Our cells produce a variety of proteins, each with a specific role that, in many cases, means that they need to be in a particular part of the cell where that role is needed. One of the ways that cells ensure certain proteins end up in the right location at the right time is through localized translation, a process that ensures that proteins are made—or translated—close to where they will be needed. Whitehead Institute Member Jonathan Weissman and colleagues have studied localized translation in order to understand how it affects cell functions and allows cells to quickly respond to changing conditions.