Solutions Round Table
The Solutions Round Table is a two-day event that will take place on September 17-18, 2025, at the Spencer Hotel in Dublin, Ireland. It will focus on the practice and application of various aspects of Solution Architecture. The moderators will facilitate open communication about real-world issues, problem resolutions, implementation of new technology, and process improvement.
Round Table Details
Dates
SOLD OUT
Format
Multiday
Your Moderator:
Erik Vogt
Fee
€1300
Language
English
This Round Table is sold out!
Join our Waitlist.
Wednesday, September 17th – Thursday, September 18th, 2025
The objectives of the Round Table are to:
- Promote a better understanding of the practice of Solution Architecture within the language services industry
- Create a channel of open communication for Solutions Architects and related fields to discuss specific issues outside the confines of a business relationship
- Explore different areas of Solutions Engineering including supporting technology evaluation and deployment, sales support, and supporting operations in a variety of client and vendor dimensions.
- Peer-to-peer exchange of ideas
- Sharing of experiences
- Frank and free discussions of issues confronting the industry
- Networking
Registration includes a an opening reception dinner, light breakfast,and lunch on each conference day with continual coffee and tea service.
Focus, experience, learn!
What is Solutions Architecture? This multidisciplinary practice started becoming common in the language services industry around decade ago, emerging as a role that supports solving business problems in our increasingly complex and interconnected field. Inspired by the metaphor of designing a building, the practice involves applying technology and process solutions to business problems, understanding the interactions of different systems and procedures and how they interact with each other, how the solution will scale and be maintained, as well as understanding costs, recommending pricing, understanding customer satisfaction, sales strategy and presentation skill, and guiding the team in charge of execution to produce the deliverable to spec.
In September, 2025, the Solutions Round Table will focus on the practice and application of various aspects of Solution Architecture. Moderator Erik Vogt will facilitate open communication with the assistance of an advisory board with members from major global brands about real-world issues, problem resolutions, and wishes for technology and process improvement.
Ideal participants are inquisitive, curious, and willing to share their experiences in understanding and solving problems in the language industry.
An Advisory Board assists in the creation of the agenda and facilitates the topics and presentations that comprise the 2025 event. Most Board members plan to attend the Round Table. To assess the sophistication of information that will be available to attendees at the Round Table, read the bios of the Advisory Board members. There is a lot to be learned from this group of experienced industry practitioners.
Who is there and what happens?
The Localization Institute’s First 2025 Solutions Round Table
Most Round Table attendees have experience in the translation industry in various roles involving solutions development, hands on management, engineering or technology application – often a combination of all four. As a result, presentations and discussions deal with advanced topics. Newbies who wish to listen, ask questions, and learn are also welcome.
The format of the Round Table relies on short presentations, some of them impromptu, followed by extensive discussions involving as many attendees as possible.
To ensure that Round Table topics are as relevant and timely as possible for the participants, we leave the last session unplanned. The subject matter for this open session is determined onsite by the attendees. Open session topics can be proposed at any time during the event.
The Round Table’s success depends on attendees being willing to share information and experiences freely. To encourage spontaneity, no formal minutes or records are kept or published. Attendees are free to keep their own notes.
Discussion of translation tool prices and details of vendor contracts is not permitted.
The Round Table is chaired by industry veteran Erik Vogt.
Round Table Agenda Topics
- Principles of Solutions Design Introduction of frameworks for discussion. Explore the scope of the field, what activities are and aren’t solutions? How does design dictate the approach to a solution?
- Why is Solutions Design more important than ever? In a global, digital economy where AI is transforming content creation and customer engagement, most companies still treat language services as an established solution — a cost to manage, not a capability to scale. This roundtable explores how to quantify real value and define decisionable datapoints for business decision makers to act on.
