Slator - Language Industry News

  YouTube  has  announced  that it has rolled out its Multi-Language Audio (MLA) feature to “millions of creators,” enabling them to upload their own audio tracks in multiple languages using human voiceover artists or recordings from other AI tools. The announcement follows YouTube’s decision in June to  roll out automated AI-generated dubs  to 80 million creators worldwide, which creators  slammed  as “too robotic” and “cringe,” triggering some creators to demand access to the MLA tool. YouTube, which made the MLA tool available to a limited number of YouTube creators in  early 2023 ,  stated  that “on average, creators uploading Multi-Language Audio tracks to their videos saw over 25% of their watch time come from views in the video’s non-primary language.” In addition, YouTube commented that MLA tracks “ amplified views by 3x ” on Jamie Oliver’s channel, with one creator, Mark Rober, having the “highest number of MLA dubs uploade...

New SAG-AFTRA Game Localization Contract Restricts AI Usage in Dubbing On November 14, 2024, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA)  announced  an updated version of a previous agreement that covers the localization of  video game  projects produced in a non-English language. With approximately 160,000 members, SAG-AFTRA calls itself the “world’s largest union representing performers and broadcasters.” The union also represents voiceover artists, including those who provide dubbing.  As comics and gaming website Bleeding Cool  reported , the new Independent Interactive Localization Agreement is essentially an updated version of the base terms from the union’s Tiered Budget Independent Interactive Media Agreement, plus  AI  protections. The new agreement is signed on a project-by-project basis by employers whose project was originally scripted in a language other than English, and whose intellectual ...