Latest news with #translation
Forbes
a day ago
- Forbes
What The Future Of Translation Tech Means For The Basque Language
The 2024 Korrika, a biennial relay race celebrating the Basque language. (Photo by Unanue) In a warehouse-like space on a narrow island in Bilbao, Spain, linguists and technologists are testing the possibilities of automated translation. Their projects include antispoofing work to better detect and combat synthetic voices, which are now highly sophisticated; vocal analysis of calls to potentially identify early signs of neurological disorders; and a limited set of speech commands in elevators, which may be especially useful to people with disabilities. This is the Bilbao base of Vicomtech, a nonprofit research foundation focused on technology. Its funders include private companies and four layers of government (provincial, regional, national, and European). The strong influence of local governments, in particular, is a common theme across both language-revitalization and technology-development projects in the Basque Country. An automated translation program that Vicomtech worked on, Itzuli, is used for 300,00 translations a day, according to the organization. Itzuli is embedded on a government website, where it allows general translation between Basque and Spanish, French, and English. It also offers formal translation, appropriate for legal language, between Basque and Spanish. And the developers are working to add an offering specific to the Bizkaian dialect of Basque. However, Itzuli remains less well-known than Google Translate, which remains convenient for many Basque Country businesses, even if it's not quite as sophisticated. (Google did not respond to a request for comments regarding Google Translate and Basque.) Basque's Hard-Fought Current Status Basque (euskara), a language spoken in parts of northern Spain and southern France, is unusual for several reasons. The vast majority of languages spoken in Europe are Indo-European, but many linguists believe that Basque predates those. It's now essentially unique in Western Europe. While many minority languages in Europe are dwindling, Basque is bucking the trends. Over 1 million people can now speak or understand it. Some of the numbers are dramatic. For instance, while in 1997–98, 40% of students in the Basque Autonomous Community (BAC) of northern Spain chose to take their university entrance exams in Basque rather than Spanish, this shot up to over 70% in 2018–19, according to Euskararen Etxea, a museum and cultural center dedicated to the Basque language. This points to another unusual feature of Basque: it's a young language. In contrast, many minority languages remain the preserve of the oldest community members. In Basque, 22% of BAC residents older than 70 speak Basque, dwarfed by the over 90% of 10–14-year-olds who speak Basque. However, while Basque has grown significantly as a language of education and culture, it is not yet spoken casually to the same degree. 'Basque is a young language because it is children and young people who use it most, and that includes use on the street,' according to Euskararen Etxea. Euskararen Etxea. Also, the expansion of Basque has been uneven. It is declining in the French Basque Country, though overall Basque punches above its weight, in terms of representation. For example, there are about the same number of active users for the Basque and Uzbek versions of Wikipedia, although Uzbekistan has roughly 18 times the population size. Basque has had a tumultuous recent history. It was banned under the Spanish dictatorship of Francisco Franco, which began in 1936. In the decades that followed, the Basque nationalist group Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (Eta) killed over 800 people while agitating, among other things, for protection of the Basque language. In the Basque regions, language battles have been closely intertwined with tensions, sometimes violent, over identity and power. Controversies have continued over, for example, proposed Basque language requirements for some public jobs. It wasn't until 1968 that a standardized version (euskara batua) was created. Language enthusiasts have embraced new technologies such as video games for keeping Basque alive. Now, digitizing Basque is part of the regional government's drive to both safeguard the language and to invest heavily in technology. This is symbolized by Zorrotzaurre, the artificial island housing Vicomtech's Bilbao office. Construction is occurring all over this formerly run-down strip of land, which many industrial companies abandoned after the 1980s. The island still appears modest, but two international starchitects have left their fingerprints on it. Zorrotzaurre's master plan was drawn up Zaha Hadid, and the island is connected to the mainland by Frank Gehry Bridge (Frank Gehry Zubia), whose Guggenheim Museum design was a controversial and expensive gamble that has hugely paid off. Now, Vicomtech associate director Jorge Posada says of the authorities' plans, 'they want to create a kind of Guggenheim effect' for Zorrotzaurre as well. A Deliberately Smaller And Slower Approach To Language Tech The technology has advanced faster than some people's desire to incorporate it. A logical source of Basque-language content for tech developers, including Vicomtech, is the public broadcaster, Euskal Irrati Telebista (EITB). EITB has five TV channels, of which two are fully in Basque, and six radio stations, with two of them exclusively in Basque. 'As a public service, it is one of our big goals' to preserve the Basque language, says Igor Jainaga Irastorza, the chief technology officer for EITB. 