- The Evolving Role of Solutions Experts in the Localization Industry We discuss how the Solutions Architect/Solutions Engineer role in localization is changing, from focusing mainly on language services to taking on more technical, AI-driven work. This open discussion is where we can share experiences, swap ideas, and offer practical advice for anyone in (or entering) these roles. For instance, how can SEs and SAs stay ahead of emerging trends and develop the skills needed to thrive in an increasingly AI-driven localization landscape? How do we find, nurture, and develop the SAs of the future? What should one look for in a great SA hire?
- What are the differences in Solutions Architect Roles? / Working in the “Grey Zone” of Solutions Development: What are the core skill sets in building solutions and innovations within different organizations? What does an SA role look like within a global business, or within the LSP and tech platform/providers that support them? How do we disambiguate a vague “Swiss army knife” idea of a solution provider and build a set of tangible skills needed to break down problems in different contexts?
- What makes a good proposal? We will look at real data on what a good proposal should include and the business results that prove it. There are 8 core aspects of an excellent proposal – we’ll discuss which ones matter most.
- Quantifying Return on Investment: There are many aspects to quantifying value, especially when nebulous costs and benefits are involved. What are some tangible strategies for handling uncertainty?
- The REAL role of AI in this industry. AI implementation is happening but is AI “fixing” everything, or is it mostly just a disruptor? How does AI change the SA’s role? We’ll be separating AI value from the hype chaff to zero in on real business value, as well as how to talk to excessive expectations.
- Priceless failures Critical lessons are learned in the ashes of defeat. In this session, we explore actual pain points instead of just talking around them. We also examine how retaining those “learning moments” is essential to moving forward.
- Cost optimization and the paradox of choice We explore how patching capabilities together adds complexity, and adds more permutations of the possible.
- Where does the Solution Engineer/Architect role sit in an organization? Where does a Solutions team belong in an organization? Is an SA a technical wizard or a pre-sales consultant? Project Manager for the proposal response?
The complete agenda and timetable for the Solutions Round Table, as well as details on the speakers and moderators for each round table discussion session, will be published here soon.
Round Table Location
The Spencer Hotel – Dublin, Ireland
Round Table Organizer and Moderator
Erik Vogt – Founder, Vogt Strategy. With over two decades of rich experience in the language services industry, Erik’s career has been marked by a deep engagement in operations, solution design, and sales leadership, ranging from grassroots to senior executive roles. Erik’s passion is striving for a comprehensive understanding of the intricacies involved in globalizing and localizing content, products, and services across a spectrum of domains and markets is backed by adeptness in steering large international and interdisciplinary teams.
Erik has a passionate commitment to building and leading teams that excel in deploying complex solutions. His core competencies lie in pre-sales consulting, program management, process optimization, and global team management and is invigorated by the challenge of bridging multiple disciplines to develop impactful solutions, meticulously tailoring each project to its unique requirements, and fostering an environment where team members can realize their full potential.
Erik also has a dedication to continuous learning and innovation as evident through an MBA, MSML, AI certifications, and a personal commitment to dedicating 6-8 hours each week to learning. His ultimate mission is to empower customers and partners to actualize their ambitions and visions, aligning processes to achieve optimal outcomes. His deepest gratification comes from seeing satisfied customers, the growth and success of the teams he works with, and the synergy of well-coordinated team efforts.
Advisory Board Members
Tim Arata. Tim Arata has over 18 years of hands-on localization management experience. His expertise spans the entire global content workflow and the technologies that support it. Tim has a passion for building holistic localization strategies and international teams. Prior to cofounding Locale Solutions, he was at Apple where he helped pioneer and manage Apple’s localization processes, technologies, and quality assurance programs. Other experience includes WhatsApp (1 1/2 years where he grew and managed the content and localization teams); Localize Technologies (multilanguage vendor); and Idiom Technologies (the original enterprise translation management system). Tim has long been curious about the ubiquitous us/them aspect of the localization sales process.
