SlatorPod

Florian and Esther welcome Slator’s Anna Wyndham and Alex Edwards to SlatorPod to explain the rationale behind the new industry framework introduced in the Slator 2025 Language Industry Market Report.Drawing from the flagship report and echoing the buzz of SlatorCon London, the team explains why the traditional labels, Language Service Providers (LSPs) and Translation Management Systems (TMSs), no longer capture the scope and complexity of the evolving market. Instead, Slator has introduced two new terms: Language Solutions Integrators (LSIs) and Language Technology Platforms (LTPs).Anna defines LTPs as pure-play technology providers that develop language tools, applications, orchestration platforms, and AI models. LSIs, she explains, are organizations whose core offering is to deliver fit-for-purpose multilingual content solutions by integrating language technology and AI with human experts as part of a fully managed solution.Esther confirms early advisory adoption of the terms, noting investor interest in clearer tech-service distinctions. Alex adds that automatic dubbing startups tend to fit LTPs better than LSPs, as they often operate self-serve AI platforms.Anna clarifies that big tech players like OpenAI and Google are excluded from the market sizing as they are foundational enablers, not language-focused businesses. The team also discusses why the term “AI” was excluded from the new categories as it may become as ubiquitous as “Cloud”.To close, Anna points out that LSIs currently capture the bigger portion of the total addressable market (TAM). The team sees a strong demand for expert-in-the-loop services and growing LTP–LSI partnerships.

Join Scott Cooper, CEO of Language Services Associates, and Edward Varela, VP of Business Development at Lingolet, as they delve into their groundbreaking partnership. They discuss how skipping in-house AI development allowed LSA to focus on its strengths while leveraging Lingolet’s tech edge. Notably, the alliance enabled multilingual communication for a Major League Soccer team. They also highlight the importance of data privacy and compliance in AI, especially in healthcare, while exploring plans for hybrid solutions that merge AI with human expertise.

Rong Yan, the CTO of HeyGen, shares insights on the company's shift from a Metaverse startup to pioneers in AI video generation. He highlights the rapid growth achieved, attributing it to a focus on quality, consistency, and controllability. The latest Avatar IV model brings full-body animations and emotion to life, setting a new standard in video realism. Looking forward, Rong envisions tools that let anyone create videos from simple prompts, revolutionizing storytelling and making high-quality video production accessible to professionals everywhere.

Véronique Özkaya, Co-CEO of DATAmundi and former leader at Summa Linguae, shares insights on her company's evolution toward AI data services. She highlights the increasing demand for specialized data for AI, emphasizing the complexities and challenges in the industry. Özkaya discusses the importance of blending linguistic expertise with tech capabilities to tackle issues like data scarcity and bias. Looking ahead, DATAmundi plans strategic acquisitions to bolster consultative services, positioning itself as a key player in the growing AI data landscape.

DeepL has made waves by becoming the first third-party translation app users can set as default on iPhones, raising the bar for competitors. The sharp stock drop for RWS despite stable profits sparks discussion on market dynamics. Partnerships are on the rise, with notable collaborations in language services and exciting mergers, shaping the industry's future. There's also a spotlight on DeepL's potential IPO and fresh funding in language AI, alongside innovative business models that are redefining localization and AI voice technology.

John Worne, CEO of the Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL), joins SlatorPod to discuss CIOL’s mission to support and promote language professionals and the value of languages for the public good through professional standards, advocacy, and intercultural understanding.John highlights the challenges of applying AI in high-stakes contexts like court interpreting. He references the UK House of Lords inquiry into language services in the legal system, which emphasized the risks of AI, particularly for low-resource languages and nuanced human communication. He warns that casual, unsupervised AI use in public services risks serious harm without proper oversight.The CEO describes the industry’s current AI experience as mixed. While late 2024 saw falling workloads and experimentation by clients with generative AI, early 2025 brought a more stable picture, with some freelancers regaining lost business. Still, the community remains divided: about half of CIOL’s members embrace AI tools, while the rest resist them, concerned about quality and trust.John raises questions about AI’s influence on how we use and shape language. He notes how generative AI introduces patterns into the linguistic mainstream, creating an "AI-mediated average" that may dilute cultural identity. He argues that language is a “human meta skill”, encoding not only communication but identity, culture, and belonging. Looking ahead, John is cautiously optimistic for the next generation of linguists, as digital natives may be more adept at using AI creatively and multitasking across tools. CIOL plans to expand free resources and community engagement in 2025, ensuring that the future of language work remains inclusive, ethical, and informed by real human insight.

Luke Innes, CEO of Creative Translation, expertly merges creativity with AI to revolutionize multilingual branding. He shares his unique journey from design to leading a transcreation agency, emphasizing that AI enhances productivity but can't replace human insight. Luke discusses the diverse team of specialists supporting high-quality projects and how AI is democratizing access for smaller brands. He also highlights the importance of cultural consultants and strategic partnerships in effective global communication, promoting responsible AI adoption through the Creative Academy.

Dive into the latest in the language industry, as insights reveal a 6.6% revenue growth among LSPs. A surprising $10 million donation for a new translation program at California State University steals the spotlight. Discover hiring trends as McKinsey's report shows a shift in translator roles amid AI evolution. Mergers and acquisitions are reshaping the landscape, with Teleperformance investing in accent translation technology and Lingo.dev securing funds for AI dubbing advancements. Exciting discussions await at the upcoming SlatorCon.

Joe Corkery, MD, CEO and Co-Founder of Jaide Health, joins SlatorPod to discuss how Jaide Health is driving medical interpreting and translation with AI, bridging communication gaps for limited English proficiency (LEP) patients and improving healthcare accessibility.With a background in computer science, medicine, and AI product leadership at Google, Joe co-founded Jaide Health with Julie Wilner, RN, in 2023 to address a long-standing need for real-time, interactive communication for the LEP patient population.Unlike older machine translation models, which worked sentence by sentence without context, Joe shares how generative AI can maintain coherence, track gender references, and infer meaning from prior context — crucial in medical settings.The CEO remains pragmatic about Trump’s executive order designating English as the US's official language and revoking previous language access mandates. He argues that such policies will not change the healthcare industry's commitment to multilingual patient care but may push hospitals to seek more cost-effective solutions — potentially accelerating AI adoption.Looking ahead, Jaide Health is focusing on expanding into document translation, particularly for discharge instructions and patient portal messaging, areas where current solutions are slow or impractical.

Anna Albinsson, CEO of Gridly, a content management and localization platform, dives into her company’s transformation from gaming to broader industries like fintech and edtech. She discusses the new integration of translation management and productivity tools that simplify multilingual workflows. Albinsson views AI as an ally, not a threat, emphasizing governance and quality in localization. She also highlights Gridly's inbound marketing success and the necessity of blending digital strategies with personal relationships to thrive in competitive SaaS landscapes.