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The language industry will remember 2024 as bringing an interesting mix of rapid-fire innovations and developments, with some clear trends emerging on the technology side, including translation as a feature (TaaF), multimodal AI adoption, retrieval augmented generation (RAG) applications, and large language model (LLM) customization.
The balance between human expertise and AI automation continued to feature prominently in discussions among industry experts, while companies of all sizes had their own takes. Reactions from readers, per weekly Slator polls, give a glimpse of sentiments and priorities across the industry.
1. Should Language Service Providers Rethink Their Offerings?
Despite the language service industry’s historical resilience, 2024 began with news of a few bankruptcies. The shift was evidence that not even a healthy amount of funding or the latest in AI technology can guarantee permanence, with Germany’s AI startup Lengoo filing for bankruptcy in March 2024, preceded by the DutchWCS Group in December 2023 (later on bought by Powerling).
The most voted on Slator Weekly poll revealed that over half (52.1%) of respondents believed that more language services provider (LSP) bankruptcies were inevitable in 2024. Just under a third (31.1%) thought more bankruptcies would probably follow, and a smaller group (13.4%) said it was possible. The smallest percentage (3.4%) of respondents thought future bankruptcies were unlikely.
As video games have grabbed the attention of the world audience by their unique gameplay and aesthetic graphics, they are inevitably rising. Game localization services are responsible for this increased number of games being played. It also explains that gamers are more in number and more audiences are interested in games. With game localization, it becomes easy for gamers to play games that are not even in their language. So there is another benefit to the gaming industry in the form of translation and localization.
It is the rising demand for games that makes one phenomenon “remake games” quite popular. Well, there are mixed opinions on this gaming concept; some support it while some are against it.
What are Remake Games?
The name “remake” suggests that we are recreating something that has already been made. In the gaming world, it means recreating games in such a way that the main storyline and characters are retained in it. Hence, new plots and characters are added to the original version of the game to make it a new version. New graphics and modern mechanics are added in the game that not only retain the previous audience of the game but also attract new ones. These remake games are a great strategy to create a nostalgic experience for old gamers and present them with the same game on beautifully wrapped gift paper.
New graphics are made on the basis of the original ones
New objectives and goals are added for the main characters
Main plot of the game is altered
UX/UI design is changed and new locations are added to the game
The number of audiences that play video games is a lot of Gen Z and Gen Alpha. These remake games target Gen Z and Gen Alpha. In these remake games, one of the most important tools to use is the game localization services that adapt these games both linguistically and culturally for the target audiences. They are the reasons Silent Hill 2 is an award-winning game today.
Some of the remake games of 2024 that hit globally are:
Silent Hill 2
The Last of Us Part II
Tomb Raider I-III Remastered
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants
However, with the rise of large language models (LLMs), researchers are questioning whether these advanced AI tools can meet the complex demands of legal translation.
In their recent study, Applying Large Language Models in Legal Translation, Martina Bajčić, Associate Professor at the University of Rijeka, and Dejana Golenko, Assistant Professor at the same university, acknowledge the significant impact of LLMs on translation but stress that “the potential of LLMs in relation to specialized translation such as legal translation needs to be comprehensively examined.”
Through an analysis of papers published from 2021 to 2024, Bajčić and Golenko found that research on LLMs in legal translation remains scarce. “To date, there has been scarce research on its application in the field of legal translation,” they observed, highlighting the disparity between the widespread enthusiasm for generative AI and the lack of studies focusing on its application in specialized domains.
Shazam will be available for everyone, while you’ll need to be in the Early Access Program for the live AI and live translations.
More AI features are rolling out to the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses.
Meta just announced three new features are rolling out to its Ray-Ban smart glasses: live AI, live translations, and Shazam. Both live AI and live translation are limited to members of Meta’s Early Access Program, while Shazam support is available for all users in the US and Canada.
Both live AI and live translation were first teased at Meta Connect 2024 earlier this year. Live AI allows you to naturally converse with Meta’s AI assistant while it continuously views your surroundings. For example, if you’re perusing the produce section at a grocery store, you’ll theoretically be able to ask Meta’s AI to suggest some recipes based on the ingredients you’re looking at. Meta says users will be able to use the live AI feature for roughly 30 minutes at a time on a full charge.
Meanwhile, live translation allows the glasses to translate speech in real-time between English and Spanish, French, or Italian. You can choose to either hear translations through the glasses themselves, or view transcripts on your phone. You do have to download language pairs beforehand, as well as specify what language you speak versus what your conversation partner speaks.