Konstantin Savenkov. After receiving a PhD in 2008, Konstantin Savenkov led research and development efforts for online content services, then worked as CTO at Zvooq and as a chief operating officer at Bookmate. In 2016, he contributed his experience in artificial intelligence (AI), technology, and operations to found Intento, Inc., where they build tools to source, evaluate, and use machine translation and other cognitive AI services.
Darin Goble. Darin Goble is the head of solutions for Welocalize and has a 25-year leadership history in the localization and global content space managing production, engineering, and solutions organizations. He has a passion for embracing change and advancements within the industry grounded on positive impact for customers through effective collaboration, vision, and execution to ensure measurable outcomes.
Jon Ritzdorf. For more than 20 years Jon Ritzdorf has been immersed in localization; starting as a translator, transitioning into engineering, and ultimately moving into strategy where he has remained for over a decade. As a former senior solutions architect, he currently crafts globalization strategies for companies ranging from Fortune 100 to start-ups and unicorns. Outside of his full-time job, Jon is also an adjunct professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies and the University of Maryland where he strives to uplift the next generation of professionals in language technology, solutions development, and the business side of the translation industry. In 2012, he received an award in “Teaching Excellence.”
Alicia Cosh. Alicia Cosh is a Presales Solutions Engineer with over 20 years of experience in the localization industry. Her career spans diverse roles, beginning in translation project management and evolving into technology-focused Solution Architect positions. Alicia brings a strong track record of collaborating with sales teams to design and deliver tailored solutions that meet complex client needs. She remains deeply passionate about the evolving intersection of localization, technology, and AI, and is committed to continuously expanding her expertise to stay at the forefront of industry developments.
Lydia Clarke. Lydia Clarke, VP of Onboarding and Solutions, brings over 20 years of experience in the localization industry to her role at Acclaro. Based just outside San Francisco, CA, Lydia has built her career across project and program management, engineering, and operations management, honing her expertise in delivering innovative solutions for global clients. A graduate of Cornell University, Lydia’s passion for problem-solving and collaboration drives her to create impactful strategies that empower teams and enhance customer experiences.
Before joining Acclaro, Lydia gained valuable insights from roles at industry leaders like Lionbridge and RWS, as well as from her early career in project coordination. Outside of work, she’s a devoted supporter of local farms through a CSA program and enjoys exploring new destinations with her family.
When she’s not baking bread, cake, or pie, Lydia is re-reading her favorite books, like The Expanse series, or taking a deep breath to manage life with three tween and teen boys. Enthusiastic about new languages, public transportation, and cold water, Lydia thrives on connecting people and ideas to foster creativity and success.
Kirill Solovjov. With 22 years in localization, Kirill has been deeply focused on Translation Quality Management and its automation for the past 10 — as a co-founder, CEO, and CPO of a language technology company. His most recent interest is simplifying the benchmarking of language AI (LLM and NMT) output quality across various multilingual use cases such as translation, LQA, and more. Formerly a Global Director of Localization at a Unicorn tech company, he’s based in Tallinn, Estonia, Northern Europe. In his spare time, Kirill plays, teaches, and promotes Irish traditional music.
Request More Information
If you would like more information on this round table, please contact manager Jefferson Clark at jefferson@localizationinstitute.com
Round Table Decorum
The Round Table’s success depends on people being willing to share information and experiences freely. To encourage that, the sessions are not recorded or republished and no formal minutes or records are kept. Attendees are free to keep their own notes.
Terms and Conditions
Cancellation Policy:
The Localization Institute, Inc. reserves the right to cancel this Round Table if there are less than 10 registrants.
Your registration fee is not refundable. It is, however, transferable to a colleague, if we receive written notice prior to the start of the event. If we have to cancel a round table due to minimal enrollment, your registration fees will be fully refunded.
Payment:
We accept payment by credit card, Paypal or by invoice. Payment for invoices is due within 10 days.
If paying via Bank Transfer outside of the United States, you MUST select the FULL SWIFT option in order for your invoice to be paid in full.
