SlatorPod

Florian talks about research from Silicon Valley start-up Stripe, which surveyed hundreds of e-commerce websites for issues at checkout, the most common of which was a lack of local language translations. The two discuss SlatorCon Remote, where the 300-strong audience heard about e-commerce localization courtesy of multilingual content provider Quill. Also present at Slator’s inaugural remote conference was EasyLing, whose CEO described their web proxy solution for translated website. We had a private equity perspective on the industry, heard from CRM SaaS company Pipedrive about their localization operations, and featured experts across media and game localization, and moreEsther shares news of media post-production giant Deluxe’s partial sale to private equity (PE) and discusses a bit about the winning papers from ACL, the organizer of the world’s largest NLP conference, while Florian talks more about Memsource selling a majority stake to a major PE firm.Links to the stories discussed:Stripe Says Lack of Translation Most Common Error in European E-commerceDeluxe Sells Its Media Localization Arm to PE in Carve-UpJonckers Promotes Silke Zschweigert to CEOAnd the Winner Is…ACL 2020 Announces Best Paper Awards

In this week’s episode, Florian shares breaking news from the world of M&A and funding, as translation technology provider Memsource sold a majority stake to private equity giant Carlyle and machine translation matchmaker Intento raised USD 3m. Esther discusses a nationwide mega-tender for language services due to launch in August 2020 in the UK: the pan-government RFP is worth GBP 110m over three years and is designed to replace an existing contract that has been extended due to coronavirus. Keen to get the procurement process right, the buyer is hosting a webinar at the end of July for suppliers to give input on how the RFP should be structured.The two talk about Slator’s newly launched pro guide on How to Run a Translation and Localization RFP. If you’re a buyer keen to get your translation and localization procurement right, this guide is an indispensable resource for your organization and is packed full of practical insights on running an RFP.Florian provides an update on the Slator Language Industry Job Index (LIJI). Since plummeting between March and May 2020, the downward trend has continued into July 2020, but shows signs of slowing as a restart in investments points to the beginnings of a recovery for the industry. Links to the stories discussedThe Carlyle Group Invests in Translation Software Provider MemsourceIntento Raises $3 Million to Serve Increasing Demand of Global Companies for AI TransformationUK Plans Translation and Interpreting Mega-TenderPro Guide: How to Run a Translation and Localization RFPDecline in Slator Job Index Slows in July 2020

Florian and Esther discuss Apple’s announcement that its new operating system, iOS 14, will come pre-loaded with a Translate app when it’s released in September 2020. The Translate app will run on NMT, be one of just a few dozen built-in iPhone apps, and allow users to translate without an internet connection. What will this mean for other translation apps?Esther shares news of e-commerce company Localised’s USD 6.5m funding round with investment from a UK growth fund and celebrity entrepreneur Peter Jones of Dragon’s Den fame. Localised provides pre-built localized websites to help brands connect with prospective customers internationally. The second of three M&A and funding features this week, Esther talks about US government contractor SOSi’s investment in machine translation and speech recognition provider AppTek. Florian discusses the acquisition by Japanese financial printer Takara of local LSP Simul International from the owner of Berlitz Language Schools.And the two review a blog post published on Medium by a Localization Manager at Deliveroo. Links to the stories discussedNow We Know Why Apple Stepped Up Machine Translation Researchhttps://slator.com/machine-translation/now-we-know-why-apple-stepped-up-machine-translation-research/Localised.com Raises USD 6.5m in Series Ahttps://slator.com/ma-and-funding/localised-com-raises-usd-6-5m-in-series-a/SOSi Buys Minority Stake in Language Tech Firm AppTekhttps://slator.com/ma-and-funding/sosi-buys-minority-stake-in-language-tech-firm-apptek/Takara Pays Berlitz Owner USD 46m for Japanese LSP Simulhttps://slator.com/ma-and-funding/takara-pays-berlitz-owner-usd-46m-for-japanese-lsp-simul/

