#239 DeepSeek Translation, ElevenLabs AI Dubbing, Sorensen M&A

Florian and Esther discuss the language industry news of the week, where they reviewed ElevenLabs’ AI dubbing, on the back of a USD 3bn+ valuation. While they found the translation quality was strong, minor timing issues and lack of lip-syncing meant the output felt slightly unnatural.

Esther then provided an update on M&A activity, where UK-based XTM International acquired US-based Transifex and DEMAN Übersetzungen expanded its presence in Germany by acquiring life sciences translation specialist German Language Services.

Meanwhile, Sorensen Communications acquired Hand Talk, which uses AI-powered avatars for automated sign language translation, and OmniBridge, which employs computer vision to convert sign language into speech or text.

Florian shared how experts received DeepSeek’s AI translation capabilities, noting its strong Chinese-English performance and cost efficiency but highlighting skepticism over data security, domain-specific accuracy, and potential political bias​.

The duo noted that ZOO Digital has joined Amazon Prime Video’s Preferred Fulfillment Vendor Program, a positive development amid its recent market fluctuations and historically low share prices. 

Florian gave his thoughts on Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses with live translation, noting their inconsistent performance with fast or quiet speech and questioning their usefulness for media consumption compared to traditional subtitles​.