'It's one of our foundational basics.' So far, the broadcaster is taking a cautious approach to AI-based translation technologies, with transcription being the first critical step. Jainaga has seen much improvement in the services over the last few years. He calls them 'good enough for being helpful,' especially for general purposes or non-native speakers. But overall, 'we are going slowly with these [AI-based] services, because what we see is that if technology is not mature enough, it can introduce noise in the production processes.' While they haven't set a specific accuracy threshold they need to reach, 'it's best effort,' Jainaga reports. It's particularly important to avoid language-based errors in certain types of content: 'If it's an entertainment program, maybe it's not as critical as if it's a news program.' That balance of caution and context means that EITB allows different levels of AI-powered translation for different types of programming. As Jainaga says, 'We have a big mixture of some of the programs being transcribed by humans, some with automatic processes and some with automatic transcription with human checks, mainly with the products that are coming from outside.' More specifically, for some of EITB's news programs, the automatic transcription of subtitles may be supervised by humans. Some online broadcasts have automatic transcription with human checks, but not automatic translation. The audio platform Guau has automatic transcription and translation. And the recently launched news site Orain allows automatic translation into Spanish, English, and French (using Itzuli). Itzuli interface on the website. All of this needs localization into Basque. In weather forecasts, repeated weather-related terms may be easy to automate and achieve 100% accuracy. But AI models may need to be trained to accurately reproduce names of athletes and small towns, for instance. 'If you are giving that service to the people of the Basque Country, what they expect is that the names of the towns or local people are properly spelled,' Jainaga says. One theme that has emerged from the creation of AI language tools for this small language is the importance of quality over quantity in amassing data and developing models. Jainaga comments, 'Big companies or other developers can…eat all the info on the internet available,' potentially without obtaining rights. 'With minority languages, we have less information, so the only thing that we can do from our point is to have good-quality data.' An organization currently working on collecting high-quality language data is Euskorpora, a young nonprofit whose partners include government departments, private companies, and language institutes. (EITB and Vicomtech are also partners.) Euskorpora's flagship project is the Basque Language Digital Corpus, a collection of audio, text, and video samples of Basque from varied settings, with different language varieties represented over time. The intention is for this corpus to be available to anyone who wants to use it, though likely with some sort of payment structure for commercial uses. This type of corpus is needed, according to Leire Barañano Orbe, Euskorpora's general manager, because other Basque corpora for training machine learning models have focused on research or academic exploration. She believes that 'this distinction is crucial, as research-oriented projects often prioritize innovation and theoretical advancements, while commercial efforts aim to create practical, user-ready tools.' Another difference with the Basque Language Digital Corpus is that Euskorpora is spending a lot of time and care on making sure that they have all the legal permissions for the content they would like to incorporate. In contrast, some other datasets for machine learning models may have murky origins. For instance, it's challenging to gather enough spontaneous snippets of audio and video. So Euskorpora is looking into using audio from call centers—though this would require careful consideration to ensure that all such data is anonymous, with no identifying details captured. This quality-over-quantity approach means that Basque language tools won't be the biggest. Nor will they be the quickest, given the European Union's more careful approach to regulating AI, compared to the U.S. and China. Vicomtech isn't looking to be the fastest or the first, Posada says. Another gap in recorded spoken language is in specialized areas like law and engineering, where there may not be many media samples using this type of specific language. So for such areas, Euskorpora is considering using some proportion of synthetic data to supplement the real-world data. There again, care would be needed to avoid distorting the datasets. Audio is also a challenge for Vicomtech. It can be hard to capture good-quality audio from real-world recordings on the street, or to refine speech recognition in noisy environments like elevators or factory floors. For the moment, direct speech–speech translation is not mature enough, according to Arantza Del Pozo, head of speech and language technologies at Vicomtech. And there is a 'concatenation of errors' when AI systems translate between speech and text, she says. Like just about everyone working on Basque language tools, Barañano of Euskorpora wants to ensure the vitality of the language. She believes that the main European languages have been very strong in terms of digital transformation, but there has a been a large and widening gap for other languages. For this it's necessary to tap into not only government resources, but also larger networks of collaboration and support. For a language fighting for survival, no one organization can go it alone. Barañano believes that 'this collective effort can advance both the preservation and modernization of a minority language in an increasingly digital world.'Reporting for this story was supported by a press trip organized by the Provincial Council of Bizkaia.
