In the 2024 year-end episode of SlatorPod, hosts Florian Faes and Esther Bond, along with guest Anna Wyndham, explore pivotal language industry trends from the past year and predictions for 2025. First, the language industry news of the week, with LXT’s acquisition of clickworker, which aims to expand its AI data capabilities and potentially double…

Katharine Allen, Director of Language Industry Learning at Boostlingo, and Dr. Bill Rivers, Principal at WP Rivers & Associates, join SlatorPod to discuss the challenges and opportunities AI brings to interpreting. Both are founding members of the Interpreting SAFE AI Task Force, which aims to guide the responsible use of AI in language services. A…

Florian and Esther discuss the language industry news of the week, where they explore how AI is influencing content creation and translation, noting its progress and limitations. A recent study on GPT-4 revealed its ability to match junior translators but lag behind experienced professionals, particularly in nuanced contexts. Florian highlights the…

Charles Campbell, President of tbo., returns to SlatorPod for round 2 to talk about his efforts to unite and professionalize the language services industry in Latin America and the Caribbean through the association Juntos. Founded just before the pandemic, Juntos aims to raise standards in translation, interpreting, and localization by fostering co…

Florian and Esther discuss the language industry news of the week, with Slator’s latest Translation as a Feature (TaaF) Report, which explores how AI translation is becoming an integral feature in enterprise technology. Florian talks about Reddit’s success with machine translation (MT). By localizing content into French, the social media platform q…

Stuart Green, CEO of ZOO Digital (ZOO), joins SlatorPod to discuss the role of AI in media localization and the essential role human linguists will continue to play in producing high-authenticity content in multiple languages. A technologist by training, Stuart recounts his entry into the media localization industry and how ZOO transitioned from DV…

Christian Elongue, Managing Director of Ghana-based consulting firm and language service provider (LSP) Kabod Group, joins SlatorPod to share his insights into the African language services landscape, recounting his journey into language advocacy. Christian describes Kabod Group as a dual-purpose organization, offering translation services primaril…

Sijie Wei, Co-CEO of language services, technology, and game localization specialist EC Innovations (ECI), joins SlatorPod to talk about his new role as co-CEO and leading one of Asia’s largest LSPs with revenues exceeding USD 50m in 2023. Sijie shares how ECI, initially focused on helping Western blue-chip firms enter China, expanded to assisting …

Florian and Esther discuss the language industry news of the week, with Slator’s latest Pro Guide on Audiovisual Translation, which outlines opportunities for language service providers (LSPs) and how AI is impacting the field. In a language AI corner, Florian covers Alibaba’s recent launch of a proprietary large language model (LLM) for translatio…

Gregor and Olivera Rosulnik, Co-founders of Slovenia-based language service provider GORR, join SlatorPod to discuss their journey into the language industry, the challenges they faced, and the strategies they've employed to grow their business. Gregor and Olivera share how they initially targeted Slovenian companies, especially startups and scaleu…

Shamus Sayed, COO of Interpreters Unlimited, and Anna Wyndham, Slator’s Head of Research, join SlatorPod to discuss key findings from the 2024 ALC Industry Survey Report, covering industry growth, profitability, service diversification, and the impact of AI. Shamus kicks off the podcast by explaining the origins and purpose of the Association of La…

Florian and Esther discuss the language industry news of the week, where they give their impressions from SlatorCon Silicon Valley and touch upon the findings from the 2024 ALC Industry Survey. In a significant funding update, Esther reports that Smartcat raised USD 43m in a Series C round, bringing their total funding to USD 70m. This funding will…

George Bara, Founder and Chief Strategist of tech company Zetta Cloud, joins SlatorPod to talk about the nuances of AI technology and its applications in text analytics and multilingual data processing. George shares insights from his career journey, including his tenure at SDL and RWS before co-founding Zetta Cloud, which focuses on building small…

Dr. Christopher Kurz, Head of Translation Management at wind turbine manufacturer ENERCON, joins SlatorPod to talk about the development of ISO 5060, a new standard focused on the evaluation of translation output. Christopher discusses how his involvement with ISO standards since 2011, coupled with his experience in translation quality management, …

Florian and Esther discuss the language industry news of the week, with key highlights from the latest Slator Pro Guide: The Future of Language Industry Jobs. The guide focuses on the future of jobs and freelance opportunities in the language industry, noting the impact of AI on employment trends. The duo analyze the 2024 Inc. 5,000 list, which inc…

Spence Green, CEO and Co-founder of LILT, the AI solution provider for enterprise translation, joins SlatorPod. On the podcast, Spence discusses the evolution of LILT's end-to-end platform, which integrates AI models with human verification to ensure quality standards. The CEO notes a significant shift in enterprise approaches towards localization,…

