accessibility

AI-powered subtitling, dubbing and interpreting

28.10.2024 by Delingua

Video is becoming the dominant form of communication and will transform the way we produce and consume content. Learn more about how video is revolutionising global communication and how AI-powered solutions such as subtitling, dubbing and interpreting can improve global reach.

Data shows that 89% of customers want to see more videos from brands, and 90% say that videos influence their buying decisions. Videos help consumers visualise and simplify purchasing processes and understand the different features of products and services, increasing their confidence in making choices. (The State of Video, HubSpot 2024)

But is video more than just advertising? Yes, it is! Video is a powerful tool for creating engaging content that catches the eye, but it also provides a great solution for simplifying complex subjects and introducing new processes. Video can be used for things such as internal communications, onboarding and training – you name it.

Video is here to stay – how can LanguageWire help?

Today’s fast-paced communication environment requires adaptability. It is evident that video is becoming the dominant form of communication and will change the way we produce and consume content. But the best part? You don’t have to navigate this shift alone!

Let us walk you through three of our AI-powered video solutions that can increase efficiency and break down language barriers to reach a broader, global audience.

Solution 1: AI-powered subtitling

Studies show that 85% of people watch social media videos on mute. Unfortunately, this often leads to videos losing their meaning when a lot of information is missed. Media consumption is booming, and the flood of information is huge – how do we stand out?

That’s where LanguageWire‘s unique value proposition comes in: AI-powered, human-refined subtitling solutions that blend together the best of two worlds. They seamlessly localise video content across multiple languages and diverse audiences, whilst maintaining accuracy, quality and brand consistency.

Our Smart Editor offers an innovative approach to subtitling. It simplifies complex video localisation workflows for global enterprises and combines the best of AI and human expertise to generate high-quality, contextually accurate subtitles. Smart Editor integrates with your existing linguistic assets, like Translation Memories and Termbases, and ensures that your subtitles use the correct terminology and tone throughout the video.

Learn more about our AI-powered subtitling solutions.

Solution 2: AI dubbing

If you want your video to reach every potential customer, you have to speak their language. Due to increasing demand for multilingual content, the AI dubbing market is expected to grow exponentially in the upcoming years.

AI dubbing is the automatic translation and replacement of spoken audio with synthetic voices in other languages. AI dubbing uses technology like machine learning, speech recognition and AI voice generation to create a voiceover that matches the timing, tone and message of the source video. The content is reviewed by our experts and post-edited to ensure quality and accuracy.

AI dubbing eliminates language barriers and makes content more accessible, engaging and personalised. For brands, this means faster and more affordable localised content with a consistent brand voice.

Solution 3: AI interpreting

The demand for remote interpreting solutions has increased significantly in recent years, and studies show that AI-related services, including AI interpreting, are expected to expand massively. The AI remote work market is set to grow annually by 18% from 2024 to 2033 (Slator interpreting report, 2024).

AI interpreting, also known as AI speech translation, is a technology that provides a fully automated and real-time translation of live speech. From speech, AI interpreting starts with automatic speech recognition, moving into speech-to-text and machine translation, and then finally into speech synthesis.

Thanks to hybrid and remote solutions, interpreting is easy and affordable and can effectively reach participants across geographical boundaries. AI-powered interpreting opens the doors to a multilingual audience and offers flexible solutions tailored to the customer’s needs, according to the type of event, budget and schedule.

Let us help you take the first step!

AI is breaking barriers for multilingual content production and the shift from text-to-video isn’t just the future – it is happening as we speak.

Engage your global audience with AI-powered subtitling solutions

21.10.2024 by Delingua

In today’s digital-first world, video content is a necessity. It’s one of the most powerful tools for businesses to stay competitive and connect with global audiences. But to truly maximise reach and engagement, it must be accessible to everyone, everywhere.

That’s where LanguageWire’s unique value proposition comes in: AI-powered, human-refined subtitling solutions that blend together the best of two worlds. They seamlessly localise video content across multiple languages and diverse audiences, whilst maintaining accuracy, quality and brand consistency.

Our Smart Editor offers an innovative approach to subtitling. It simplifies complex video localisation workflows for global enterprises and allows businesses to scale their content effortlessly across regions. We ensure that the video content reaches a broader audience and engages them meaningfully.

