In my career at the intersection of language and technology, I’ve often felt like an outsider in the world of code. I never formally studied informatics or learned programming the “proper” way. Instead, I stumbled into it out of necessity, curiosity, and often frustration that the tools I needed as a linguist or translator and interpreter simply didn’t exist. I began building, not with a grand plan, but by following where one idea, or one bug, or one prototype would lead me. In hindsight, it was a serendipitous process, serendipity being a term that, quite fittingly, was born in the realm of language itself. Moving from one word to the next, from one concept to the next, to create meaning. Today, this very approach has a name: vibe coding. And now I see that this was a practice many had embraced long before it became a trend. While I’m generally wary of buzzwords and hype, I believe there’s something here that’s truly worth reflecting on.
What Exactly is Vibe Coding?
For those outside the tech field, vibe coding might sound a bit abstract, but it’s really quite simple and intuitive. Imagine you have a rough idea for something you want to create: a new feature for an app, a tool to automate a task, or even just a way to visualize some data. Instead of spending weeks meticulously planning every detail, drawing up complex diagrams, or writing extensive specifications, you simply dive in and start building. Perfect for innovative work, isn’t it?
Think of it like sketching with code. Just as an artist might quickly sketch an idea on paper to see how it looks and feels, a vibe coder rapidly prototypes a concept with minimal structure. There are no rigid rules, no overwhelming project management methodologies, and no pressure for perfection. You’re simply letting your creativity guide you, experimenting with a browser and a lightweight coding platform, or whatever language and system you prefer. It’s a way of exploring an idea’s potential quickly and iteratively, allowing for immediate feedback and adjustments. In a world where AI is reshaping the translation and interpreting ecosystem at breakneck speed, this might be one of the most powerful tools in our hands.
Why It Matters for Language Service Providers
Language service providers (LSPs), as well as international institutions with language departments, are in a unique position. They’re not just intermediaries between clients and professionals; they sit on troves of linguistic data, client workflows, pain points, and invaluable market insights. Yet, many LSPs still view innovation as something that happens outside their walls, waiting for a big vendor to release the next plugin or for academia to publish the next breakthrough. Or just remaining slow in the innovation process, because innovating costs time, and consequently money. Vibe coding changes that (at least a bit).
With AI-based tools now seamlessly integrated into coding environments, it’s easier than ever to spin up a small experiment. Want to create a Chrome plugin that fetches audio in real time for integration into a speech translation system? Prototype it. Need to generate glossaries based on specific verticals and corpora of specialized texts? Build it and test the output. Curious about how to improve the visual experience of people reading live subtitles on a smartphone? Sketch a UI and iterate directly with users. No need of a dedicated big R&D team. No need of externalize the idea to a software company that is good at coding, but it will probably miss the mark in terms of UX. These are factors that stifle innovation or diminish the chances of turning an idea into something successful.
What used to take me days — searching forums, debugging dependency errors, trying to understand obscure documentation, engaging technical experts — is now possible in a fraction of the time thanks to AI copilots and low-friction development platforms. Coding has become more accessible, more conversational, and more human. And this opens up new possibilities for innovation.
The Point Isn’t Perfection. It’s Discovery
I often say that the best ideas I’ve had didn’t come from a whiteboard session; they came from trying something half-baked and realizing there was a “there” there. That’s the magic of vibe coding. You don’t need to know where you’re going to begin. In fact, not knowing is part of the journey. Like language itself, where one word leads to another, one function can lead to a whole new business idea.
This approach isn’t just for developers. Project managers, terminologists, even sales teams at LSPs can benefit from testing ideas in code: not to ship production systems, but to validate concepts, see what sticks, and open conversations with clients. Prototypes are powerful not because they’re polished, but because they provoke new thoughts and possibilities.
My advise: Leading, Not Following
The language industry doesn’t need to wait for innovation. It can be the innovation. LSPs who embrace this mindset will be the ones inventing new products, not just reacting to them. They’ll be the ones offering clients custom tools that actually solve their problems, not off-the-shelf software that kind of works. And they’ll do this not by hiring massive development teams, but by giving their existing teams the space to play, tinker, and vibe code.
I’ve always coded like this: half improvisation, half research, often with a healthy dose of linguistic curiosity. And I’m genuinely excited that this approach now has a name and a recognized place in our professional toolkit. With AI as your coding companion, the entry barriers are lower than ever. The only thing needed is the willingness to begin, even before you know where you’re going.
I invite all LSPs to consider adopting a more innovative approach to new products and ideas—one that embraces the spirit of vibe coding and lets creativity and experimentation lead the way. You likely already have innovative people on your team, individuals who enjoy thinking outside the box. If not, seek them out. Empower them. After all, even serendipity sometimes needs a little nudge. Bringing meaningful innovation into LSPs —even smaller ones— is not only possible, but within reach.