Paul Ghio, Co-founder of AI video localization startup Supernative, joins SlatorPod to talk about how language AI is reshaping how we create and consume content globally. Paul shares how his passion for helping creators and his experience with internationalization at Shutterstock and Yelp led him to start Supernative, with a mission to democratize …

Florian and Esther discuss the language industry news of the week, with a nearly USD 4m settlement involving Language Line Services and ongoing disputes in Canada, where freelance interpreters are protesting against unpaid breaks during debates. Florian highlights a YouTube video about UN simultaneous interpreting and the rigorous standards and wor…

João Graça, Co-founder and CTO of language operations platform Unbabel, joins SlatorPod to talk about the present and future of large language models (LLMs) and their broad impact across all things translation and localization. First, the CTO explains how Unbabel was founded to address language barriers for people using services like Airbnb, combin…

Florian and Esther discuss the language industry news of the week, with a legal battle in the UK involving public sector interpreting and the classification of interpreters as freelancers or workers, which could significantly impact the business models of language service providers (LSPs). The duo explores Google Translate's recent expansion to sup…

Josh Goldsmith, Geek-In-Chief of techforword, joins SlatorPod to talk about his multiple roles as a linguist, conference interpreter, and educator. Josh shares his multifaceted background in linguistics and language teaching, highlighting his passion for language and education, which led him to co-found techforword. Josh explains the current landsc…

Florian and Esther discuss the language industry news of the week, giving a recap of SlatorCon London and exploring some use cases from the Slator Pro Guide: Language AI for Consumers. Florian talks about Andrew Ng's recent project on agentic machine translation, which involves using large language models (LLMs) to create a virtual language service…

Marina Ilari, CEO of Terra Translations and Terra Localizations, joins SlatorPod to talk about her professional journey and the world of game localization. The CEO shares the strategic decision to create Terra Localizations in 2008 to cater specifically to the gaming industry's requirements. She attributes the company's growth to the ability to off…

Georg Ell, CEO of Phrase, returns to SlatorPod for round 2 to talk about the accelerating adoption of generative technologies and AI. Discussing the broader implications of AI, Georg notes that business leaders are increasingly focused on language technology for its cost, return on investment, and time-to-value benefits. Georg points out that these…

Mary Kazamias, CEO of TRSB, joins SlatorPod to talk about her journey starting as a translator and transitioning through various roles to leading Canada's largest language service provider (LSP). The podcast explores the balance between government and private sector clients in Canada, with Mary noting that while the government produces more content…

Florian and Esther discuss the language industry news of the week, with the US Bureau of Labor Statistics sharing their projections for growth in translation and interpreting jobs between 2022-2032. The duo delves into Reddit's earnings call, where machine translation is emphasized as a key driver for international growth and content accessibility.…

Charles Campbell joins SlatorPod to talk about the evolution of tbo. from a translation company to a diversified business, exploring challenges, strategies, and the impact of industry changes. The President and Founder discusses the talent landscape, mentioning challenges such as layoffs, hiring fluctuations, and the impact of political changes in …

Daniel Wilson, Founder and CEO of XRI Global, joins SlatorPod to talk about the company's focus on low-resource languages and its efforts to bring digital equality to communities lacking online language support. With a background in linguistics and research on endangered languages in the Caucasus Mountains, Wilson's journey led him to establish XRI…

Florian and Esther discuss the language industry news of the week, with SlatorCon London, scheduled for May 23rd, announcing the speaker lineup, including a Keynote presentation from Iris Orriss of Meta. They then discuss how enterprises are becoming increasingly comfortable launching fully automated language AI features, labeling it the “normaliza…

Dr. B.J. Woodstein, Professor, Translator, and Writer, joins SlatorPod to talk about translation theory and its implications for literary translators, while also shedding light on the professional challenges, nuances, and ethical considerations. B.J. discusses her upcoming book, “Translation Theory for Literary Translators”, where she aims to demys…

Mihai Vlad, the Founder of Video Highlight and former General Manager of Language Weaver, joins SlatorPod to talk about his entrepreneurial journey and insights into the language AI startup landscape. Mihai discusses his latest venture, Video Highlight, which aims to solve the inefficiency of extracting valuable information from lengthy videos by p…

Chris Reynolds, the EVP and General Manager of Worldwide Localization and Fulfillment at Deluxe, joins SlatorPod to talk about the complexities of dubbing and the potential impact of AI on the industry. Chris discusses the different elements in the dubbing process, including voice casting, script adaptation, and post-production, as well as the chal…

Jordan Evans, the CEO of Language Network, joins SlatorPod to talk about the evolution of his family-founded language service provider (LSP) and his sales-focused growth strategy. Jordan's professional trajectory began with a blend of sales, tech startups, and a stint as a linguist and translator, before acquiring Language Network and achieving sig…

Florian and Esther discuss the language industry news of the week, with Head of Research Anna Wyndham joining to give a breakdown of the 2024 Slator Language AI 50 Under 50, a list highlighting 50 of the newest and most notable language AI companies. The list focuses on 50 language AI companies under 50 months old, showcasing their innovations in s…