Here’s how our approach sets us apart — and how it can transform the way you think about video localisation.

Simplifying complex subtitling workflows

One of the biggest challenges for global enterprises is managing the complexity of localising video content for multiple markets. 

Between handling different languages, adhering to brand guidelines and business terminology, and ensuring consistency across regions, localisation can feel like a daunting task. That’s where our end-to-end subtitling solutions come in. 

We take a hands-on approach here. Customers can simply upload their videos to our platform, leaving the heavy lifting to us. From the moment a video is submitted, our process kicks into high gear, combining the best of AI and human expertise to generate high-quality, contextually accurate subtitles.

With Smart Editor in subtitling mode, we create captions ensuring cultural nuances, technical terminology and brand voice are respected. 

The best part? Our customers can stay hands-off for most of the process but are invited to collaborate when it matters most – during validation and styling.

A customer-first collaboration experience

What makes LanguageWire’s subtitling so special is its interactive validation and styling phase.

Once AI and human linguists create the captions, customers can review the subtitles in our Smart Editor for accuracy, consistency and brand alignment. This is a simple and powerful step. And it’s designed to keep your team in full control without the complexities of managing the full process.

The Smart Editor presents subtitles intuitively, allowing for quick edits such as adjusting text, merging or splitting segments or synchronising timestamps – all with just a few clicks. Segment-by-segment synchronisation ensures that reviewing each caption feels seamless and efficient.

Styling is another powerful feature that allows customers to customise subtitles effortlessly. They can adjust font size and type, background color, text alignment, and screen position, ensuring that subtitles look professional and align with their visual identity.

This level of customisation can be applied to individual segments or across the entire video, giving customers the flexibility to create tailored subtitles that meet their specific needs.

Consistent, on-brand messaging

We understand that localisation is not just about translation. It’s about capturing your brand voice in a way that resonates with audiences, no matter the language.

Our Smart Editor seamlessly integrates with your existing linguistic assets, like translation memories and termbases. This integration ensures that your subtitles use the correct terminology and tone throughout the video, providing a consistent experience for your global audience.

Whether you’re producing marketing videos, e-learning materials, technical content, or internal communications, your subtitles will align with your brand’s voice and technical specifications. 

The full end-to-end process

Our customers love that we handle the entire subtitling workflow, from initial submission to final burn-in of the subtitles. After reviewing and approving the final product, we then deliver the highest quality content.

We ensure a smooth subtitling process, whether our customers are working on one video or hundreds. This level of efficiency and accuracy helps global enterprises scale their content localisation with ease, saving time and money with better processes and minimal time investment from their internal team.

Increasing engagement with subtitles

Did you know 89% of people use subtitles or captioning when consuming media?

Subtitles are invaluable for making video content easier to follow, hear and understand. Adding localised subtitles goes beyond accessibility. It also drives deeper engagement. Studies reveal that videos with subtitles are not only watched for longer durations but are also more likely to be shared across platforms.

By making your videos accessible to non-native speakers, hearing-impaired viewers and those who prefer watching without sound, global enterprises are broadening their audience and increasing both reach and impact.

Discuss your next subtitling project with LanguageWire

Ready to simplify your video localisation process and reach global audiences with ease?

LanguageWire’s subtitling solutions are here to help. We combine next-generation technology with human expertise, ensuring your subtitles are tailored, accurate and impactful.

Interested in learning more? Request a personalised demo and take the first step toward optimising your video content for the global stage.

This article was originally published by LanguageWire (Verity Hartley).

8 reading tips for summer holidays

17.6.2024 by Delingua

“We are going on a summer holiday…” For some, the summer holidays have already started or are fast approaching. In this article, you will find a list of interesting things to read concerning the language service industry. Get comfortable, enjoy the sun and dive into the world of language services.

And don’t forget we are open all summer! We have arranged our holidays so that we can take care of your translation and interpreting assignments even during the summer while you take some well-earned time off.