In a half-year anniversary episode, Florian and Esther unpack a wide-scale European Union survey of small and medium enterprises. Nearly 2,900 SMEs responded to questions about their language needs, MT use and attitudes of MT, as the EU rolls out an expansion program for their free automated translation platform, eTranslation.Florian ponders why a public body like the EU would be concerned with making MT available for use among private sector companies, and discusses a recent blog post from Google on the latest tweaks and techniques they’re applying to MT. The two talk about media localizer IYUNO’s acquisition of German dubbing and post-production studio Scalamedia, and highlight a possible language industry IPO reportedly being considered by Ai-Media in Australia. Florian shares his take on the diverging fortunes of language industry stakeholders amid the pandemic, as the gap widens between those who are suffering financially (e.g., the EU’s contract interpreters) and those who are seeing their businesses at all-time highs. Links to the stories discussedHuman or Machine Translation? Survey Reveals EU SME Preferences by Use Casehttps://slator.com/demand-drivers/human-or-machine-translation-survey-reveals-eu-sme-preferences-by-use-case/IYUNO Acquires German Dubbing Studio Scalamediahttps://slator.com/ma-and-funding/iyuno-acquires-german-dubbing-studio-scalamedia/Media Localizer Ai-Media Reported to Consider Sydney IPOhttps://slator.com/ma-and-funding/media-localizer-ai-media-reported-to-consider-sydney-ipo/Contract Interpreters Rally Over Lack of Support From EUhttps://slator.com/industry-news/contract-interpreters-rally-over-lack-of-support-from-the-eu/

Florian and Esther talk Google snafu, delving into the story of how Google “inadvertently sent” users’ translation memory data to someone else. Users of the now retired Google Toolkit, a free cloud-based translation productivity, may have had their translation memory contents shared with another user as a result of a technical issue affecting download requests.Florian discusses UK-based RWS’ acquisition of machine translation provider Iconic Translation Machines for a whopping USD 20m maximum, or 16x revenues. Why would the world’s most valuable LSP buy an MT startup rather than build the tech internally? An existing partnership, as well as Iconic’s focus on critical content and their customer base likely helped move the needle in favor of an acquisition.Esther outlines salary data coming out of the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, which indicates that US translators and interpreters earned a median wage of USD 51,830 annually in 2019. We also look at which states offer the best pay and employ the most linguists. Finally, Florian shares an update from the California Assembly, which passed AB1850 on June 11, 2020, exempting only “certified translators” from the proposed bill to ban gig work.Links to the stories discussedYour Google Translator Toolkit Data ‘Was Inadvertently Sent to Another User’https://slator.com/industry-news/google-translator-toolkit-data-was-inadvertently-sent-to-another-user/RWS Acquires MT Provider Iconic and Indian LSP Webduniahttps://slator.com/ma-and-funding/rws-acquires-mt-provider-iconic-and-indian-lsp-webdunia/*SlatorPro* Why the World’s Most Valuable LSP Bought a Machine Translation Startuphttps://slator.com/ma-and-funding/why-the-worlds-most-valuable-lsp-bought-a-machine-translation-startup/US Translator and Interpreter Salaries Rose 3.8% in 2019https://slator.com/industry-news/us-translator-and-interpreter-salaries-rose-3-8-in-2019/