Arab News
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Arab News
How AI-powered voice tech is bringing Arabic-language content to global audiences
JEDDAH: Dubai-based artificial intelligence company is revolutionizing language localization by building advanced voice and translation models that preserve emotion, nuance and cultural context — especially in complex languages like Arabic. Through a strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia's MBC Group, is scaling this technology across entertainment, education, and spiritual content — unlocking a new era of accessibility for Arabic media. 'At we have built translation and voice models that adapt to the nature of the desired language rather than merely mimicking the input,' Akshat Prakash, the company's chief technical officer and co-founder told Arab News. 'Whether it's the emotion in the voice or the way certain things are said in Arabic, we are dedicated to preserving nuances, emotions and prosody to deliver what we call a 'performance-to-performance' impact. 'We take content and deliver a fully packaged performance through our localization infrastructure built on top of our proprietary AI models — BOLI and MARS.' successfully generated multilingual commentary for an MLS NEXT Pro match using AI-driven real-time voice translation and dubbing technology. Its core capability lies in an AI dubbing platform that instantaneously translates live audio (such as play-by-play commentary) into multiple languages. The language generator preserves the original speaker's voice, tone and emotion — making it feel as if the original commentator is speaking the listener's native language. 'Solving live sports streaming first led us to create technology that could handle the hardest type of content,' said Prakash. 'Today, we livestream games in multiple languages alongside some of the biggest brands in the world — like Major League Soccer, Eurovision and the Australian Open. 'We can perform equally well on other types of content. For instance, we've translated complex performances such as the Nayla Al Khaja-directed psychological thriller, 'Three,' which was showcased at the Red Sea Film Festival.' The film was the first Arabic movie to be AI-dubbed into Mandarin Chinese and other complex languages, preserving nuances, context, and emotion while staying true to the director's original vision. Today, excels at delivering culturally and contextually sensitive adaptations of original performances — while maintaining realism — in over 150 languages. 'No technology on the market offers such diversity, realism, and public proof points of what AI can enable in hyper-realistic translation. We're proud to extend this work to every Arabic dialect — something no other technology has been able to do,' Prakash said. As global demand for non-English content continues to rise, IMAX is turning to AI to localize its original films and documentaries more efficiently. In partnership with it has delivered content in multiple languages, demonstrating the power of technology to translate complex, dramatic material. ' has consistently pushed the boundaries of what's possible — creating AI that delivers real value in the form of revenue and cost efficiencies to global content owners and distributors,' said Prakash. 'We've learned that deploying AI requires a hand-in-hand partnership. It takes not only great technology but also great partners who are willing to explore the uncharted. MBC is exactly that kind of partner for us in MENA, establishing what is probably the biggest MediaXAI deal since Runway x Lionsgate.' Prakash explained that partnering with MBC Group was a natural decision due to its vast scale, diverse content library, and strong regional presence. More significantly, the collaboration was rooted in a shared set of values. This partnership goes beyond the Runway x Lionsgate deal and sets a new benchmark for how media and AI can collaborate. AI voice tech preserves tone, emotion and nuance, transforming how Arabic content is localized across 150+ languages. powers live sports translation for global events like MLS, Eurovision and the Australian Open — in real time. AI-dubbed Arabic thriller 'Three' debuted in Mandarin, highlighting CAMB. AI's ability to localize content without losing cultural depth. MBC Group and have also taken the lead in regional innovation. With projects like Stargate and HUMAIN, the Middle East and North Africa region is quickly becoming a global hub for powerful, homegrown AI. Prakash emphasized that has remained extremely conscious of privacy, data protection and respect for individual attributes. 