What started as a class project at Copenhagen Business School is now helping enterprises speak every language their customers do.
In 1999, three students - Henrik Lottrup, Thor Angelo, and Anders Philipsen - pitched an idea for an online translation portal in a school presentation. A year later, that idea became WORLDLANGUAGEFORUM ApS: a digital marketplace where businesses could upload a document, receive offers from translators, and choose the best fit.
But within six months, it was clear the model didn’t suit customer needs. Customers didn’t want to manage the process themselves. They wanted service. So the team pivoted, shifting from a marketplace to a managed solution that delivered quality, simplicity, and convenience.
That change also prompted a rebrand. In 2001, LanguageWire became a registered trademark, and a mission to simplify translation began.
Fast-forward 25 years and LanguageWire is now a global language solutions provider; trusted by over 3,000 enterprises and delivering more than 1 billion words a year with the help of 400+ employees and 7,000 expert freelancers.
But this isn’t just our story. It’s our customers, too.
Every product, service, and innovation we’ve launched has been shaped by what customers needed: faster processes, simpler workflows, secure infrastructure, and content that resonates globally.
Built to solve your challenges
From the start, the LanguageWire team believed that localisation could be smarter. We didn’t want to be just another translation agency - we wanted to build the systems behind it.
From early on, we focused on how technology could make content processes more efficient. We launched the earliest version of what would become our Translation Management System, incorporating translation memories, termbases, and automation to reduce manual work and improve consistency.
As our customers expanded, so did we - opening offices around the world. We built custom connectors for platforms like Sitecore, WordPress, Drupal, and inRiver, enabling customers to translate content directly within their existing CMS and PIM environments.
And as our customers’ content needs exploded, we scaled up; bringing in talent and tech through acquisitions like Frontlab, Xplanation, Delingua, and WhP. All to help our customers move faster, stay consistent, and localise at scale.
Scaling with you for every milestone
Whether customers are launching in new markets, adapting to change, or navigating compliance, our role is to make it easier for them to grow globally.
That’s why today, LanguageWire combines:
Expert services and 7,000+ vetted linguists
Enterprise-grade security built to meet global data protection standards
Modular workflows tailored to your teams
So, customers can scale output without increasing complexity.
More than just AI. It’s intelligent language solutions.
Yes, we harness AI. But we also go beyond it.
We combine cutting-edge tech with expert teams to deliver secure, scalable language solutions with the right level of quality for every type of content. That means translating a billion words a year while balancing speed, consistency, and compliance.
From subtitling to multilingual SEO, from regulated industries to fast-moving ecommerce, we adapt to fit our customers' voice, workflows, and world.
Looking ahead
We’re not just celebrating 25 years of LanguageWire. We’re celebrating 25 years of partnership with the enterprises who trusted us to connect them to the world.
We’ve evolved from a startup in Copenhagen to a global language solutions partner because our customers needed more than translation.
Customers needed solutions that scale, adapt, and simplify.
Thank you to our customers for being part of that journey.
Here’s to the next 25. Wherever your business goes, we’ll speak your language and bring the next great idea to life.