Florian and Esther discuss the plight of the EU’s contract interpreters. While conference interpreting work has dried up, the ca. 3,000 contract interpreters, many of whom generated 100% of their income from the institutions, have been given a one-off payment to see them through the coronavirus pandemic. In a show of solidarity, however, staff interpreters created an emergency fund to help support their contract colleagues.Florian draws attention to the Slator Language Industry Job Index figures, showing a further drop from May to June, and highlights anecdotal evidence of localization job losses, including a LinkedIn-publicized cull in WeWork’s Globalization team. Esther shares insights from Verizon Media’s localization teams on their tech stack, including a proprietary loc platform, called Dragonfly, which helps to process 500,000 translated words monthly across platforms including Yahoo Mail, HuffPost, TechCrunch and more, in as many as 79 languages. Picking up on a news item in Jost Zetzsche’s Tool Box Journal, the two talk about free usage of SDL, Google and DeepL NMT. Use of SDL and Google’s free NMT has ramped up since March, with use of SDL’s free NMT around double that of Google and DeepL, according to SDL data. In other NMT news, Esther summarizes a research paper on the surprising and volatile behavior of MT in dealing with almost identical source sentences.Links to the stories discussedContract Interpreters ‘Puzzled’ and ‘Hurt’ by EU Offerhttps://slator.com/industry-news/contract-interpreters-puzzled-and-hurt-by-eu-offer/Slator Language Industry Job Index Falls Again in June 2020https://slator.com/industry-news/slator-language-industry-job-index-falls-again-in-june-2020/This Is How Verizon Media Runs a Centralized Localization Teamhttps://slator.com/features/this-is-how-verizon-media-runs-a-centralized-localization-team/Researchers Explore Surprising Behavior of Machine Translationhttps://slator.com/machine-translation/researchers-explore-surprising-behavior-of-machine-translation/

In this week’s episode, Florian and Esther discuss Netflix’s recent paper on sentence simplification and machine translation, destined to help improve the quality of machine-translated subtitles. But how will audiences react if simpler source sentences mean a lack of idioms and colloquialisms in foreign-language subtitles?The two talk about hyper-localized markets in the language industry and point out that a lot of demand is still local to an LSP’s home turf, limiting widespread industry consolidation. They discuss a few examples, from onsite dubbing and interpreting requirements in countries in Europe, to specific types of work that only exist in a particular geography, as with IPO translation in Hong Kong. They also revisit remote simultaneous interpreting (RSI) in Zoom, having received new user feedback from a listener. The conference interpreter, who had been using Zoom for a year, praised the platform: all they need to do is tweak a couple of things and it should be a solid interpreting option, she said. Florian schools Esther on some new terminology requirements out of France, where the official government gazette, the Journal officiel, has published a series of ‘correct’ French terms for English neologisms like, fittingly, podcast (audio à la demande).Links to the stories discussedHow Netflix Researchers Simplify Subtitles for Translationhttps://slator.com/machine-translation/how-netflix-researchers-simplify-subtitles-for-translation/Why You Need a Local Office to Compete in These 9 Translation Marketshttps://slator.com/features/why-you-need-a-local-office-to-compete-in-these-9-translation-markets/‘Fake News’ Should Be ‘Infox,’ French Government Sayshttps://slator.com/industry-news/fake-news-should-be-infox-french-government-says/

#22 Japan’s Undervalued LSP, Australia and VRI, Translator Strike Contd.In this week’s podcast, Florian shares news from Japan’s largest LSP, Honyaku Center, whose translation revenues shrunk by +4% to a still-substantial USD 75m year-on-year (and USD 107m for the whole company). He says that the listed LSP could be a steal for companies looking to acquire within the world’s third largest economy, as its market cap stands at a meagre USD 39m.Florian points to research that shows almost 70% of global clinical trials have been disrupted, and discussed the impact that may have for many of the world’s largest LSPs, for whom clinical trials are typically a high-margin and lucrative business.One market less susceptible to coronavirus disruptions is the public sector. And Florian outlines how a heads up about multiple large tenders is making waves in the Netherlands, amid fears from interpreters that quality may be compromised as procurement becomes more centralized. Esther shares updates from language associations in three countries; first in Belgium, where language industry association CBTI-BKVT has outlined financial support measures available to interpreters and translators. Meanwhile in Australia, a group of associations are making their views known about use of phone and video interpreting. Back in the UK, Esther pinpoints a few findings from the UK ATC’s Coronavirus Pulse survey for May.Links to the stories discussedHonyaku Keeps Losing Ground in Core Translation Businesshttps://slator.com/financial-results/honyaku-keeps-losing-ground-in-its-core-translation-business/Rundown on Lockdown: How Large LSPs Are Navigating the Pandemichttps://slator.com/features/rundown-on-lockdown-how-large-lsps-are-navigating-the-pandemic/Dutch Minister Moves Ahead With Controversial Language Services Contracthttps://slator.com/demand-drivers/dutch-minister-moves-ahead-with-controversial-language-services-contract/

