A request to ’translate our website’ can describe anything from a one-off content job to an international product operation with weekly releases, legal reviews and complex integrations. For a localization agency, better new business starts by separating those buying situations before anyone writes a proposal. This guide is about qualifying real opportunities, not promising a stream of leads.
The six things a useful localization brief should reveal
- Locales: target markets and language variants, not just ’Spanish’ or ’English’.
- Content: product UI, ecommerce, campaigns, technical docs, customer support or regulated material.
- Cadence: one launch, recurring campaigns or continuous product releases.
- Systems: CMS, app repositories, PIM, translation management and approval tools.
- Quality: terminology, subject-matter review, functional testing and acceptance criteria.
- Commercial fit: buyer, budget, procurement process and the real go-live date.
Translation, transcreation and localization are different jobs
A straightforward translation may be the right answer for a bounded document. Localization can also involve currency, dates, addresses, cultural references, interface layout and market-specific customer journeys. The W3C distinguishes the language work from the broader design and development practices that make a product adaptable. That distinction changes staffing, scope and price.
A SaaS team shipping new features every sprint may need repository integrations and linguistic QA. A retailer launching into another market may need product-data workflows and merchandising review. A legal team may need specialist translators and tightly controlled approvals. If the brief is small, do not sell an enterprise platform simply because you can.
A qualification process that protects delivery time
1. Start with the business use. Ask where the content will appear, who uses it and what happens if it is misunderstood. Marketing copy, safety instructions and in-product error messages carry different consequences.
2. Map the source material. Is there a style guide, terminology database, translation memory and stable source content? Who can export and reimport files without breaking the product? Missing foundations often account for more work than the first word count suggests.
3. Name the reviewers. Who approves market language, product accuracy, regulated claims and final publication? Agree on review rounds, turnaround times and how post-launch corrections are handled.
4. Offer a bounded pilot. Use representative strings, marketing content and a real handoff. Test linguistic quality and workflow friction before committing to a much larger programme.
What to put in your agency profile
- Actual locales, subject areas and delivery capacity you can substantiate.
- Your process for human translation, machine translation with post-editing, transcreation or hybrid workflows.
- Quality checks such as terminology management, independent review and in-context LQA where relevant.
- Specific integrations and file types your team can handle without relying on undisclosed subcontractors.
- Clear exclusions: languages, regulated sectors or deadlines outside your competence.
Price the operating model, not only the words
Per-word pricing can suit well-defined translation tasks. It does not automatically cover integration, creative adaptation, review cycles, testing or continuous release management. In proposals, separate setup, translation, review, technology, revisions and support. Make ownership of translation memories and terminology explicit, especially when the client changes vendors.
If AI-assisted translation is involved, explain model use, data handling, human oversight and quality thresholds. Buyers increasingly ask about governance, confidentiality and traceability. A claim that a tool is ’AI-powered’ is not a substitute for a security or quality answer.
Six questions to qualify before pitching
- Is this a market launch, ongoing product localization or a standalone document?
- Who owns the source and who signs off on each locale?
- Are terminology, style guides and translation memories available and usable?
- Which systems, formats and workflows must the service fit into?
- Which content requires specialist, legal or in-context review?
- What budget, launch deadline and purchasing authority are confirmed?
Where Mosai fits
Mosai helps businesses describe projects and allows agencies to present their capabilities for relevant matching. A basic listing is €0/month. The Partner plan is €99/month and offers prioritised matching where project fit is strong, without guaranteed lead volume. The SEO & AEO agent is €59/month at launch, with ongoing review and two new relevant pages per week. These are options for visibility and content work, not forecasts of sales. Prices are displayed in euros for the English-language offer; check the pricing page for current terms.
See For Agencies, pricing and how Mosai approaches leads. Keep your claims factual. If you cannot verify a certification, office, rating or case result, leave it out.
References for buyer expectations
W3C on localization versus internationalization clarifies the scope beyond translation. RWS’s April 2026 procurement guide discusses governance, technology and quality review in localization vendor selection. Neither reference supports a promise of a particular lead or outcome.
Make your localization expertise easier to assess
Tell prospective buyers which markets, workflows and content risks you handle well. A precise agency profile helps qualify fit before the first proposal.