Why we stopped building and started buying: A localization leader's honest take on DIY translation infrastructure

The API call is the easiest 5% of building a translation system. The other 95% – the TM integration, glossary enforcement, compliance controls, connector maintenance, and the prompt retuning every time a new model ships – is on your team, permanently. Chris Dell has lived both sides of that decision at enterprise scale, and helped others make that decision.

In this session from Smartling's 2026 Global Ready Conference, Chris shares the decision-making framework he uses to evaluate build vs. buy, how he has helped build internal alignment around the case for a dedicated localization platform, and what he has learned about the real cost and complexity of DIY translation infrastructure that only becomes visible once you're already deep inside it.