Despite Esther’s laptop going into its own form of lockdown, Florian and Esther ploughed ahead to bring you this week’s language industry news. Florian highlights three finance-focused stories, as Plint, Lilt and Keywords Studios, three very different types of language service providers, all announced financing news. Firstly, Florian shares news from Sweden, where private equity firm Priveq took a majority stake in Plint, a subtitling-focused media localizer whose revenues have grown significantly from 2015 when they first signed Netflix as a customer. Florian also unpacks tech-enabled LSP Lilt’s fortunately-timed USD 25m funding raise involving big names such as Intel Capital and Sequoia. The round completed ahead of the pandemic. And, in Ireland, gaming services provider Keywords Studios announced a GBP 100m share placing to fuel future acquisitions of smaller rivals weakened by the coronavirus pandemic.Breaking from the world of M&A and funding, Esther discusses insights into localization at the Presbyterian Church in the US, courtesy of Jason Raff, Global Language Resources Manager. With 1.7m members and 10,000 congregations in the US, the Presbyterian Church established an Office of Language Resources in 2018 to improve language access for its members, and have matured from having one lone in-house translator to running a loc team of five, who processed some 1.5m words in Q1 2020 alone.Links to the stories discussed Slator 2020 Language Industry Market Reporthttps://slator.com/data-research/slator-2020-language-industry-market-report/Presbyterian Church (USA): From One Heroic Translator to Full Localizationhttps://slator.com/features/presbyterian-church-usa-from-one-heroic-translator-to-full-localization/Lilt Raised USD 25m Just Before Pandemic Hithttps://slator.com/ma-and-funding/lilt-raised-usd-25m-just-before-pandemic-hit/Media Localizer Plint Sells Majority to PE Firm Priveqhttps://slator.com/ma-and-funding/media-localizer-plint-sells-majority-to-pe-firm-priveq/

Florian and Esther pick out two of their favorite sales and biz dev insights from the recently launched Slator 2020 Language Industry Market Report: 400+ buyer job titles and 200+ LSP core and adjacent services.Florian gives an update on coronavirus’ industry impact and talks about the added factor of debt for some private equity backed LSPs. The two ponder LSP thebigword’s bold Word-pie initiative, which seeks to find LSPs running out of cash and offers to pay some continued income in exchange for onboarding clients.Esther gives an overview of Amazon Prime Video’s new research paper on quality estimation for subtitle translations, and shares an update from media localizer ZOO Digital, which is seeing a “reassuring resumption in demand” as back catalog localization ramps up while new production work is stalled. Florian discusses why Germany’s ISO Terminology Committee has broken ranks with other countries by rejecting the adoption of ISO 20771, the new standard for legal translation.Links to the stories discussed in this episode:Slator 2020 Language Industry Market Reporthttps://slator.com/data-research/slator-2020-language-industry-market-report/Good, Bad or Loose: Amazon’s New Subtitle Quality Estimation Systemhttps://slator.com/machine-translation/good-bad-or-loose-amazons-new-subtitle-quality-estimation-system/Media Localizer ZOO Sees ‘Reassuring Resumption in Demand’https://slator.com/financial-results/media-localizer-zoo-sees-reassuring-resumption-in-demand/Germany Rejects ISO Standard for Legal Translationhttps://slator.com/industry-news/germany-rejects-iso-standard-for-legal-translation/