1. LanguageWire Translate – AI-based machine translation service

Machine translation engines are used daily in both professional and private contexts – often without putting too much thought into how the translation itself is produced. Our AI-based machine translation service, LanguageWire Translate, is our vision of what kind of requirements a machine translation system for corporate use should meet. Read our article and learn more about the features of LanguageWire Translate.

Read the article

2. Five reasons why integration is a good idea

LanguageWire’s APIs and connectors are a time- and effort-saving solution, helping you avoid copying text unnecessarily from one place to another and allowing you to import any changes, no matter how big or small, to all language versions of your website in almost real time. A connector is a kind of system integration that allows the customer to order a translation of the content through an existing publishing system. We have listed five key reasons why integration is a good idea.

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3. Boost your efficiency with generative AI

Growing awareness of the potential of generative AI and the availability of newer and more powerful GPT models have given everyone a chance to benefit from new AI technology. But what exactly are these benefits? Read our article and learn more about how AI can help you work smarter and faster than before.

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4. Simultaneous interpreting – what is it?

What is simultaneous interpreting and why should it be offered? Simultaneous interpreting is an interpreting method in which the interpreter interprets into another language at the same time as the speaker is speaking. When participants have the opportunity to follow a meeting or a conference in their own language, they get the feeling that they and their language needs have been taken into account.

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5. Validation – high-quality translations are a joint effort

In the translation process, in addition to the translator, the best possible result requires the input of other employees of the translation agency as well as the customer. One of the most important tools for assessing the linguistic quality of translations is validation. Validation means a review by the customer after the translation has been completed, in which the terminology and style of the text are evaluated in particular. Read our article to learn more about validation and the related technology.

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6. Large language models – what are they?

Over the past year, it has been difficult not to come across content created by generative AI. Generative AI is developing at a tremendous pace and language technology is also benefiting from these breakthroughs. From the perspective of language technology, the most important role is played by Large Language Models (LLMs). Read our article to learn how large language models are revolutionizing the language services industry.

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7. What are the differences between a termbase and a translation memory?

What are the differences between a termbase and a translation memory, and how do they work together? And how can they benefit your company? If your company translates texts regularly into several languages, you have probably already heard about termbases and translation memories. Both are important tools for the translator, but they are used for different purposes.

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8. Tips for linguistic accessibility

Accessibility means that everyone has equal access to services. Although the Digital Services Act mainly applies to public online services, accessibility is also beneficial for other digital service providers. Read our tips on how you can create linguistically accessible content and how a translation agency can help you.

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Paris 2024: How translation technology is shaping the event

14.6.2024 by Delingua

With the 2024 Olympics on the horizon, the world is gearing up for a global sporting spectacle that transcends borders and languages. While the spotlight often falls on the athletes and the host city, there’s also another unsung hero working behind the scenes: translation technology.

In this blog post, we’ll explore how translation technology is quietly revolutionizing the Olympics, fostering inclusivity at Paris 2024, and breaking down linguistic barriers.

The unseen role of translation technology

Behind the grandeur of the Olympic Games lies a complex web of communications that often goes unnoticed. Traditionally, the games have heavily relied on the expertise of human interpreters and translators to bridge the gap between languages. These dedicated professionals have ensured that multilingual athletes, coaches, and officials can interact and understand one another. And of course, so that spectators from every corner of the globe can fully enjoy the event.

However, the landscape of communication at the Olympics is rapidly evolving, thanks to translation technology. In the past, the success of the games hinged solely on the formidable skill, speed and precision of human translators. While their skills remain indispensable, they now have a powerful ally in technology, which is quietly but fundamentally altering the way we experience the Olympics.

Real-time translation: bridging the gap

Picture this: an athlete from Japan competing in a high-pressure event, communicating effortlessly with their French official despite not speaking a word of French. This seamless communication is made possible through real-time translation devices. Whilst still in the early days of development and varying in quality, these compact gadgets aim at turning language barriers into mere speed bumps.

Real-time translation devices instantly convert spoken words into multiple languages, allowing athletes and their teams to communicate fluidly. It’s a game-changer that ensures language differences no longer stand in the way of achieving Olympic excellence.

AI and machine translation: handling the vast volume

Beyond the field of play, the Olympics generate an immense volume of text, from official documents and press releases to news updates. This is where AI and machine translation step in. These technologies excel in processing vast amounts of content swiftly and efficiently.

