March 2024

Humans and AI: The Challenge of Languages for South America

By Alessandro Fusacchia

Generative Al based on large language models has revolutionized language Al for the world's major languages, but it has not had the same impact in each region of the world nor for all the world's languages. Moreover, many of the approaches and most recent developments in Al and languages/translation rely on huge amounts of data and have English as their exclusive point of reference. What are the implications for all other languages?

For example, when we think of South America, Spanish and Portuguese come to mind for the majority of people. However, people from the region do not all speak the same Spanish or Portuguese. They do not belong to one single linguistic block. Back from Punta del Este (Uruguay) – where we held the third Imminent Unconference – I am now aware that South America has over 800 Indigenous Peoples which make up a total of over 50 million inhabitants, and an estimated 560 Indigenous languages are spoken. There, we took the time to dive into a conversation, exploring local challenges, sharing expertise, and delving deeper into South America's peculiarities and innovations.?

Before visiting Punta del Este, we held Unconferences in London, with a global perspective, and in Cape Town, with a focus on Africa. We designed these initiatives to make Imminent, Translated’s research center, both a virtual and a physical space to learn more about the challenge of languages for companies, communities, and citizens around the globe. To go deeper in knowing and understanding the key issues, concerns, and expectations surrounding the ongoing discussion on humans and language-related Al. To create a motivated global community willing to collectively understand what is ahead of us and how relevant the world we work in – and represent – is going to be across industries and communities over the years to come.

If you want to know more about this global conversation and promote it to a broader network, here is a full report from Punta del Este with a comprehensive summary of the valuable perspectives and purposeful ideas that emerged from the Unconference.

?? Translated 9 Is Setting Sail for the Final Leg of the Ocean Globe Race

After the hull of the boat broke during leg 3 of the Ocean Globe Race - Official , the crew of our sailboat, Translated 9, had to stop in the Falklands to find a way to repair the boat. Using a startup approach, our CEO Marco Trombetti guided the crew to find an ingenious way to locate spare parts and fly them to the island. Unbelievably, they were able to fix the boat themselves and get it back in the water. We put together a short video to tell the story. After winning legs 1 and 2, Translated 9 set sail today for the final leg with the goal of winning again. Our Chairwoman Isabelle Andrieu is part of the crew for this leg.

Watch the repair video .

?? Translated’s CEO Named a Leader of the Language Industry?

The February issue of MultiLingual Media Magazine featured a list of the top 34 influencers in the language industry, including our CEO, Marco Trombetti. Marco was recognized as a visionary leader, an innovator who is always looking for the best solutions to market needs, and a smart, solution-oriented businessman. You can read Marco's profile at the following link.

Read Marco's profile.

?? €100,000 to Fund Language Technology Innovators

Our Imminent Research Center is once again offering €100,000 in grants to fund five original research projects that explore the most advanced frontiers in the world of language services. The call is open to startup founders, researchers, innovators, authors, university labs, organizations and companies worldwide. One of the results of past grants was an entirely new T-Index , updated with the ability to identify emerging markets and opportunities, and thus predict which languages will become more relevant in the future for a given product in a given country.

More on the Imminent Grants.

Further reading from Imminent

• To build an inclusive future, the creative process needs to become a collective creative intelligence process. In this Imminent article by Translated’s Brand and Creative VP Patrizia Boglione, she explores what this entails in the localization industry.
• We have more emojis than letters. But what are the criteria to choose the different emoji categories available on our keyboards? Find out in this article on Unicode's blog .
• What’s the sound of invisible worlds? The possibility of listening to sounds never heard before through the latest technologies has led to revolutionary discoveries. Read more in Noēma’s article .

Find more interesting articles in the Imminent's newsletter .