My i18n/l10n experience is limited but I actually thought it was really positive to get everyone thinking about variable content length and appearance from the outset.
A lot of times I get designs that look great with just the right amount of lorem ipsum in there but fall apart when the real content with all its variety and imperfect.
I think sometimes having to step back and generalize helps avoid specific problems.
I would love to get a design that works straight away in even just 1 language. Usually I get one that completely falls apart once you add in things like validation messaging or other dynamic elements.
A lot of times I get designs that look great with just the right amount of lorem ipsum in there but fall apart when the real content with all its variety and imperfect.
I think sometimes having to step back and generalize helps avoid specific problems.