Blend News
11 articles
growth-positive
New BLEND Study Finds 69% of People Call Automated Phone Systems at Least a Few Times per Month
BLEND, a provider of contact center localization and voice recording services, conducted a consumer survey to understand caller preferences. The survey found that 69% of consumers still call into automated phone systems several times a month, indicating the resilience of the voice channel despite the rise of other support options like webchat, email, and social media. 56% of respondents rely on the phone for urgent customer service requiring same-day resolution. The survey also found that the quality of voice prompts and on-hold music, and the sound of the voice talent themselves, are very important to the customer experience.
Customers
growth-positive
$198 BN Global Gaming Market will double by 2027 and BLEND's study shows, localization is a big part of its growth
BLEND, a localization platform, released an analysis of the role of localization in the success of the global gaming industry. The study shows that top gaming brands use localization strategies to expand their reach and attract a global audience. Key findings include the offering of multiple language choices by 48% of the top 50 gaming websites, attracting website traffic from external countries, and the use of localization by Nintendo, Xbox, and PlayStation. BLEND emphasizes the importance of localization for gaming companies to stay competitive and gain an international presence. The study provides insights on cultural norms, history, societal expectations, and the role of voice-over and audio in the gaming experience. As the gaming market continues to grow, localization is crucial for success.
Customers
growth-positive
BLEND acquires GM Voices, the company that recorded Siri
Israeli company BLEND has announced its acquisition of GM Voices, a global leader in voice recording and localization services. This is BLENDs first acquisition since its $10 million Series B funding round in March. The acquisition is part of BLENDs strategy to offer enterprise-grade, technology-based localization services. With the rise of social audio and voice-based communications, there is a growing demand for multilingual voice localization among global brands. GM Voices, known for recording the original Siri and other virtual assistants, will strengthen BLENDs localization platform with its voice services and talent. BLEND aims to fulfill all of its customers localization needs through this acquisition.
Acquisition
growth-positive
BLEND Raises $10M to Fuel Global Growth with AI-Powered End-to-End Localization Services
BLEND, a technology-based multi-market enabler, has completed a $10 million funding round led by existing investor Fortissimo Capital. The funding will fuel the companys continued rapid growth as it helps global brands establish a native presence in different markets. BLEND offers localization services such as content translation, global marketing, and regulatory services. The companys technology stack includes AI-driven Natural Language Processing (NLP) technology and integrations with various translation engines. BLENDs CEO, Yair Tal, aims to address the growing demand for localization services and accelerate growth through organic means and acquisitions. The companys strategic transition is led by Tal, who joined after serving as Senior Vice President at Payoneer. Fortissimo Capital is BLENDs primary investor.
Investment
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/oht-offer-pro-bono-translations-141000894.html
https://www.apnnews.com/one-hour-translation-oht-ai-is-transforming-the-global-translation-industry-and-by-2022-it-is-likely-to-lead-to-mass-layoffs/
growth-positive
Amazon Tops Overall Quarterly Survey by One Hour Translation of Neural Machine Translation Engines
One Hour Translation (OHT) announced that the Amazon Web Service (AWS) Amazon Translate engine performed the best on average of the five most popular Neural Machine Translation (NMT) engines. OHT introduced the ONEs - OHT NMT Evaluation score to assess the quality of machine translation systems. The recent Q3-ONEs evaluation showed that hybrid translation, combining NMT with human post-editing and QA, is ideal for Travel and Tourism content. OHT plans to expand ONEs to cover more languages, categories, and NMT engines. OHT is already using ONEs to offer a fully hybrid online translation service. The company works with partners such as Amazon Translate, Google Translate, DeepL, and Bing Translator to optimize quality, speed, and cost for each project.
Customers
growth-positive
Amazon Selected One Hour Translation as Key Partner for Neural Machine Translation Based Solutions
One Hour Translation has been selected by Amazon as a key partner to deliver Neural Machine Translation (NMT) based solutions to enterprise customers. One Hour Translation combines NMT technology with human post-editing and quality control to provide high-quality human level translation at a lower cost and faster speed. The company is already using Amazons NMT engine to improve translation efficiency for enterprise customers. One Hour Translations hybrid system allows business customers to send multiple projects in parallel for translation, selecting the most appropriate NMT engine and implementing necessary pre-processing, post-editing, and quality control measures. The company believes in the future of NMT and plans to announce new NMT related products and services in the coming weeks.
Partners
One Hour Translation: 280% Surge In Cyber-Security Translations From English In The First Half Of 2017
growth-positive
One Hour Translation opens third US office
One Hour Translation, an online translation agency, is expanding its operations in the US by opening a new branch in Lehi, Utah. This branch will become the companys headquarters in North America and will handle US enterprise accounts. The company plans to recruit 50 sales, account managers, and business development professionals for its Utah operation in the next year. One Hour Translation provides high-quality professional human translation services in 75 languages and serves over 80,000 customers worldwide, including Fortune 500 companies. Its top customers include Coca Cola, Microsoft, and Amazon.
Expand
growth-positive
One Hour Translation's Patented Tech Enables Speedy And Accurate Real-Time Translation Of Online Content
One Hour Translation, founded in 2008, is experiencing growth in demand for online translation services. The company has over 15,000 active translators in 100 countries and processes 100,000 projects per month. CEO Ofer Shoshan attributes the increase in demand to companies seeking to enter global markets. One Hour Translation differentiates itself through its scale, speed, and patented technology. The companys proprietary products include WeST, a web site translation tool, and Translation Memory cloud, which reduces translation costs. The companys 15,000 translators are its most important resource, specializing in various fields. One Hour Translation is offering free home page translation to TechCrunch readers.
CustomersPartners
