The 10 Most Popular Language Industry Stories of 2021
After an extraordinary year, our look back on 2021 — from Big Tech to big buys, machine translation to translators’ job prospects — shows the language industry is thriving.
Apple
STAR7 Acquires Ireland-Based LocalEyes, Localization Provider to Apple
Italy-based STAR7, part of the STAR Group, acquired Ireland-based LSP LocalEyes, a localization provider to Apple for more than two decades.
Language Service Provider STAR7 Raises EUR 15m in Milan IPO
Italy-based language service provider STAR7, part of STAR Group, raises EUR 15m in December 2021 IPO in Milan.
Linguists Wanted! 10 Language Jobs Big Tech Is Hiring For Right Now
Curating datasets, reviewing user-generated content, and liaising with locals — all in a day’s work for a linguist hired by big tech. (No computer science degree or published research required.)
Gamers Debate: Does Machine Translation Make Game Localization Worse?
Studios release machine translated games and players run QA. Fan translations predate MT, but new tools may help gamers contribute to more seamless localizations.
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Judging Google Translate, TransPerfect’s Road to the Billion, Spain as Media Loc Hub
TransPerfect closes in on billion-dollar target, Spain becoming an audiovisual hub, US court’s take on Google Translate, and key takeaways from new Localization Buyer Pro Guide.
Spain Recasts Itself as Audiovisual Hub, Creating Opportunities for Media Localizers
Netflix’s first European production hub opens in Madrid; Apple expands its AI/ML work in Barcelona; Spanish PM pledges more than EUR 1.6bn for the country’s audiovisual sector.
Google’s Latest Phone, Pixel 6, to Feature Live Translated Captions for Audio and Video
Google uses own system on a chip, Tensor, to power Google Live Caption and Interpreter Mode features for its latest smartphone, Pixel 6, slated for fall release 2021.
Streaming Boom Changes Buyer Perception of Subtitling, Dubbing
David Lee, CEO of media localization provider Iyuno-SDI, on expanding scale, scope, and capacity to thrive in the new era of global content distribution.
Machine Translation Left Unaddressed by EU in Proposed AI Legislation
How risky are machine translation and other natural language processing applications? “First AI legislation on the planet” aims to mitigate risk. Violators may face significant fines for breach.
Reader Polls: Non-English Netflix, Open to Work, AI Voices at a Screen Near You
Here’s your take on Netflix’s non-English content, Apple hiring people for their voices in many languages, changing jobs in 2021, and machine-generated voices going mainstream.
Apple’s Job Openings for ‘Creative Producers’ May Hint at Plans for Machine Dubbing
Voice producers fluent in a range of languages will work with synthetic speech to improve Siri — but Apple could be setting the stage for broader use cases, such as dubbing.
Apple Translate App Struggles to Wow Users
Why are users disappointed with the Apple Translate app? For one thing, it’s still only available for iPhone users — while Google Translate is available for both iPhone and iPad.
US, China, Big Tech, and What’s New in Machine Translation Research
US and Chinese tech giants continue to churn out research on speech-to-text translation, machine translation for rare languages, and more. Time to check in.
Slator Language Industry Buyer Tracker October 2020
In the October 2020 edition of our buyer tracker, we provide SlatorPro subscribers with a selection of some of the most important changes among buy-side decision-makers.
Facebook Ramps Up Open Source Drive Into Speech Translation
Facebook AI invites developers to improve a speech translation dataset and a open sources a toolkit that evaluates simultaneous speech and text translation.
Reader Polls: Apple Translate, Google Bungle, EU Terps, State of LSPs
Have EU contract interpreters gotten a fair deal? Who has ever used the Google Translator Toolkit? How’s business for LSPs and freelancers? Is Apple’s Translate app a big deal?
Slator Language Industry Buyer Tracker May 2020
In this eighth monthly edition of our buyer tracker, we provide SlatorPro subscribers an easy-to-use selection of some of the most important changes happening among buy-side decision-makers.
Apple Scientists Go on a ‘Quest Toward Overcoming’ Speech Translation
Two research scientists from Apple surveyed 30 years worth of research into speech translation and here’s what they found.
Slator Language Industry Buyer Tracker April 2020
In this seventh monthly edition of our buyer tracker, we provide SlatorPro subscribers an easy-to-use selection of some of the most important changes happening among buy-side decision-makers.
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