligence and workflow integration.
Contextual intelligence means AI will not just translate your words but understand your goals. Who is the reader? What’s the tone of the original message? Should this be localized with a cultural analogy or kept literal for legal clarity? That’s the level of nuance we’re building toward—and MachineTranslation.com is already leading in that space.
The second is integration. More businesses want translation embedded into their CMS, email platforms, or customer support tools. Our API already makes that possible. But we’re going further—embedding translation recommendations into everyday workflows, so users don’t need to be linguists to communicate globally.
Final thoughts?
If your global communication is falling flat, it’s not just a language issue—it’s a technology issue. But with the right AI tools, those messages don’t just travel across borders. They come to life.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
William Mamane, Chief Marketing Officer of Tomedes
William Mamane, Chief Marketing Officer of Tomedes, leads global marketing efforts, including strategy, brand, content, demand generation, and product marketing. He ensures that Tomedes’ marketing endeavors effectively promote its values and mission.