#7 DeepL Breakthrough? UK Game Localizers Are Special, Mexican Dubbing, Straker Financials

Florian talks about DeepL’s claims of making yet another “breakthrough” in what they call “AI translation quality”. Esther unpacks a recent survey of UK gaming professionals by industry association ukie, which finds that localization workers in gaming are better educated, and less depressed and anxious than their counterparts in other functions. According to the survey, game loc professionals are also the most diverse bunch in gaming: if looked at in terms of gender, nationality and ethnicity. Esther and Florian also discuss the Slator Job Index, which rebounded from a dip in January to reach record highs, +9% above the benchmark of July 2018.Florian talks about Straker Translations’ latest quarterly results and how the strategic shift to serving enterprise customers impacts results.Esther shares news of a debate that’s developing in Mexico around the idea of increasing the use of dubbing in Mexican movie theaters. Pro-dubbing campaigners, including voice actors, want all foreign-language films to have dubbed versions. In the other camp, film purists want to protect what they see as the audience’s right to experience film content in its intended form. Lastly, Florian highlights a small acquisition in Switzerland by LSP Apostroph Group, which acquired Swiss rival boutique provider USG - the fourth M&A deal Slator covered in 2020.Links to the stories discussed in this episode:Localization Pros are Best Educated and Least Depressed, UK Gaming Industry Survey Findshttps://slator.com/industry-news/localization-pros-are-best-educated-and-least-depressed-uk-gaming-industry-survey-finds/Slator Job Index Rebounds in February 2020, Hits Record Highhttps://slator.com/industry-news/slator-job-index-rebounds-in-february-2020-hits-record-high/Straker’s Growth Slows as Enterprise Shift Subdues Third Quarter FY 2020 Resultshttps://slator.com/financial-results/strakers-growth-slows-as-enterprise-shift-subdues-third-quarter-fy-2020-results/Pro-dubbing Senator Sparks Debate in Mexico Over Foreign-Language Film Proposalhttps://slator.com/demand-drivers/pro-dubbing-senator-sparks-debate-in-mexico-over-foreign-language-film-proposal/Apostroph Group Tucks in Boutique Language Service Provider USG in Switzerlandhttps://slator.com/ma-and-funding/apostroph-group-tucks-in-boutique-language-service-provider-usg-in-switzerland/