As the first half of the 2020s comes to a close, one global literary trend shows no signs of abating: a hunger for the stories of Japanese writers. The past five years saw authors from Japan win prestigious literary prizes at home and abroad, while a growing interest in translated East Asian literature contributed to an uptick in the number of Japanese novels translated into English.
Over the past year, for example, Asako Yuzuki’s “Butter,” a thriller inspired by a real-life femme fatale and translated by Polly Barton, was named the Waterstones Book of the Year. Meanwhile, Haruki Murakami — who retains his own center of gravity in the literary landscape, perennially drawing Nobel speculation but no prize as of yet — saw two new releases arrive in 2024 with the publication of “The City and Its Uncertain Walls,” translated by Philip Gabriel, and “End of the World and Hard-Boiled Wonderland,” translated by Jay Rubin. The former is a translation of the author’s latest novel after a six-year hiatus, while the latter revisits Murakami’s earlier work, “Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World” (1991), previously translated by Alfred Birnbaum. Both titles tread familiar territory in fantastical worlds, iterating on previous works or themes from Murakami’s extensive oeuvre — a kind of literary deja vu that satisfies die-hard fans but hasn’t won over all critics.
Readers’ tastes, however, have not been restricted to scintillating crime stories or literary titans, and the thematic preoccupations of Japanese authors have ranged from the deadly serious and melancholic to the weird, the uncategorizable and the notably softer, fluffier works of the iyashi-kei (healing type) persuasion. Feline-focused fiction by the likes of Syou Ishida and Kiyoshi Shigematsu, translated by E. Madison Shimoda (“We’ll Prescribe You a Cat”) and Jesse Kirkwood (“The Blanket Cats”), are among this year’s releases, as well as the memoir “Mornings With My Cat Mii” by Mayumi Inaba, translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori.
Pressure from the C-suite to adopt AI in business processes has become well-known, and widespread, since OpenAI’s ChatGPT burst onto the scene in November 2022.
Nearly two years later, it seems clear that the language industry, too, has noticed curiosity from clients at high levels.
Of course, interest in AI is not limited to LSP clients; many LSPs have long been exploring if, and how, to integrate AI into their workflows.
This is reflected in respondents’ choice of “AI and big data” as the number one skill they want to see in their employees over the next three years.
126 respondents selected between one and three of the top skills employees now need in the industry. AI and big data, named by 40% of participants, was the most-cited answer, up from second place in 2023.
In 2024, that honor went to “creative thinking,” identified by 28% of companies as a must-have. “Service orientation and customer service” was close behind; having topped the list in 2023, 26% of respondents listed it in 2024.
Haruki Murakami’s most recent novel, The City and its Uncertain Walls, revolves around two parallel stories, one focusing on a 17-year-old boy, the other on a 45-year-old man. Readers of the translated English version will gradually become aware of the two worlds, as each first-person narrator establishes his respective setting within the novel. For readers of the original Japanese, the parallel is, however, immediate from the first pages of chapter five.
In the original Japanese text of The City and its Uncertain Walls, when the first-person narrator shifts from using boku to using watashi, it suggests a clear handover from one narrator (that of the boy’s story) to another (of the man’s story). The change is both visual (written differently) and audial (pronounced differently), and so becomes a simple anchor of recognition for each of the two worlds. Due to the lack of possibilities in English, both words are translated as “I”.
Unlike many other languages, Japanese has several expressions for the first-person pronoun “I”. In addition to boku and watashi used by the younger and older narrators in The City and its Uncertain Walls, “I” can for example be expressed as watakushi, ore, atashi, uchi or washi. Speakers and writers of Japanese have, therefore, a range of choices when referring to the self.
Each of the Japanese pronouns is loaded with meaning, suggesting gender, age, rank or relationships between people (among other things). So, as in Murakami’s novels, the possibility of using various pronouns to refer to oneself can therefore become an expression of creativity.
The Language Shop is currently the quality assurance provider of court interpreting assignments fulfilled by thebigword. The language service provider (LSP) carries out ‘mystery shops’ of 1% of all UK court interpreting bookings, amounting to approximately 2,000 assessments per year across both telephone and face-to-face interpreting assignments.
Lingard told the public audience that the LSP has “no plans to use AI” to deliver quality assurance “any time soon”.
Lord Willis of Knaresborough responded, “I find that very disappointing, to be honest, because we are clearly in a situation where AI and other technologies — not just AI — will play an ever more significant role in maintaining quality services.”
“If you are not doing anything at the moment to introduce that, either by training people or within the operation, then that is a big issue that we should address to the Government,” he added.