While the debate over machine translation’s accuracy versus human translation persists, there’s no denying the efficiency of AI-powered tools in the context of the Olympics where speed trumps accuracy in a high-pressured environment. They play a vital role in ensuring that information is disseminated rapidly and accurately, keeping everyone informed, regardless of their language.

Accessibility and inclusivity: making the Olympics for all

Olympic translations aim to make the event accessible to a global audience. Beyond the athletes and their teams, spectators from around the world converge at the games, all with different linguistic backgrounds and needs. Translation technology plays a pivotal role in achieving this inclusivity.

In addition to spoken and written translation, efforts are underway to cater to individuals with disabilities. Services such as sign language interpretation and captioning are becoming more accessible, ensuring that everyone, regardless of their language or hearing impairment, can immerse themselves in the Olympic experience.

Challenges and the road ahead

Of course, no technological advancement comes without its challenges. Machine translation, though efficient, can sometimes falter in capturing nuances that only a human translator can grasp. Striking the right balance between technology and human expertise remains an ongoing endeavour.

Nevertheless, the future of Olympic translations looks promising. Advancements in natural language processing and AI continue to push the boundaries of what’s achievable. As these technologies become more sophisticated, we can expect even smoother and more accurate translations at future Olympic Games.

Translation technology’s role in uniting the world at the Olympics

As we anticipate the Paris 2024 Olympics, it’s vital to recognize the role of translation technology in making the games a truly global and inclusive event.

While we celebrate the athletes’ achievements and the host city’s hospitality, let’s also applaud the unsung heroes: the translators working tirelessly behind the scenes and the technology that enables us to share in this international celebration. The true beauty of the Olympics lies not just in the competition, but in the unity, it fosters and the power of language to bridge our differences.

So, as you tune in to watch the games from the comfort of your home, remember the remarkable behind-the-scenes efforts that ensure you can understand and appreciate every moment, regardless of the language it’s spoken in. The language of inclusivity will speak volumes at Paris 2024, and hopefully it’s here to stay.

This article was originally published by LanguageWire Company (Verity Hartley).

Tips for linguistic accessibility

16.5.2024 by Delingua

Accessibility means that everyone has equal access to services. Read our tips on how you can create linguistically accessible content and how a translation agency can help you.

More and more services are consumed online, which is why the accessibility of content has become an increasingly important criterion. The EU has introduced the Accessibility Directive. In Finland, its requirements are included in the Act on the Provision of Digital Services. The act applies to the public sector and certain private companies. Digital services must meet the accessibility requirements. For instance, it must be possible to access the online service with as many different devices and browsers as possible, also by means of assistive devices, if necessary.

By 2025, the EU’s Accessibility Directive will extend to private companies in certain sectors, such as online stores and audiovisual services. Accessibility is becoming the norm, which is why every online company should plan its digital services to be accessible both technically and linguistically – and a translation agency can help in this.

1. Do not ignore linguistic accessibility

The most important thing for accessibility is clear and comprehensible language. Technically well-executed content is of no use if it is linguistically clumsy or unclear. The text may be unnecessarily difficult to read or written in a wrong language. A website is easy to use when there are no technical challenges and the content is easy to understand.

The easiest way to produce linguistically accessible content is to write it in clear standard language, that is, in easily understandable language without jargon. Clear language is not the same thing as plain language, which is language where the structure and the vocabulary have been adapted to make it easier than standard language. The content and the target group are decisive factors in determining if plain language is needed.

2. Subtitle videos

It is a good idea to subtitle videos even if the law does not require it yet because many people watch videos without sound. The text format is not precisely defined, but the most user-friendly method is adding captions that can be easily followed at the same time as watching the video.

At the moment, accessibility requirements do not require videos to be subtitled in other languages. In other words, the guidelines mandate that a Finnish video is subtitled in Finnish, a Swedish video in Swedish and so on. However, having the content translated strengthens the multicultural dimension of accessibility.

Services must also be accessible to those who speak a language other than the language in which the content was originally published. In Finland, public services are designed primarily for speakers of the national languages; however, in the light of accessibility, there is an increasing need to reach immigrants as well. With the help of translated subtitles, you can also reach a wider, international target audience.