'While regulatory frameworks are still developing, we have been self-regulating to respect individual rights and content ownership. We drive our business ethically,' he said. 'Our foundation is simple: Not everyone can be a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere.' With one of the most comprehensive Arabic content libraries in the world, MBC Group is uniquely positioned to support more advanced and accurate AI outcomes in this space. The emerging technology team at MBC, led by Fadel Zahreddine, is at the forefront of innovation, aligning perfectly with mission. 'Our content spans the full spectrum of Arab identity, from Gulf dialects to Levantine, North African, and everything in between, capturing not just language, but also tone, emotion and social nuance,' Zahreddine told Arab News. 'Through this collaboration with we see an opportunity to contribute data that is not only linguistically rich but also responsibly curated. Our multimodal archive, covering video, audio and text, offers a strong foundation for advanced AI applications that are more contextually aware and locally grounded.' As one of the region's largest content producers, MBC Group constantly explores new ways to strengthen connections between programming and global audiences. 'This includes expanding how our content is distributed across platforms like Shahid, satellite TV and digital services,' said Zahreddine. 'Enhancing localization is one layer of the broader effort to remove friction between content and audiences.' This collaboration between MBC Group and reflects a broader effort to explore how Arabic content can connect more meaningfully with non-native-speaking audiences. By moving beyond literal translation and toward context-sensitive localization, the partnership supports a more accurate and respectful representation of original creative work For Arabic creators and producers, this opens up the possibility of reaching wider audiences while maintaining the cultural authenticity that defines their storytelling. It is not about changing the content but about removing barriers that might limit how it is experienced in other cultural contexts. MBC Group approaches innovation through the same lens that has shaped its editorial philosophy for decades — grounded in cultural integrity, social responsibility, and a strong commitment to its audiences. 'We believe that technology and ethics are not separate conversations but (are) deeply connected — especially when building tools that shape how content is consumed and understood,' said Zahreddine. 'We have around 65 nationalities working at MBC. Our multicultural environment is reflected in the cultural sensitivity of our content production. 'Our extensive media library is developed (with) high ethical standards, avoiding obscene content, excessive violence or any form of hate speech. This discipline not only protects the integrity of our content but also makes it a reliable data foundation for engaging with AI and emerging technologies.' By sharing responsibly curated material, MBC Group contributes to the development of AI models that better reflect the ethical values embedded in its programming and are aligned with audience expectations. Zahreddine added: 'While AI continues to evolve rapidly, we believe it's essential that any advancement remains anchored in principles that respect culture, identity and shared community standards.'
Android Authority
2 days ago
- Android Authority
Timekettle W4 Pro vs Google Translate: Is premium hardware a step up from the free app?