“It is just language. The consequences are not as dire as they would be in the health service,” — Lord Porter of Spalding
Lord Porter of Spalding agreed: “There seems to be a reticence to go anywhere near this, on the basis that this particular service is so important. But the health service is starting to use it and there is no more important service from a user’s perspective than the health service.”
The European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) has announced a series of competitions for translator positions in eight European Union (EU) languages: Danish, Dutch, English, French, Greek, Italian, Maltese, and Spanish.
The job, for which the announcement says “no professional experience is required,” consists of translation from at least two source languages into a target language, updating translations, editing, performing quality assurance, researching terminology, and contributing to training activities and the development of IT tools.
The source materials are described as often complex texts that usually cover political, legal, economic, financial, scientific, and technical subjects related to the EU’s business. Translators are also expected to translate communications and subtitles using specialized tools.
Who Can Apply and How
Applicants must be citizens of an EU member state, have a university degree, or have completed at least three years of university studies and earn a diploma no later than April 10, 2025.
They should also have outstanding language skills, including knowledge of at least three of the 24 official EU languages. This includes the translator’s mother tongue and two additional languages.
The application period opened on December 3, 2024, and will close on January 14, 2025, at noon, Brussels time. More information can be found in the announcement and in this video. Applications must be submitted online through the EPSO website.
A pioneering Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered model able to understand the sequences and structure patterns that make up the genetic “language” of plants, has been launched by a research collaboration.
Plant RNA-FM, believed to be the first AI model of its kind, has been developed by a collaboration between plant researchers at the John Innes Centre and computer scientists at the University of Exeter.
The model, say its creators, is a smart technological breakthrough that can drive discovery and innovation in plant science and potentially across the study of invertebrates and bacteria.
RNA, like its better-known chemical relative DNA, is an important molecule throughout all organisms, responsible for carrying genetic information in its sequences and structures. In the genome RNA architecture is made up of combinations of building blocks called nucleotides, which are arranged in patterns in the same way that the alphabet combines to make words and phrases in language.
Professor Yiliang Ding’s group at the John Innes Centre studies RNA structure, one of the key languages in RNA molecules where RNAs can fold into complex structures that regulate sophisticated biological functions such as plant growth and stress response.
To better understand the complex language of RNA in its functions, Professor Ding’s group collaborated with Dr Ke Li’s group in the University of Exeter.
As Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to revolutionize various industries, the world of globalization and localization is experiencing a significant shift. Advances in language AI, particularly in the realms of large language models (LLMs) and neural machine translation (NMT), are reshaping the traditional workflows and responsibilities of globalization and localization teams. This transformation presents both unprecedented challenges and exciting opportunities, necessitating a strategic recalibration of roles and responsibilities.
Evolving Power Dynamics and Strategic Roles
One of the primary concerns for globalization and localization teams is the potential shift in power dynamics. As AI-driven translation tools become more sophisticated, product managers and engineering teams are increasingly empowered to handle content translation directly. This shift could potentially sideline traditional globalization managers and reduce the need for conventional translation technology, such as Translation Management Systems (TMS).
Despite these challenges, the expertise of globalization and localization managers remains invaluable. Their deep understanding of language nuances, cultural contexts and quality standards positions them as ideal guides for implementing AI. By acting as strategic advisors, these professionals can ensure that AI technology enhances rather than replaces human insight. This approach aligns with the best practices of companies like Translated, which emphasize the symbiosis of human creativity and machine intelligence.
By positioning localization experts as strategic partners, organizations can leverage AI to streamline workflows while maintaining high standards of cultural relevance and accuracy.
The Rise of AI-Powered Content Creation
The rise of AI-powered content creation presents another significant challenge. Marketing and product teams are increasingly exploring AI’s potential to generate multilingual content from scratch, potentially bypassing the traditional localization process. This trend could reduce the role of localization teams to narrower tasks such as cultural adaptation, often managed by external creative agencies.
Imprecise BBC translation regarding Xinjiang cotton in interview with Uniqlo’s CEO led to a muted backlash in China.
Japanese clothing giant Uniqlo has found itself at the center of renewed controversy regarding its use of Xinjiang cotton, after a simple miscommunication about its sourcing practices quickly developed into a major public relations issue. The incident, originating from a TV interview, reignited long-standing debates over Xinjiang-related labor concerns, underscoring the fragility of cross-cultural communication and highlighting the risks that misinterpretations pose for international brands operating in mainland China.
