Welcome to "LOCANUCU - Localization news you can use," your home for actionable insights from the localization industry. In today's roundup for November 7, 2025, we're covering a massive wave of AI-driven news. We'll look at Amazon's new AI translation service for self-published authors, DeepL's launch of an "agentic" AI solution, and why consulting giant Capgemini is building its own speech translation platform. We'll also cover crucial research from Google on improving translation evaluation, corporate wins for Alexa Translations, new leadership at PanSALB, and key takeaways from the Translating Europe Forum.
- Vincent Liu reflects on translation entering a new era driven by data.
- DeepL Dialogues event in Berlin featured Ethan Mollick, author of "Co-Intelligence," discussing working with AI.
- Stefan Huyghe highlights discussions from the 5th International Translation Forum.
- ALC 2025 survey by Slator finds Language Technology Platforms are the main gateway for LSIs to access AI translation.
- Thordur Arnason of Capgemini reveals the company is building 'BabelSpeak', a proprietary AI speech translation platform.
- The Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB) has appointed Mr. Julius Dantile as its Acting CEO.
- DeepL unveils next-gen AI tools, including a new 'agentic productivity solution' called DeepL Agent.
- Alexa Translations wins the 'Canadian Lawyer Magazine' Readers' Choice Award for the 9th consecutive year.
- There are new calls in Australia for more translators within the medical industry to address language barriers.
- Karakun AG promotes the upcoming LanguageIntelligence2025 event.
- Dorota Pawlak shares insights from the Translating Europe Forum 2025 (#2025TEF).
- Pangeanic posts about the intersection of machine translation, AI, and localization.
- Viveta Gene, PhD, discusses the professional challenge of "rooting out the entity problem."
- A professional insight post details the benefits law firms receive from using professional court interpreters.
- Diego Cresceri discusses takeaways from the #2025TEF, focusing on AI's impact on linguists.
- Google researchers propose "re-annotation" as a collaborative step to improve human translation evaluation (MQM).
- The Council of the European Union is actively seeking to hire translators for five languages.
- MarketFully announces brand consolidation, absorbing Key Content and MotionPoint, and launching MarketFully.AI.
- Amazon launches 'Kindle Translation' in beta, an AI tool for self-published KDP authors.
- DeepL highlights Germany's national strategy of placing AI at the heart of its agenda.
- Katrin Pilve shares reflections from the TranslationSummit.
- Nimdzi shares a post analyzing trends in the interpreting industry.
- Multilingual Media signals the upcoming Unicode UTW2025 conference.
- CSA Research provides insights on the relationship between localization and globalization.
- Translastars shares a community resource: "5 inclusive language guides from around the world."
- Translated shares a post about exploring the peak of human performance.
The intersection of generative AI and publishing has a significant new player. Amazon has launched an AI translation service for self-published authors using Kindle Direct Publishing. This new tool, currently in beta, allows select KDP authors to translate their ebooks, starting with English and Spanish language pairs and German-to-English. Amazon has stated that these translated books will be clearly labeled as AI-generated and are evaluated for accuracy before they become available in the Kindle store.
This move by Amazon is part of a much larger wave of AI-driven platform announcements. DeepL has unveiled its next-generation language AI tools. The update is headlined by a new agentic productivity solution, named DeepL Agent, which is designed to automate complex tasks. This was launched alongside enhancements to its DeepL Write and DeepL Voice products, as well as a new Customization Hub. The news comes as DeepL's "DeepL Dialogues" event took place in Berlin, featuring discussions with figures like Ethan Mollick, author of "Co-Intelligence," on the nature of working with AI.
Consulting giant Capgemini is also building its own bespoke solution. Thordur Arnason, the company's Global AI GTM Lead, revealed that Capgemini is developing an AI speech translation platform called BabelSpeak. This initiative grew out of the firm's AI Futures Lab while it was conducting research into multimodal AI applications.
As AI models improve, the methods for evaluating them must also evolve. Researchers at Google have proposed a refinement to the Multidimensional Quality Metrics framework. Their solution is "re-annotation," a process where a second rater reviews and corrects an existing annotation, whether it was created by a human or a machine. This collaborative approach has been shown to produce higher-quality and more reliable evaluations, a critical need as the quality differences between AI models become more subtle.
This focus on AI platforms is confirmed by new industry data. The Association of Language Companies' 2025 Industry Survey, conducted by Slator, has identified that Language Technology Platforms are now the primary gateway for Language Solutions Integrators, or LSIs, to access and implement AI translation.
In related technology and corporate news, MarketFully has announced a significant brand consolidation. The company is bringing Key Content and MotionPoint under the MarketFully master brand and is launching MarketFully.AI as its unified multilingual content marketing platform. This new structure, which absorbs the former GetGloby tech brand, aims to combine AI technology with human-in-the-loop services to deliver what it calls "InContent Marketing."
Turning to industry recognition, Alexa Translations has won the Readers' Choice Award from Canadian Lawyer Magazine for the ninth consecutive year. The company was recognized in the "Translation and Interpretation Services" category, with CEO Gary Kalaci attributing the long-running success to their combination of certified professional translators and secure, specialized AI technology tailored for the legal sector.
In leadership news, the Pan South African Language Board, or PanSALB, has announced the appointment of Mr. Julius Dantile as its new Acting CEO.
On the jobs front, the Council of the European Union is currently seeking to hire translators for five different languages.
In public service, there are renewed calls within Australia for more translators in the medical industry. Advocates are highlighting the critical need to address language barriers to ensure patient safety and equity in healthcare. This sentiment is echoed in professional discussions about the benefits law firms gain from utilizing professional court interpreters.
In community and professional development news, the Translating Europe Forum 2025 has been a major topic of discussion, with participants like Dorota Pawlak and Diego Cresceri sharing insights. The forum addressed key industry questions, including the impact of AI on linguists, the quality of LLM-based translation, and strategies for clear language, featuring keynotes from Lodewijk VAN NOORT of PLAIN and Julie CLEMENT of Clarity International.
Other events are also capturing attention. Karakun AG is promoting its LanguageIntelligence2025 event. Stefan Huyghe noted the 5th International Translation Forum. And looking ahead, Multilingual Media has highlighted the upcoming Unicode UTW2025.
Finally, a number of professionals have been sharing insights. Viveta Gene, PhD, has been discussing the challenge of "rooting out the entity problem" in translation. Vincent Liu reflected on translation entering a new era where data tells a compelling story. And Translastars shared a useful resource compiling five inclusive language guides from around the world, reflecting a continued focus on cultural specificity and respect in global communication.
That's all the news we have for November 7, 2025. Today's major theme was the rapid integration of advanced AI into tangible products, from Amazon's Kindle Translation and DeepL's new Agent to Capgemini's 'BabelSpeak'. We also saw how the industry is adapting, with Google proposing new evaluation methods and a report identifying tech platforms as the main gateway for LSPs. This was balanced by important community news, including a win for Alexa Translations, new leadership at PanSALB, and a critical call for more medical translators in Australia. Thank you for reading "LOCANUCU - Localization news you can use."