Matt Horne / Android Authority Timekettle's AI Interpreter Earbuds aim to usher in a 'new era of seamless global business interactions.' That's a bold goal, but a device that can fluidly translate a two-way conversation in real time might just achieve it. We've put the device through its paces by running side-by-side comparisons to see how the W4 Pro stacks up against Google Translate's Conversation Mode, on its own and when paired with the Pixel Buds Pro 2. What is the Timekettle W4 Pro? Matt Horne / Android Authority The Timekettle W4 Pro is a pair of open-ear AI-powered interpreter earbuds engineered for real-time conversations across languages. Unlike traditional translation apps that rely on and turn-taking, the W4 Pro is built for fluid, two-way speech. With support for 40 languages and 93 accents, and powered by the advanced Babel OS platform, it enables multiple conversation modes. This includes One-on-One, which lets two people speak freely while wearing one earbud each. Designed for a professional level of clarity and speed, the W4 Pro also supports offline translation, phone call translation, and even real-time subtitles while watching video content. Google Translate: Free, but limited Matt Horne / Android Authority Google Translate's Conversation Mode is a solid starting point for multilingual communication. It's free, easy to use, and can get you through basic interactions. For simple travel phrases or transactional exchanges, it does the job well enough. But like most app-based systems, it's built around turn-taking. You tap the mic, speak, and wait. Accuracy is generally good, though it occasionally stumbles over informal phrasing and filler words. The voice output is functional but lacks emotional nuance. Most notably, the app won't start translating until the speaker has clearly finished, leading to long pauses that can break the flow of conversation. With the Pixel Buds Pro 2 Matt Horne / Android Authority Adding Pixel Buds Pro 2 into the mix gives the experience a more private feel, at least in theory. In practice, Google Translate still depends entirely on the phone's mic for voice pickup. When you wear both buds, you can hear translations in your ears, but your responses are only displayed on-screen for the recipient. Using one bud each, you hear all of the translated speech so both of you listen to the lines intended for the other person. There's no way to split the audio directionally in this setup, which makes the experience feel messy. Ultimately, while Google Translate with Pixel Buds adds convenience, it doesn't change the core experience. You still have to take turns and tap the screen between speakers, and the system lacks the fluidity you'd want in more natural conversation. Timekettle W4 Pro: Built for dialogue Speaking and Listening Modes Matt Horne / Android Authority The Speaking and Listening modes on the Timekettle W4 Pro are the most familiar options for users coming from translation apps like Google Translate. One person wears both earbuds in these modes, although the input and output methods depend on who's speaking. In Speaking mode, the wearer of the buds speaks into the three-mic arrays of the W4 Pro, with the translation played from the phone speaker for the other person. In Listening mode, the phone mic will pick up the non-wearer's dialogue, with the translation delivered privately through the buds. What sets the W4 Pro apart, even in this more familiar setup, is its responsiveness. It initially awaits an imminent pause, but if the speaker continues uninterrupted, it quickly processes and speaks the translation, helping conversations feel more fluid. In that sense, it's reminiscent of a high-functioning human interpreter, softly speaking the translation in your ear while simultaneously listening out for the next part of the conversation. It's reminiscent of a high-functioning human interpreter, softly speaking the translation in your ear. The Vector Noise Cancelation also comes into play for the person wearing the buds, fading the speaker out a little for a more focused experience. It's like seeing an interviewee talking on a show with the dubbed English translation over the top. Translation accuracy appears equal to or better than Google Translate in testing, and latency is marginally quicker. The nuance and timbre of the voices (you can choose male or female) on the Timekettle W4 Pro also sound more natural than the robotic tone of Google Translate. These modes are best suited for situations where one person does most of the talking and the other primarily listens, such as business meetings or presentations. They're not as good as One-on-One mode for rapid, two-way dialogue, but they're a clear improvement over Google Translate, where you hear both sides of the translations and may wait long periods before interpretation begins. One-on-One Mode Matt Horne / Android Authority This is where the W4 Pro truly stands out. One-on-One Mode enables two people to each wear one earbud and speak freely, without screen taps or even needing the phone in earshot. Each earbud can record and play audio, letting you sit back and focus entirely on the conversation. This makes a huge difference in practice. Conversations no longer feel like turn-based interactions. You can speak naturally, interject, and even overlap at times. Even if you deliberately try to interrupt each other mid-sentence, the system still manages to separate and translate the essential content accurately. That kind of resilience is what makes the W4 Pro feel less like a gadget and more like a tool. It also solved one of the core frustrations of other setups: hearing both sides of the conversation. With One-on-One Mode, each person only hears the translation of what the other is saying, and not that of their own speech. It's easier to focus without needing to filter out audio that wasn't meant for you mentally, and it adds to the feeling that you each have your own personal translator on your shoulder. Whether you're sitting close together or across a table with music in the background, the mic pickup stays consistent. The lack of screen interaction makes it feel like you are speaking directly. Real-world performance