XL8 was founded in 2019 by technical executives from Google and Apple, Tim Jung (CEO) and Jay Park (CTO), both with an advanced degree in Computer Science from Columbia University. A Silicon Valley tech company at its core, XL8 is working on taking AI-powered machine translation (MT) to the next level, or "machine translation that doesn't translate like a machine," as the company describes. XL8 has also developed multiple application-focused tools for media production, automated subtitling, synthesized voice dubbing, real-time meeting interpretation, and live subtitling. XL8’s uniquely specialized translation engines have been built from the ground up utilizing professionally trained, human-perfected models, currently supporting more than 77 tier 1 language pairs.
The strategic acquisition of American High-Tech Transcription And Reporting agency marks a significant milestone in XL8's journey to reshape the translation and transcription industry while diversifying and growing its customer base beyond its media and entertainment roots. The investment in this service-oriented company adds new sales channels, new revenue streams and commercial opportunities allowing the company to apply its technology to completely new markets.
The primary motivation behind this acquisition is XL8's commitment to advancing translation & localization technology and breaking down the barriers of communication, not just for Media & Entertainment, but for all facets of modern communication. By leveraging AI-powered speech to text and machine translation, XL8 aims to shift the burden of transcription and translation work from purely human methods to a hybrid workflow utilizing humans and machines, allowing humans to focus on increased output, as well as the creative aspects that only humans can provide. This move will not only enhance the efficiency of transcription and translation tasks but also enable translators and localization companies to increase their earning potential.
"XL8 recognizes the indispensability of human involvement in achieving accurate translations. To ensure precision and quality, XL8's machine translation engines are trained on hand-curated data, supplied by existing customers and partners, and finalized by human translators. By acquiring AHT, XL8 aims to collaborate with Human Transcribers to optimize its Speech-to-Text (STT) engine, thereby improving the performance of its machine translation product," the company states.
"This joint effort will result in a more comprehensive STT engine, based on real colloquial speech, that also integrates human expertise, ultimately delivering superior real-time subtitles, transcripts and high-quality translations unmatched by competitors."
With AI reshaping the world, XL8’s management team began to understand the need to modernize services provided to US Government agencies, many of whom are years behind adapting AI technology already widely used throughout Media & Entertainment. After a quick introduction to this market, and some initial successful testing, XL8 found that its Speech-to-text and Machine Translation technology could be quickly adapted to Government use cases such as Court Hearings, depositions, witness statements and law enforcement interrogations, among many others.
"While technology continues to advance, the localization industry faces various challenges," says Tim Jung, CEO of XL8. "XL8 firmly believes that AI-powered machine translation technology is the solution to overcome these challenges and bridge the talent gap. XL8's approach of Machine Translation Post Editing (MTPE) empowers linguists to refine translations while automation and machine translation handle repetitive tasks, increasing throughput and accuracy."
Operating out of Palm Harbor, Florida, AHT has serviced one of the most multilingual states in the US for over 30 years, and has since expanded operations throughout the Southeast. AHT provides necessary transcription, live stenography, and translation services to Government agencies without regard to political affiliations, criminal standing or any other discriminatory basis. Adding XL8’s technology to AHT’s reputable portfolio of business will allow AHT to expand its breadth and reach far beyond its Southeastern base. Likewise, this acquisition will not only allow XL8 to grow beyond its initial M&E roots, but it will also pave the way for creating more accurate and helpful datasets, ensuring XL8's machine translation engines are perfectly tailored to meet the evolving needs of global, modern communication requirements.
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