So now that SDL has announced its plans to buy TRADOS, the buzz around the industry is when Lionbridge is going to finally pull the trigger on purchasing its larger competitor Bowne Global Solutions (BGS). Based on what I'm hearing, the question isn't "if" but "when."

Last month, I asked Lionbridge CEO Rory Cowan what the main benefit of buying BGS would be and he answered "volume." Now that Lionbridge has production centers up and running in India and a brand-new translation memory tool, it is ready to scale.

And the acquisition would put Lionbridge within arm's reach of a half billion dollars in annual revenue, making it the gorilla in this industry (at least until an IBM Global Services decides to drop in).

But, regardless of what happens, the globalization services industry is really starting to get exciting again. Between the consolidation, innovation, and overall industry growth, this is a great time to be in the business of helping companies go global.

PS: I wrote about Lionbridge's new translation memory service in the June issue of Global By Design