and extra features Matt Horne / Android Authority The W4 Pro's open-ear design doesn't isolate sound as tightly as in-ear buds, but thanks to directional microphones and noise cancelation, translation quality holds up well even with background chatter, and even continues to deliver strong voice pickup in noisier locations like sports venues. Alongside its core translation modes, other W4 Pro features add to its versatility: Phone calls: Real-time call translation performed well in back-and-forth speech. While overlapping voices created some confusion for the party without the W4 Pro, it's still a very useful tool if you need to make an important call to someone with whom you don't share a common tongue. Real-time call translation performed well in back-and-forth speech. While overlapping voices created some confusion for the party without the W4 Pro, it's still a very useful tool if you need to make an important call to someone with whom you don't share a common tongue. Media playback: Watching YouTube with floating translated subtitles from the Timekettle app proved surprisingly effective. Even fast speech and slang-heavy content remained understandable, which would be a huge plus for language learners or casual viewers. Watching YouTube with floating translated subtitles from the Timekettle app proved surprisingly effective. Even fast speech and slang-heavy content remained understandable, which would be a huge plus for language learners or casual viewers. Offline mode: A downloaded language pack for offline use delivered solid results, with English-Spanish among the 13 packs available. Relying on the device in areas with poor connectivity is a major advantage for travel and business. A downloaded language pack for offline use delivered solid results, with English-Spanish among the 13 packs available. Relying on the device in areas with poor connectivity is a major advantage for travel and business. LLM translation: A trial feature in the Timekettle app uses AI to fit translations into a better context. It showed promise in Listening, Speaking, and One-on-One modes, delivering a more natural conversational flow while staying true to the speaker's message. Timekettle W4 Pro: Verdict Matt Horne / Android Authority Tools like Google Translate are simple to use and fairly effective, especially considering they're free. They're great for travel, quick phrases, or one-off conversations. However, when the goal is to hold a fluid, back-and-forth discussion across languages, their limitations start to show. The Timekettle W4 Pro stands out because, especially in One-on-One Mode, it unlocks the way real multilingual conversation should work. No tapping on screens or overlong pauses while the system waits for the other person to finish. It's an entirely different experience, particularly for professionals who might otherwise be paying for an interpreter. The $449 retail price is significant, but in that context, it might often prove to be a cost-effective investment. If the goal is to speak naturally and be understood, without tech getting in the way, it's hard to imagine a more intuitive solution on the market. Comparison across major translation earbuds models Timekettle Timekettle W4 Pro Timekettle W4 Pro One-on-One mode enables hands-free conversations • Accurate, fast translations • Comfortable open-ear design MSRP: $449.00 The Timekettle W4 Pro are AI-powered interpreter earbuds that support real-time, bidirectional translation across 40 languages and 93 accents. They offer multiple modes for conversations, meetings, media playback, and phone calls, with offline translation for select languages. The open-ear design supports up to six hours of continuous use, and the app works with both iOS and Android. See price at Manufacturer site See price at Amazon
Phone Arena
3 days ago
- Phone Arena
AI Translation: the evolution so far, and where we are headed
Advertorial by Timekettle: the opinions expressed in this story may not reflect the positions of PhoneArena! disclaimer The evolution of translation technology has gone a long way. In the early days, we were getting literal word-by-word translations from a clunky Google search. Today, we have AI-assisted apps and devices that are more capable of real-time, two-way translations. Yet, even as many AI earbuds on the market today claim to support 'real-time simultaneous translation', they still rely on a turn-based model—you speak, then I speak. That's not how two people would communicate in their mother language. In real life, we listen while we speak, often interjecting or responding before the other person finishes. This natural, overlapping flow of dialogue is the essence of a truly functioning two-way simultaneous translation. Bi-Directional Simultaneous Translation: Why It's Challenging The goal of bi-directional simultaneous translation is to allow both speakers to communicate fluidly and with minimal delay—just like talking in your native language. But achieving this is no easy feat. At a minimum, the system must be able to: Capture speech clearly, Translate it accurately, And deliver the result fast. Unlike many AI earbuds products that offer translation as a bonus feature, Timekettle has built its entire product ecosystem around solving the toughest challenges in cross-language communication. In a normal one-on-one conversation between two people, for example: the earbuds must isolate the speakers' voice while filtering out surrounding noise—something standard noise cancellation can't handle. That's where Timekettle's core technology comes in: vector noise reduction . This trademarked innovation not only solves the problem of precise voice capturing but also lays the groundwork for achieving functioning bi-directional translation. In essence, vector noise reduction enables the system to distinguish the speaker's voice based on its direction and distance, effectively separating it from background noise. This is specifically crucial in noisy environments and has paved the way for Timekettle's products to support more complex scenarios—like multi-party, multi-language interpretation and real-time phone translation—making it an industry benchmark. Accurate translation