2023 was the year of AI, so how has that impacted how website translation and localization works? How are the top website translation services using AI to improve their technologies? Take a look into 2024’s most anticipated website localization trends.
The technological landscape of the 21st century is almost unpredictable, considering how far we’ve come within the first 20 years. And this is highlighted by the mass adoption of AI in the last year.
The best website translation services do not just rely on humans anymore, and we have tools that are making the process faster and less costly without sacrificing quality. If you’re managing or planning a website translation project, these are the top trends and services available to you.
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Trend #1: AI to Drive Post Human-Editing
There’s no question that artificial intelligence has changed the landscape of business and technology forever. More companies are using it, and the most successful companies in the translation industry are going to be the ones that leverage AI translation to reduce costs at scale without sacrificing quality.
One way to do this is to use AI tools to perform post-editing. For instance, ChatGPT can be used to proofread and edit translations to ensure accuracy and consistency across the entire website. The model can identify errors, suggest corrections, and provide alternative phrasing for translations.
Machine translation alone still lacks nuance, but there is still so much room to grow. Forward-thinking companies will harness a combination of AI and human linguists. Human supervision guarantees quality, while AI accelerates translation speed and covers multiple languages.
The highest precision in multilingual content will emerge from cooperative efforts between humans and AI. AI takes care of routine translations, while experts refine vital creative content, such as marketing materials.
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Trend #2: Video-Forward Content
Video content on social media and in marketing efforts has grown exponentially in the 2020s, thanks to things like TikTok and streaming services. Video is undoubtedly the future of content, period.
Many companies are realizing the importance of creating video content, but there is a growing need for video localization as part of the process. There are two trends emerging in this area of translation and localization that can boost your accessibility and help you reach more viewers:
Subtitles
On a global scale, the majority of online videos are produced in English. Subtitling plays a pivotal role in facilitating understanding for non-native viewers. With the advancement of AI technology, there is a promising prospect of automated video subtitling in over 20 languages.
A substantial 40% of YouTube’s audience uses subtitles every day. This trend signals the immediate need for video subtitles across a spectrum of languages, enabling content to transcend linguistic boundaries. The advent of automatic translations implies a significant increase in the volume of video content accessible to a global audience than ever before.
Voiceover
Creating high-quality voiceover dubs is a costly yet essential aspect, particularly for enhancing understanding among individuals with limited literacy skills. With advancements in speech synthesis and translation technology, the potential for automated voiceovers to support a broader range of languages is expanding.
Additionally, pre-translated voice recordings play a crucial role in improving accessibility for visually impaired audiences. The influence of AI is prompting a growing number of businesses to invest in voice dubbing capabilities, ultimately fostering the growth of multilingual video production.
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Trend #3: Multilingual Customer Journey
Leading global corporations are poised to offer seamless, expertly tailored, comprehensive experiences. Customers, from their initial interaction to the point of purchase and ongoing support, will effortlessly engage in their native language, eliminating any language barriers.
Consistency throughout various touchpoints and interactions fosters a sense of familiarity and trust among customers. The removal of language obstacles results in foreign audiences embracing fully translated customer journeys, leading to increased conversion rates and overall satisfaction.
With the ongoing expansion of technological capabilities in the era of globalization, emphasizing multilingual content becomes a strategic advantage for brands. While the world may seem more connected, the ability to navigate diverse linguistic landscapes remains crucial in attracting and retaining customers worldwide.
The power lies in enabling individuals to understand your message effortlessly in their native tongue. This approach is essential in delivering an exceptional customer experience, fostering loyalty, and driving growth.
Importance of an Easy Customer Experience:
An easy and seamless customer experience, including language localization, enhances customer satisfaction, leading to higher retention rates and increased loyalty. Removing language barriers through fully translated customer journeys can result in improved conversion rates, as customers can engage without language friction.
