Translated has unveiled its research center, Imminent. Being a staunch champion of multilingualism as a global culture, Translated saw the need for a venue where industry stakeholders can, in the words of CEO Marco Trombetti, “discuss, nurture, support, criticize, and improve this multilingual culture.”
Trombetti recently highlighted the power and duality of languages in the maiden issue of the Imminent report, pointing out how languages can either be a huge barrier or an invaluable key to understanding among humans.
In the report, he also outlined the lifelong dream of a public system that allows people to understand one another “with the quality of the best professional translators in the world and at a price that is close to free.” He called it “a goal worth dedicating a lifetime of work to” and said Translated is currently investing in turning this idea into reality.
In the meantime, Trombetti said, “We hope that Imminent can be the place where industry leaders find a good read or discover new tools to inspire fresh ideas, drive strategies, and learn about ‘imminent’ trends.”
The 2021 edition of the Imminent report includes informative articles penned by language industry stalwarts covering a range of topics; from AI and Machine Translation to E-Commerce Strategies in China and insights on the future of language services.
Language Data Factbook
Imminent has also rolled out a tool that, according to Luca De Biase, Imminent Research Director, has been welcomed by users for its neat presentation of valuable data points, which can be appreciated at a glance or for more in-depth reading.
The Language Data Factbook is an ongoing project that goes around the world and gathers, per country, useful linguistic, demographic, economic, cultural, and social data.
The quality of insights provided for each country can help stakeholders assess the size of the addressable market and the many opportunities for growth in regions they may be unfamiliar with. At this writing, there are four countries for which Factbooks have been compiled: Argentina, France, Italy, and South Korea.
If you want to contribute data or feel that any country should be prioritized, please email imminent@translated.com.
“Making available to the public a system that allows humans to understand each other, that works instantly and at a price of practically nothing, is a goal worth dedicating a lifetime of work to” — Marco Trombetti, CEO, Translated
Research Grants
Imminent follows on the heels of two other initiatives by the Rome-based language service provider (LSP), likewise driven by Translated’s advocacy of multilingualism and the power of languages: the short film Lara and the LSP’s participation in the Ocean Globe Race regatta.
Through Imminent, Translated aims to provide the impetus for innovating along two areas: technology and creativity. As Salvatore Giammarresi explained in the same Imminent report, “Innovation doesn’t always require technology.”
Giammarresi, Head of Localization at Airbnb and Imminent trustee, pointed out that focusing too much on technology can actually lead to other types of innovation being overlooked. “Non-tech innovations usually don’t require large investments and can be done incrementally,” he said, adding that anyone involved in end-to-end localization can innovate.
Recognizing these twin opportunities for innovation — or what Translated CEO Trombetti described as the symbiosis between “the professionalism of humans and the power of machines” — Translated will fund five research grants under Imminent.
“Innovation doesn’t always require technology” — Salvatore Giammarresi, Head of Localization, Airbnb
The grants, worth a total of EUR 100,000, can be awarded in any field of research along five broad themes that encompass both the qualitative and quantitative aspects of localization.
While under the theme of Language Economics, for instance, researchers can address problems that will bolster entrepreneurship in a multilingual scenario, under Linguistic Data, they can tackle data cleaning algorithms, unbiasing, and other problems, adding to the knowledge base for machine learning in the process.
Standalone projects and parts of existing research can be eligible. Candidates must submit a 250-word summary of the problem to be solved and other material by the September 20, 2021 application deadline. Click here for more information.
Imminent encourages language industry stakeholders to actively participate in enriching the global culture of multilingualism through its platform. Exchange ideas on Economy + Geopolitics, Culture + Technology, and Trends + Research or share your views by answering the “Question of the year.”
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