and low latency are just as important as clean voice capturing. To elevate real-time translation experience, Timekettle has integrated AI large language models (LLMs) into its devices, crucial in tackling some of the long-standing pain points in the field. To give an example in the context of polysemous words, the popular pour-over style coffee in Chinese is '手冲咖啡', which when being translated literally would give you 'hand brew coffee'. Timekettle's model correctly interprets it as 'pour-over coffee' while most translation tools can't recognize such nuances. Similarly, phonetic confusion can be a major issue. Phrases in Chinese like '双人同传' (translated to 'two-way interpretation' in English) and '双人同床' ('two people sharing a bed' in English) sound almost the same but have entirely different meanings and can be seriously confusing when translated wrong. Without high-level acoustic and semantic modeling, such errors are common. Timekettle's LLM-enhanced system can recognize these nuances and correct them before delivering the final results. To ensure smooth conversations, the system must also filter out unnecessary inputs — like pauses, hesitations, and repeated words — that could slow down or clutter the translation. Timekettle's large model does just that, extracting only the meaningful content to be translated. More importantly, thanks to ongoing model optimization, the translation latency has been reduced by approximately 20% . While that may not sound like a massive improvement on paper, even a 1–2 seconds cut in latency would make a significant difference in a face-to-face conversation to make it flow more naturally. What would the realization of AI simultaneous interpretation mean for the future of human interpreters — will it eventually replace human interpretation? Timekettle has always been navigating a future trajectory for the industry. Drawing inspiration from the classification framework used in the autonomous driving industry, it has introduced one for AI translation, charting a clear roadmap for the future development for the industry. L1 - Early stage translation. Simple electronic translators or the first versions of Google Translate. Text input only. This level translates word-for-word or very basic pre-baked phrases only, nothing close to a continuous experience. L2 - Context-aware translation. With the help of Neural Machine Translation and Natural Language Processing (NLP), voice input is now possible. It's also capable of translating longer phrases, but it's best if they are simple. It still requires you to take turns and feels slow and robotic. L3 - Bi-directional simultaneous translation achieved by Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR), Neural Machine Translation, and Text-to-Speech engines, combined with partial adoption of AI large models. This is closer to a conversational style, because it's not turn-based. You can start speaking before the translated sentence is over, you can interject, and the speech engine will go both ways. Considerable level of contextual understanding is achieved. This is where Timekettle is currently at — knocking at the door of that 'real conversation' style translation. This can be best experienced with the W4 Pro: when two parties share a pair, you can jump right into a continuous two-way conversation face to face while maintaining your body language and eye contact! However, there's still certain delay, and it lacks the emotional nuances for the conversation to be more accurate and natural, which is why the company is working hard to move on to the next level: L4 - High-accuracy real-time translation. In depth application of AI large models capable of interpreting the emotions behind the words and structures. Because of this, the anger or happiness of the speaker gets incorporated into the translated results, making it a huge leap beyond just speech translation. However, the challenge remains that it needs high amounts of data for processing. L5 - Multi-modal input and output and Artificial General Intelligence that allow for advanced interpretation of subtexts and cultural nuances like a local idiom; capable of conversational analysis and even response suggestion. This is very similar to Iron Man's Jarvis, a smart AI communication assistant, also rivaling a seasoned professional human interpreter capable of handling complex cultural contexts. While AI translation has advanced significantly in recent years, Timekettle acknowledges that several critical challenges remain as it advances from L3 to L4 and beyond. Key obstacles include: Enhancing speech recognition accuracy in complex environments, in complex environments, Achieving breakthroughs in getting text data for certain languages, and and Enabling AI to understand cultural nuances and implied meaning within dialogue. To overcome these barriers, Timekettle's R&D team is actively working on: Optimizing microphone arrays and signal processing to improve speech input in complex sound environments, and to improve speech input in complex sound environments, Expanding language datasets for underrepresented languages through self-supervised learning and data augmentation, and for underrepresented languages through self-supervised learning and data augmentation, and Incorporating cross-cultural corpora to help AI better interpret cultural contexts. Timekettle sees the convergence of multimodal AI and Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) as a transformational turning point. As this matures, future translation systems are able to not only grasp speech and basic emotional tones but also interpret the intent behind the speakers which makes it possible to handle higher-level nuances like sarcasm. Timekettle's mission is to one day reach the level of the ultimate translator like the Babel Fish. By this time, two people are able to speak with the ease, emotional nuance and clarity of sharing the same mother tongue; the conversation flows so seamlessly that they are not aware of an underlying this sci-fi-inspired vision reflects a rather human-centered mission that has always guided Timekettle: to break down language barriers and build a future of truly boundless human connection.
