AI-Enabled Models Enhance Accuracy and Efficiency for Localization Service Providers Translating and Subtitling Media Content
XL8 Inc., a Silicon Valley tech company that provides AI-powered Machine Translation technology optimized for media content, is announcing its newest sets of Context Awareness (CA) language pairs designed to increase the translation and subtitling accuracy for localization service providers (LSP).
XL8’s language pairs have been found to deliver new workflow efficiencies for LSPs in terms of less post-editing work and a 32% reduction in project delivery times. These newest models bring the company’s total number of context-aware language pairs to 40. By the end of 2022, all of XL8’s 73 engines will be context-aware.
XL8’s application of Context Awareness in its Machine Translation technology enhances the immersive experiences for audiences watching live or pre-recorded streaming or broadcast content. XL8’s Context Awareness engine does what was previously the sole domain of humans, accurately considering the context of a conversation and evaluating the subtle differences of gender, slang, formalities, multiple word meanings, and other language intricacies.
XL8’s Context Awareness technology focuses on “source language to source language” to create different and specific language pairs and, as a result, achieve higher levels of accuracy.
A third-party committee of content localization service providers tested the new models for translating from English to Latin Spanish using several categories of programming (e.g., sci-fi, comedy, food, travel, drama). The tests were conducted with and without the XL8 Context Awareness model applied. While both sets performed well, the accuracy of XL8’s CA model averaged 95.5% and the normal model average was 91.2% (a percentage change of +4.3%.)
Overall, the Context Awareness model was more accurate regarding gender and formality consistency among multiple subtitles. While both performed well at providing coherent sentences, even when faced with misspelled words or odd phrasings, the Context Awareness model was more accurate with certain categories like food, where dishes were described in extreme detail with long lists of ingredients.
Linguists involved with the testing have regularly noted the improvements in their performance and accuracy by using the XL8 technology.
“XL8’s new Context Awareness engine has turned out to be a great ally for me,” said Gisela C., a linguist with 10 years of localization experience and a specialization in Latin Spanish, Portuguese, and English. “I was surprised to see how terms, genre and treatment are consistent throughout the files. The Context Awareness engines definitely had a positive impact on my performance, I can do more in less time! I certainly recommend it.”
The XL8 models also significantly improve project delivery times, especially important when LSPs need to deliver content in multiple formats and languages to an increasing number of platforms and viewers worldwide in less time and with fewer resources.
“The XL8 Context Awareness engines help my work as an editor, especially when it comes to quick translation and consistency throughout the file,” said Rido M., a linguist with seven years of localization experience specializing in Bahasa Indonesian and English. “It also helps with my time-efficiency since many short and long sentences need no more editing. We now have a reliable tool that’s very helpful for today’s fast-paced environment. I definitely recommend it.”
About XL8.ai
XL8 was founded in 2019 by technical executives from Google and Apple, both with an advanced degree in Computer Science from Columbia University. A Silicon Valley tech company at its core, XL8 takes AI-powered machine translation (MT), specially optimized for media content, to the next level. Its advanced technology allows significantly more efficient workflows by providing: in-line editing, automated media transcription with time coding, automated subtitling, synthesized voice dubbing, real-time meeting interpretation, and live subtitling. XL8’s uniquely specialized translation engines have been built from the ground up utilizing professionally trained, human-perfected subtitles curated from the media industry’s top content producers. XL8’s “secret sauce” offers media focused translation accuracy that is up to 40% higher than other generally available MT services.
XL8’s translation technology stands out from its competitors by using Context Awareness models to better translate colloquial phrases, thereby actually “localizing” content instead of simply translating it “word for word.” Furthermore, XL8’s translation engines can incorporate specific language formalities by recognizing the relationships among the characters in a show. Since its inception, XL8 has surpassed translating 500,000 hours of content and more than 2.5 billion words, and currently supports more than 66 language pairs. For more information visit xl8.ai or [email protected]