Florian and Esther discuss the language industry news of the week, with Women in Localization opening a new chapter in Switzerland and SlatorCon coming to Silicon Valley on September 5th. Florian shares insights from RWS’ Annual General Meeting, where under the new leadership of Chairman Julie Southern, the language service provider (LSP) highlight…

Florian and Esther discuss the language industry news of the week with a first look at the newly released 2024 Slator Language Service Provider Index (LSPI) where they unpack the key findings from over 250 LSPs on the ranking. Leading the 2024 LSPI is Super Agency TransPerfect, who recently appointed Jin Lee as the new Co-CEO. Lee began as a projec…

In the landmark 200th episode of the SlatorPod, we are joined by Anja Jones, Managing Director of AJT, to talk about the language service provider’s (LSP’s) journey to becoming a B Corp, a certification for businesses balancing profit with social and environmental responsibility. Anja touches upon the impact of large language models (LLMs), express…

In this week’s SlatorPod, we are joined by Bart Maczynski, the VP of Machine Learning at Language Weaver, the translation tech brand of Super Agency RWS, to talk about the challenges and advancements in enterprise-grade machine translation (MT). The discussion delves into the distinctions between enterprise and consumer-grade MT, with challenges in…

John Tinsley, the VP of AI Solutions at language AI agency Translated, joins SlatorPod to talk about the challenges, advancements, and future directions of AI in the language industry. John shares his journey from founding machine translation (MT) pioneer ICONIC, selling it during the height of the pandemic to RWS, and now his current role focusing…

Florian and Esther discuss the language industry news of the week, with Super Early Bird ending soon for SlatorCon Remote March and a save-the-date announcement for SlatorCon London, scheduled in person for May 23, 2024. Florian talks about how translation GPTs are becoming increasingly available on OpenAI’s GPT store, highlighting the ease of buil…

Florian and Esther discuss the language industry news of the week, with OpenAI recently launching its GPT store, allowing users to create their own GPT chat interfaces without the need for coding. One move that underscores OpenAI's influence in the language space is Albania's consideration of using ChatGPT for translating documents related to its E…

Vasco Pedro, Co-founder and CEO of language operations platform Unbabel, joins SlatorPod to talk about the transformative year of 2023 and its impact on the language technology landscape. Vasco discusses the AI boom in 2023, emphasizing the importance of recognizing AI as what he calls a cognitive prosthetic rather than a human replacement. He high…

Florian and Esther discuss the language industry news of the week, with the release of Slator’s Pro Guide: Solution Sales for Language Service Providers and more exciting research to come. The duo talk about the latest in language AI, with OpenAI gaining traction as a potential default for machine translation, and the firing and rehiring of CEO Sam…

Jonas Ryberg, Chief Globalization Officer of Centific, joins SlatorPod to talk about the evolving language services landscape and Centific's approach to navigating the changes brought about by generative AI and large language models (LLMs). Jonas looks back on the opportunities and challenges of 2023, with the impact of ChatGPT triggering clients, …

Diego Antista, Co-Founder and CEO of GetGloby, joins SlatorPod to talk about the complexity of translating and transcreating digital ad campaigns. Diego shares a pivotal moment when he discovered that the cost of translating campaigns for multicultural audiences was a significant barrier for advertisers, leading to the creation of GetGloby with fel…

Florian and Esther discuss the language industry news of the week, with the release of Slator’s new Pro Guide: Scaling an LSP Key Account. The duo analyzed the job requirements and responsibilities for an AI Localization Analyst at Chubb, an insurance company. Florian discusses when he, for the first time, realized he briefly fell for a third-party…

Gabriel Fairman, Founder and CEO of Bureau Works, joins SlatorPod to talk about the potential of generative AI in translation management. Gabriel shares the origin story of Bureau Works, where over the years his perspective shifted towards viewing translation as an information management challenge, leading Bureau Works to transition into a tech-ena…

Pablo Navascués, Managing Director of global content and SEO agency Key Content, joins SlatorPod to discuss the impact of generative AI on content creation and SEO. Pablo explains how content strategy and SEO strategy have become more interconnected, emphasizing the need for high-quality, user-oriented content. He acknowledges that AI can be valuab…

Bryan Murphy, CEO of Smartling, joins SlatorPod to share insights into the language technology leader’s position as a turnkey cloud-based language AI solution. Bryan talks about his background in software and e-commerce and how he joined Smartling to leverage technology in the translation and localization business. Bryan expands on how Smartling ha…

Jakub Absolon, CEO of ASAP-translation.com, joins SlatorPod to share insights into the evolving landscape of AI in the language industry and the role of post-editing in the translation process. Jakub acknowledged the success of the past two years but noted that this year has brought new challenges. To stay competitive, the LSP plans to expand its B…