3. Transcribe audio content

In audio recordings, such as podcasts, accessibility could be improved by transcribing them as written text. The accessibility requirements of the Act on the Provision of Digital Services require that audio-only broadcasts, such as podcasts, must also be accessible. According to the legislation, organisations affected by the requirements must provide a text version of the recording within two weeks.

For podcasts, this usually means a transcribed text version of the audio recording. As the text version must fulfil the requirements of accessibility, a simple script or summary of the podcast is not sufficient. In practice, the entire content of the recording must be provided in text form, including background sounds, and the text must also indicate who is speaking at any given time.

Creating a text version of the podcast ensures that everyone can enjoy the podcast. In addition, not everyone has time to listen to a 60-minute podcast, for instance: reading the text version is much faster.

If you are reaching for a larger audience, use a translated transcription, in which the podcast is transcribed into another language. You can also use a voiceover to do the entire podcast in a different language.

Corporate language strategy

A company’s language strategy means you decide on which languages will be used, in which channels and how. This raises a few important questions: is all content available in only one or several languages; which language is used on social media; is your website available in Finnish, English or both; and, in addition to Finnish and English, do you need other languages? In addition, the question of who writes, translates and maintains the foreign-language content is also an integral part of the language strategy. Corporate communications should be linguistically consistent, that is, logical. Choose a language strategy and stick to it.

Although the Act on the Provision of Digital Services mainly applies to public online services, accessibility also benefits other digital service providers. Issues such as the equal treatment of customers, a better user experience and access to a wider market should interest all companies and organisations. Accessibility is a key advantage for a company!

#KIELI2023 conference focused on accessibility

15.9.2023 by Delingua

The #KIELI2023 conference, organised by Finnish Language Service Providers (SKY) on 8 September, gave us a chance to hear the most inspiring speeches about the importance of accessibility and how companies apply accessibility principles to their operations.

The theme of this year’s conference was accessibility. The topics discussed included, among other things, different language services related to accessibility and how to make a difference with clear language and smooth customer service. Moreover, we gained insights into learning Finnish and integrating into Finnish culture and society, and learned about accessibility and language services from the perspective of a deaf person.

Speakers at the conference included Genelec’s Managing Director Siamäk Naghian, communications and accessibility expert Eeva Öörni from Posti, Nimdzi Insights’s CEO Josef Kubovsky, and musician Marko Vuoriheimo, also known as Signmark. In addition, there was an interesting panel discussion with language service customers, who talked about the services they need, as well as presentations by language service providers that offer accessibility services.

The moderator of the conference was Delingua’s Technology Solutions Manager Jari Herrgård. Delingua was the conference’s Morning Coffee sponsor.

Accessibility benefits everyone, not only a few

Siamäk Naghian’s passionate speech addressed the importance of language in a new home country. In his presentation, Naghian highlighted how words often cannot be translated directly. A deep understanding of Finland and Finnish people is built through the Finnish language.

In his presentation, Naghian also referred to J. V. Snellman’s view that language is not only a tool for shaping ideas, but that the thinking of the whole nation is built into its common language.

Eeva Öörni’s speech delved into what accessibility is and why the need for clear communications is so important today. In Öörni’s opinion, factors such as the deterioration of literacy, the increasing prevalence of superficially glancing through texts, equality, accessibility requirements and demographic changes have forced us to think about language from a completely new point of view.

The need for clear language increases with digitalisation and, at the same time, the significance of language experts increases. The accessibility and usability of services are central to a smooth customer experience, and companies should regard investing in text work as a significant competitive advantage. Text work is a concrete and fast way to influence the customer experience.

Words have a huge significance

From the day’s speeches and presentations, everyone can draw lessons and inspiration for their own work. It was great to get a chance to network with experts from different fields and hear how much good work companies and other organisations in different sectors do to promote accessibility.

As Josef Kubovsky said in his presentation stressing the huge significance of words:

“Words matter. Words carry significance, influencing how we perceive things. They can be the key to building trust or creating distance. Our language should constantly adapt to our evolving understanding and embrace of diverse groups of people.”