With the advent of AI, executives envisioned the possibility of instant translation, reduced headcount, and increased profitability. Suddenly, language services shifted from a line item to a lightning rod, as leadership questioned why they still needed human linguists when Large Language Models (LLMs) could automate and deliver translated content more quickly. However, this scrutiny provided localization teams with an opportunity to demonstrate their strategic impact if they could navigate the risks and redefine their value.