The brouhaha stemmed from a translation error during a BBC interview with Tadashi Yanai, CEO of Fast Retailing, parent company of Uniqlo, Theory, Comptoir des Cotonniers, and Helmut Lang. Asked whether Uniqlo uses cotton from Xinjiang, Yanai stated in Japanese, “We haven’t used Xinjiang cotton, yet,” a nuanced and deliberately non-committal comment characteristic of diplomatic language.
However, the BBC translated this as “does not use Xinjiang cotton,” implying a definitiveness Yanai had sought to avoid. When Chinese media picked up the translated statement, the nuance was lost, leading to sensational headlines suggesting that Uniqlo had refused to use Xinjiang cotton and was planning to sever ties completely.
Multi-modal AI is revolutionising language translation, enabling more accurate and nuanced communication across sectors like business, healthcare, and diplomacy.
In today’s interconnected world, language barriers are becoming increasingly significant as businesses and individuals seek to collaborate globally. The natural way to communicate isn’t through reading or writing; it’s through seeing, listening, and talking. Multi-Modal AI, which integrates text, audio, and visuals, is revolutionising real-time translation and interpretation. This technology can empower society by making knowledge and resources accessible to all, regardless of education or literacy. This article explores how multi-modal AI is revolutionising real-time translation, its impact on overcoming traditional language barriers, and the challenges it faces.
Introduction to Multi-Modal AI
Multi-modal AI combines diverse types of data inputs like text, images, and sounds to generate responses or translations. Unlike traditional AI models that rely solely on one form of input, multi-modal systems leverage multiple data types, allowing for more nuanced and accurate translations. Multi-modal AI not only helps with interpreting spoken languages, but also with contextualising the non-verbal cues such as body language or environmental factors. The convergence of these different data types makes multi-modal AI significantly more effective in fields like language translation, medical diagnosis, autonomous driving, and even creative arts.
According to a report by MarketsandMarkets, the global AI market is expected to grow from $150 billion in 2023 to $1.59 trillion by 2030, and multi-modal AI will account for a significant portion of this growth due to its diverse applications.
The six-title shortlist for this year’s Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation Translation Prize highlights classic and contemporary fiction and nonfiction translated from Japanese into English.
The shortlist for the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation Translation Prize was announced on December 2, highlighting classic and contemporary fiction and nonfiction translated from Japanese into English. The prize, launched last year by the foundation in association with the Society of Authors, considers books published in Britain between April 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024. The results are due to be announced on February 12, 2025; the translator of the winning title will receive £3,000 and the runner-up £1,000.
Last year’s winning translator Alison Watts appears on the shortlist again for What You Are Looking for Is in the Library, translated from a novel by Aoyama Michiko about a librarian who transforms a series of visitors’ lives through her perfectly pitched book recommendations. The 2023 runner-up David Boyd is also shortlisted in 2024, again for a translation of a book by Oyamada Hiroko. The Factory zooms in on the absurdity of the workplace via three characters with mundane jobs in a surreal setting.
Orange wants to bring manga to as many readers as possible—but some fans are not happy.
A Japanese publishing startup is using Anthropic’s flagship large language model Claude to help translate manga into English, allowing the company to churn out a new title for a Western audience in just a few days rather than the two to three months it would take a team of humans.
Orange was founded by Shoko Ugaki, a manga superfan who (according to VP of product Rei Kuroda) has some 10,000 titles in his house. The company now wants more people outside Japan to have access to them. “I hope we can do a great job for our readers,” says Kuroda.
Orange’s Japanese-to-English translation of Neko Oji: Salaryman reincarnated as a kitten! IMAGES COURTESY ORANGE / YAJIMA
But not everyone is happy. The firm has angered a number of manga fans who see the use of AI to translate a celebrated and traditional art form as one more front in the ongoing battle between tech companies and artists. “However well-intentioned this company might be, I find the idea of using AI to translate manga distasteful and insulting,” says Casey Brienza, a sociologist and author of the book Manga in America: Transnational Book Publishing and the Domestication of Japanese Comics.
There will now be 7 languages besides the official Italian, for the Pope’s reflections and the mediation on a biblical text.
“Next week will begin the translation into Chinese, here at the audience,” Pope Francis announced with visible joy, at the general audience on November 27, 2024. The first translation into Chinese will therefore take place on December 4, the beginning of the liturgical year and first Sunday of Advent.
Every Wednesday, the Pontiff meditates on a biblical text during the general audience, an event open to the public. The audience takes place either in St. Peter’s Square or in the Paul VI Hall inside the Vatican.
Before he speaks, a short extract from the Bible is read out in several languages. After his catechesis, a summary of his speech and the translation of his messages addressed to the faithful in a specific language are also translated.