Associated Press
3 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Espresso Translations London Offers Free Quotes for Professional Translation Service
06/24/2025, London // KISS PR Brand Story PressWire // Espresso Translations London announced that it is now offering free quotes for its suite of translation and language services. This new offering reflects the company's client-first approach and simplifies the process of exploring professional translation solutions. Based in the heart of London, Espresso Translations London UK provides expert language services to clients across the UK and internationally. It covers over 150 languages with a strong emphasis on speed and accuracy. The agency also supports a broad range of industries, from legal and medical to marketing, e-commerce, and finance. The decision to introduce free quotes aligns with its aim to offer fast and reliable support from the very first point of contact. Founded with a clear focus on quality and responsiveness, the company leverages a network of over 2,000 linguists who are native speakers and subject matter experts. Every project is matched to a translator with industry-specific knowledge, ensuring that the final output reflects the correct tone, terminology, and cultural nuance. Clients can request no-obligation quotes for services including document translation, certified translation, transcription, website localisation, interpretation, and subtitling. The free quote service is particularly useful for businesses needing large-scale or urgent translation work, enabling them to quickly assess cost and timeline feasibility. Quotes are typically returned within the hour during UK business hours. The company's London-based team operates with a strong understanding of local business requirements and global market trends. Espresso Translations caters to both UK-based and international clients, with service areas extending to Europe, the US, Asia, and the Middle East. In addition to providing native-language translations, the agency also offers certified translations that are accepted by institutions such as the UK Home Office, HM Passport Office, and universities worldwide. What sets Espresso Translations London UK apart is its fast turnaround and transparent pricing model. There are also no hidden fees, and clients are kept informed throughout the process. The agency guarantees accuracy, confidentiality, and timely delivery for every project. Its commitment to customer satisfaction has earned it a loyal client base that includes law firms, healthcare providers, international corporations, non-government organizations, and e-commerce platforms. Interested clients may easily book for Espresso Translations' services when they inquire for free quotes for any job, including translating birth certificates, legal contracts, user manuals, or websites. The online request form is simple to use. They upload their documents and receive a personalized quote promptly. Espresso Translations' website further serves as a valuable resource, offering details about its full list of services, client testimonials, and a FAQ section. The company also provides multilingual desktop publishing and technical translation for specialized sectors such as engineering, information technology, and pharmaceuticals. As demand for reliable, high-quality translation services continues to grow, Espresso Translations remains a trusted partner for businesses and individuals navigating linguistic and cultural boundaries. Its free quotes tool represents the company's ongoing mission to offer user-friendly solutions for global communication challenges. Know more about Espresso Translations by visiting its website at About Espresso Translations London Espresso Translations London is a leading language services provider offering professional translation, transcription, localization, and interpretation services across over 150 languages. It delivers fast, high-quality solutions with native-speaking linguists and industry expertise. ### Media Contact Espresso Translations London Address: 71-75 Shelton Street, London, WC2H 9JQ, United Kingdom Phone: (+44) (203) 488 1841 Website: Source published by Submit Press Release >> Espresso Translations London Offers Free Quotes for Professional Translation Service