Trend #4: Continued Increasing Trust in AI and NMT (Neural Machine Translation)
In our previous trends report, we spoke extensively about the infultration of AI in to the website translation and localization business. Machine translation technology boasts incredible benefits and, as more businesses adopt its uses, more people will continue to tolerate it.
According to Forbes, the AI market is projected to reach a staggering $407 billion by 2027, experiencing substantial growth from its estimated $86.9 billion revenue in 2022. As of 2023, 35% of companies are using AI and 42% of companies are exploring AI for its implementation in the future.
The website translation service industry is not immune to this trend. As of 2022, the global machine translation market has reached over $1.1 billion.
Using machine translation has some particularly important benefits that businesses should take advantage of:
- It’s fast: Machine translation can produce near human quality work in a fraction of the time, saving you time and money.
- It’s scalable: It can handle vast amounts of content quickly, keeping up with your changing business needs.
- It’s flexible: Using machine translation allows you to translate content from one project into multiple languages without multiple human linguists.
- It’s automated: Automating the pilot stages of the translation process makes the rest faster and more affordable.
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What Are Your Translation Service Options?
Proxy Translation
Proxies can detect and produce automated translated content which creates a well-rounded localized web experience with little effort. Proxy technology separates written content from the code of your website, creating functioning multilingual webpages with the same look and feel as your flagship website.
Proxy translation technology acts as an intermediary between a user and a destination server. When a user’s computer sends a request to access a website or other online resource, a server-based proxy captures the request and forwards it to the destination server on behalf of the user in their desired language. One common use of a server-based proxy is to provide a way for clients to access the Internet through a centralized gateway. The proxy can then apply various filtering or caching policies to the requests before forwarding them to the Internet. This can help to improve network security, reduce bandwidth usage, and improve performance by caching frequently accessed content. There are two types of, proxy solutions and they are not the same.
Server Based Proxies vs Browser-Based Proxies:
A server-based proxy like MP Core, in the MotionPoint Platform are superior automated website translation solutions for fast, and high-quality multilingual websites. Server based proxies are in line with SEO best practices. Server based proxies can also ensure 100% content detection and translation queuing. This is optimal for translating dynamically generated content, product listings, and complex applications within front-end frameworks.
Browser-based proxies typically operate as browser extensions or add-ons, which go against SEO best practices. Browser-based proxies are good for small projects but are not as robust as server-based proxies and can leave companies vulnerable to partially translated websites.
Translation Plugins
Translation plugins are software tools that can be added to a website to provide automatic translation. These plugins work by using machine translation to provide a rough translation of the website’s content. While translation plugins are not as accurate as human translation, they can be a good option for smaller websites or for businesses that are just starting to expand into new markets. One of the benefits of translation plugins is that they are easy to install and use.
Additionally, many translation plugins can be customized to meet the needs of individual websites, including the ability to exclude certain content from translation or to provide translations for specific pages or sections of the website.
Connectors
Connectors are valuable because they give you control over how your translations and your branding are presented in different languages and markets. Connecting your Content Management System (CMS) to your translation service can expedite development cycles and help you manage all your translations in one, familiar environment. With connectors that are compatible with CMS systems like Adobe Experience Manager, Drupal Translation, and WordPress, your company can maintain control and visibility of the translation process while saving time and money.
APIs
APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) are used in translation to connect different software systems and allow them to exchange information and data related to language translation. APIs can be used to provide translation services to different software applications and websites, enabling them to offer multilingual content and reach a wider audience.
The Takeaways
2023 was a year of technological advancements and new website translation strategies. As we move into 2024, it’s crucial to look into how users are taking in content and what they need to successfully navigate your brand.
With the boom of video content, you need to ensure viewers can access the information you’re providing. This can help boost the multilingual customer journey and help you gain new audiences.
Just as AI has been used to help perform translation tasks, it is also being used to ensure quality through post-editing. Tools like ChatGPT can help reduce errors and create consistency in translations.
Curious For More? Download our 2023 AdaptiveCon: The Future of Website Translation in Light of AI. Get it for free Here!