These translations, carried out by Vatican employees, are currently available in six languages in addition to the official Italian: French, English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, and Arabic.
Arabic is the latest language to be permanently added by Benedict XVI on October 10, 2012.
Occasionally, languages may be added in response to a special occasion, such as the presence of a group of pilgrims speaking another language – Ukrainian and Slovakian translations were heard recently.
The Connexion speaks to Adriana Hunter as she prepares to tackle the poetic bestseller Son odeur après la pluie
Adriana Hunter has translated over one hundred books and won multiple awards
Adriana Hunter is one of the most experienced British translators of French books with more than a hundred under her belt. She is the recipient of multiple literary prizes and awards.
She has been the official translator for the English version of the Asterix series of graphic novels since 2018, when she replaced Anthea Bell, and has worked on the last four of them.
She loves ‘juggling with words’ and has been honing her craft to bridge the gap between both languages.
This can mean anything from unravelling the intimacy of Amélie Nothomb’s bestselling novels or conveying the play-on-words and puns in Asterix.
The Connexion interviewed Cédric Sapin-Defour for Son odeur après la pluie, an unexpected bestseller telling the intimate relationship between him and Ubac, his Bernese mountain dog, who died in 2017.
He was asked for his opinion about whoever would be chosen for the English translation.
He was not sure how that person would accomplish what he considered an almost impossible task.
Vasco Pedro, CEO of the Lisbon-based startup Unbabel, delivered a provocative forecast at the Web Summit in Lisbon when he said human translators may no longer be needed within three years. The statement came in parallel with the launch of Widn.AI, Unbabel’s new AI-powered translation service built on its proprietary large language model, Tower. Capable of handling translations in 32 languages, Widn.AI represents a significant shift from the company’s earlier hybrid model, which paired AI technology with human editors.
“The advantage humans have in translation is razor-thin,” Pedro said, asserting that AI has reached a stage where it can handle all but the most complex translation tasks. This advancement aligns with a broader trend of generative AI boosting enterprise innovation, as companies increasingly leverage AI for tasks once deemed exclusively human.
Implications for Jobs and Industry
Unbabel’s innovation comes as AI’s potential to replace jobs is sparking heated debates. While Unbabel foresees growth fueled by a surge in translated content, Pedro admitted that the revenue per word is likely to drop. This mirrors broader predictions about AI’s disruptive potential, such as Vinod Khosla’s claim that AI could perform 80 percent of tasks across 80 percent of jobs.
The award will be the biggest of its kind in Europe and aims to celebrate the work of an overlooked and underpaid profession facing an existential threat from AI
Norway is launching a new translation price that is one of the most highly endowed of its kind in Europe, in an attempt to boost a “partly invisible” and often poorly paid profession increasingly under threat from machine translation.
Named after the Norwegian novelist and playwright who won the 2023 Nobel prize in literature, Jon Fosse, the Fosse prize for translators will reward one author every year with 500,000 NOK (£36,000) for making “a particularly significant contribution to translating Norwegian literature into another language”.
Funded by the Norwegian government and managed by the National Library in Oslo, the prize is exclusive to those translating from Bokmål and Nynorsk, the two official written standards of the Norwegian language.
“For a small language like Norwegian, the work of dedicated translators are crucial,” said Aslak Sira Myhre, director of the National Library of Norway. “It is a strenuous, creative and partly invisible work that brings literature to people and cultures closer together.”
Lin King ’22 has won the 2024 National Book Award in Translated Literature for her work translating Yáng Shuang-zi’s Taiwan Travelogueto Englishfrom its original Mandarin Chinese.
Competing in an original pool of 141 entrants in the category, King’s translation was named to the longlist in September, a finalist in October, and finally the winner on Wednesday night at the 75th National Book Awards Ceremony in New York City.
The novel follows the unlikely relationship of two women in 1930s Taiwan, a Japanese writer and her Taiwanese interpreter, as they tour the island nation under Japanese rule. The Translated Literature prize is particularly fitting for the book’s exploration of language, culture, and interpretation.
King accepted the award with Shuang-zi, who delivered remarks in Mandarin, which King then translated for the audience. “Some people ask me why I write about things from a hundred years ago,” King translated. “I always tell them, writing about the past is a means of moving toward the future.
“More than a century ago, some Taiwanese people began making the assertion, ‘Taiwan belongs to the Taiwanese,’” she continued. “Today, many Taiwanese continue to assert this, but now we are addressing it to a different audience. Before, we were saying it to the Japanese. Now, we are saying it to the Chinese.”
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