Slator - Language Industry News

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 ...

Google Says There’s a Better Way to Create High-Quality Training Data for AI Translation In an October 14, 2024  paper , Google researchers highlighted the potential of AI translations refined by humans or human translations refined by  large language models  (LLMs) as alternatives to traditional human-only references. Talking to Slator, Zhongtao Liu, a Software Engineer at Google, explained that their study addresses a growing challenge in the translation industry: scaling the collection of high-quality data needed for fine-tuning and testing  machine translation  (MT) systems.  With translation demand expanding across multiple languages, domains, and use cases, traditional methods that rely solely on human translators have become increasingly expensive, time-consuming, and hard to scale. To address this challenge, the researchers explored more efficient approaches to collect high-quality translation data. They compared 11 different approaches — including ...

Sijie Wei, Co-CEO of language services, technology, and game localization specialist   EC Innovations   ( ECI ), joins SlatorPod to talk about   his new role   as co-CEO and leading one of Asia’s largest   LSPs with revenues exceeding USD 50m in 2023 . Sijie describes how ECI's initial focus on assisting Western blue-chip companies to enter China evolved into helping Chinese digital titans like Tencent and ByteDance extend their product offerings internationally. Sijie emphasized the difficulties facing the Asia-Pacific market, where localization maturity in several verticals still lags behind that of the US and Europe. But as sectors like e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and electric vehicles develop, he sees enormous development potential. Sijie noted that Chinese businesses want to create their own language AI solutions, which makes the industry extremely competitive. This study helps ECI apply state-of-the-art AI developments to client projects.  h...

Smartcat's Series C Funding, YouTube Dubs Launch, Viva Translate Closes Down Slator- Language Industry Intelligence Florian and Esther discuss the language industry news of the week, where they give their impressions from  SlatorCon Silicon Valley  and touch upon the findings from the 2024 ALC Industry Survey. In a significant funding update, Esther reports that  Smartcat raised USD 43m  in a Series C round, bringing their total funding to USD 70m. This funding will support product innovation in AI translation and multilingual content generation. Florian talks about  YouTube’s potential launch of AI dubbing , a feature in testing that aims to generate translated audio tracks for videos, significantly enhancing content accessibility and engagement. In Esther’s M&A corner, Cloudbreak, now rebranded as Equiti,  acquired its competitor Voyce  and brought on  a new private equity partner , Heritage Group. Meanwhile, EasyTranslate  acquired Wor...

Highlights from SlatorCon Silicon Valley 2024 Slator- Language Industry Intelligence On September 5, 2024, more than 150 language industry and technology leaders gathered at Hotel Nia in Menlo Park, Silicon Valley . The event offered a friendly and relaxed environment, encouraging networking and reconnections among participants. Attendees from over a dozen countries and four continents emphasized the importance of in-person Slator events in addition to virtual ones. The expo hall was also buzzing with activity. Esther Bond , Head of Advisory at Slator, kicked off the event with a warm welcome, outlining the day's presentations and panels, and encouraging delegates to network and engage with each other. Key Takeaways from SlatorCon Silicon Valley 2024 Florian Faes , Managing Director of Slator, opened the sessions by presenting key insights from Slator’s latest research on the language industry's current state. He discussed practical applications of large language models (LLMs)...

  Researchers Combine DeepL and GPT-4 to Automate (Research) Questionnaire Translation In today's fast-paced research environment, the demand for accurate and swift translation of research questionnaires is higher than ever. With global collaborations becoming the norm, researchers are constantly on the lookout for efficient ways to break language barriers. Enter the world of AI, where tools like DeepL and GPT-4 are changing the game. But how exactly does combining these technologies automate research questionnaire translation, and why is it a big deal? Let's dive in. Slator- Language Industry Intelligence The Role of DeepL in Translation Overview of DeepL DeepL has quickly risen to prominence as one of the most reliable AI-powered translation tools available. Known for its impressive accuracy, DeepL has been widely adopted by professionals who need translations that go beyond the literal, capturing the essence and context of the source material. Advantages of Using DeepL for...

Create a Unique Blog with Anchor Tags: The Impact of Emotional Context on LLM Translation Quality Slator- Language Industry Intelligence In an increasingly globalized world, translation is more important than ever. With the rise of Large Language Models (LLMs), translation has become more efficient and accessible. However, one crucial aspect that often gets overlooked is the role of emotion in translation. Emotion isn’t just a secondary component of language; it’s a vital part of communication that can significantly affect the quality of translations produced by LLMs. The Growing Importance of Translation in the Digital Age The internet has connected people from different parts of the world like never before, and translation services are at the heart of this connection. Whether it's translating a website, a marketing campaign, or a casual conversation, accurate translation is essential for clear communication across cultures. What are Large Language Models (LLMs)? LLMs are advance...