BLEND Localization Acquires Manpower Language Solutions (MLS) To Expand its Offerings and Strengthen its "BLEND into Israel" Capabilities

News provided by

Feb 21, 2024, 09:00 ET

MLS, which blends the world's biggest brands into Israel, is now part of BLEND
This is BLEND's second acquisition, following the acquisition of GM Voices in 2021
The language industry has an estimated market size of USD 26.6bn (Slator)

TEL AVIV, Israel, Feb. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- BLEND, a global localization provider and multimarket enabler, announced it has acquired Manpower Language Solutions (MLS), Israel's leading localization provider, founded in 1992. Formerly owned by ManpowerGroup Israel, the company provides localization, translation, and interpretation services to Israeli businesses, government entities, and multinational tech corporations.

The global language services market has grown rapidly as the world has become increasingly interconnected. The language industry has an estimated market size of USD 26.6bn, according to the Slator 2022 Language Industry Market Report.

The acquisition will significantly enhance the combined strengths of both companies in linguistics, technology, and customer service. BLEND serves global players from the United States, Asia, and Europe, and offers localization services in 120 languages, as well as voice recordings and video localization. MLS, conversely, brings vast experience and linguistic talent in Hebrew and Arabic with a track record of blending global brands into the Israeli market and working with many public sector units and Israeli companies.

BLEND, formerly known as OneHourTranslation until 2021, was founded in 2008 and has over 100 employees, thousands of language talents and voice actors, and offices in Tel Aviv, Atlanta, San Francisco, Shanghai, Kyiv, Bucharest, and London. The company acquired GM Voices in 2021 to add audio and video localization to its suite of services and is now working with global eCommerce, Gaming, FinTech, and eLearning brands.

"We're happy to welcome the MLS team to the BLEND family," said Yair Tal, BLEND's CEO. "MLS brings a long-lasting legacy as a professional localization boutique, a strong portfolio of loyal customers, and a great pool of talents that have been working together for many years. We see the growing interest of global brands in the Israeli market, and the Hebrew language, and we're happy to expand our offerings and strengthen our "BLEND Israel" division. We're looking into additional potential acquisitions that can help us grow faster and better service our customers."

Amnon Reder, Chairman of ManpowerGroup added: "I'm very proud of MLS' growth journey over the years that has built its strong positioning in Israel, and I am sure that MLS will continue to expand under BLEND. There is no better place for this activity which was part of the ManpowerGroup for so many years. I'd like to thank MLS retiring CEO, Shulamit Gilan for her long-term service and wish the MLS team lots of luck within their new home."

The deal was facilitated by Benny Orr, and the parties were represented by legal advisors Meitar Law Offices (BLEND) and Naschitz Brandes Amir (MLS).

About BLEND

As an end-to-end multimarket enabler, BLEND empowers global brands to establish a native presence in fundamentally different markets, worldwide. By harnessing the power of AI-driven technologies and a global community of language experts and voice talents, BLEND delivers complex, continuous localization at scale. Alongside its enterprise-grade, managed localization platform, BLEND also provides self-service, on-demand translation services via BLEND Express and world-class voice services through BLEND Voice.

About Manpower Language Solutions (MLS)

Manpower Language Solutions is Israel's leading provider of language and content solutions.

For the past 20 years, MLS has been providing the world's leading companies with high-quality localization services, creating and translating marketing and technical content, legal and medical content, and preparing our clients for global success in a borderless world.

MEDIA CONTACT: Hila Shitrit Nissim CMO [email protected]

SOURCE BLEND