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#263 SlatorCon Recap, Cohere’s Big AI Translation Launch, TransPerfect Buys Unbabel
Manage episode 505848660 series 2975363
Florian and Esther discuss the language industry news of the past few weeks, beginning with a recap of SlatorCon Silicon Valley 2025, where the duo noted strong localization buyer and user turnout, and tech-focused discussions across presentations and panels.
One key highlight was Cohere’s well-timed launch of Command A Translate, which allowed Kelly Marchisio to share details on building multilingual LLMs. Esther notes that Cohere’s multilingual models focus on high-quality coverage of about 20 languages rather than attempting hundreds.
Florian turns to the Apertus launch in Switzerland, where EPFL, ETH Zurich, and the Swiss Supercomputing Centre released a multilingual model trained on over 15 trillion tokens and covering more than 1,000 languages, including Swiss German and Romansh.
Esther reveals that Middlebury Institute will phase out its graduate translation and interpretation programs by 2027, marking the loss of a key training ground.
Esther reports on TransPerfect’s acquisition of Unbabel, with plans to integrate its AI tools, such as TowerLLM and EuroVLM, into GlobalLink, while CEO Vasco Pedro will stay briefly during the transition.
Florian outlines Apple’s launch of AirPod Pro 3 with live AI translation and Google’s new Gemini-powered updates for AI live speech translation.
Esther concludes with the Inc. 5000 rankings, highlighting 11 language industry companies. She highlights Propio, Boostlingo, and CQ Fluency as repeat entrants, with Propio topping the list but also announcing job cuts following its acquisition of CyraCom.
Chapters
1. Intro (00:00:00)
2. SlatorCon Silicon Valley 2025 Overview (00:00:35)
3. Driving ROI Presentation and Big Tech Panel (00:02:38)
4. Cohere's Presentation Amid Command A Translate Launch (00:04:51)
5. AI Dubbing Panel and Healthcare Language Access Presentation (00:08:10)
6. AI Agents in Localization Panel and Lip-Sync Tech Presentation (00:11:24)
7. Investor Panel and Future SlatorCon Events (00:13:12)
8. New Slator Translation AI Pro Guide (00:15:28)
9. Swiss Multilingual Language Model Launch (00:16:31)
10. Middlebury University to Phase Out Graduate Programs (00:19:05)
11. TransPerfect Buys Unbabel (00:21:26)
12. Apple’s New AirPods with Live AI Translation (00:23:41)
13. The LSIs on the Inc. 5000 List (00:27:53)
266 episodes
Manage episode 505848660 series 2975363
Florian and Esther discuss the language industry news of the past few weeks, beginning with a recap of SlatorCon Silicon Valley 2025, where the duo noted strong localization buyer and user turnout, and tech-focused discussions across presentations and panels.
One key highlight was Cohere’s well-timed launch of Command A Translate, which allowed Kelly Marchisio to share details on building multilingual LLMs. Esther notes that Cohere’s multilingual models focus on high-quality coverage of about 20 languages rather than attempting hundreds.
Florian turns to the Apertus launch in Switzerland, where EPFL, ETH Zurich, and the Swiss Supercomputing Centre released a multilingual model trained on over 15 trillion tokens and covering more than 1,000 languages, including Swiss German and Romansh.
Esther reveals that Middlebury Institute will phase out its graduate translation and interpretation programs by 2027, marking the loss of a key training ground.
Esther reports on TransPerfect’s acquisition of Unbabel, with plans to integrate its AI tools, such as TowerLLM and EuroVLM, into GlobalLink, while CEO Vasco Pedro will stay briefly during the transition.
Florian outlines Apple’s launch of AirPod Pro 3 with live AI translation and Google’s new Gemini-powered updates for AI live speech translation.
Esther concludes with the Inc. 5000 rankings, highlighting 11 language industry companies. She highlights Propio, Boostlingo, and CQ Fluency as repeat entrants, with Propio topping the list but also announcing job cuts following its acquisition of CyraCom.
Chapters
1. Intro (00:00:00)
2. SlatorCon Silicon Valley 2025 Overview (00:00:35)
3. Driving ROI Presentation and Big Tech Panel (00:02:38)
4. Cohere's Presentation Amid Command A Translate Launch (00:04:51)
5. AI Dubbing Panel and Healthcare Language Access Presentation (00:08:10)
6. AI Agents in Localization Panel and Lip-Sync Tech Presentation (00:11:24)
7. Investor Panel and Future SlatorCon Events (00:13:12)
8. New Slator Translation AI Pro Guide (00:15:28)
9. Swiss Multilingual Language Model Launch (00:16:31)
10. Middlebury University to Phase Out Graduate Programs (00:19:05)
11. TransPerfect Buys Unbabel (00:21:26)
12. Apple’s New AirPods with Live AI Translation (00:23:41)
13. The LSIs on the Inc. 5000 List (00:27:53)
266 episodes
All episodes
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