Today is International Labour Day.

A day that started as a tribute to workers who fought for basic dignity, fair hours, and safe conditions.

A day that in 2026 carries a particular weight, because a lot of people are heading into the long weekend quietly worried about whether there will still be a job waiting for them when the world catches its next breath.

That worry deserves to be taken seriously, not dismissed with optimistic hand-waving about new opportunities and inevitable progress.

So let’s be honest about what is actually happening, because the full picture is more complicated, and ultimately more hopeful, than most of the current discourse suggests.

## **The Collective Action Problem Nobody Wants to Name**

El Salvador’s President [Nayib Bukele](https://x.com/nayibbukele/status/2043185432972722445) posted something on X last month that cut through a lot of noise.

![Source: X](/api/media/elephantstripes-prod/cms/originals/blog-inline/ab2d15836626eb840fd7e00ec900425f97115ccc4838ea582c3ed4569dca9dd1.avif "Source: X")

That is an unusually clear-eyed observation from a sitting head of government, and it names the structural risk that most corporate communication carefully avoids. Individual companies are making rational decisions. The aggregate result of those decisions is potentially irrational at the system level.

![Challenger Report Annual Job Cut Announcements 2015–2025 (Source: Challenger, Gray & Christmas, 2026).](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/0*iI-q68S-uEVSEEgC.png "Challenger Report Annual Job Cut Announcements 2015–2025 (Source: Challenger, Gray & Christmas, 2026).")

[Challenger, Gray & Christmas](https://www.challengergray.com/blog/2025-year-end-challenger-report-highest-q4-layoffs-since-2008-lowest-ytd-hiring-since-2010/) reported that AI was blamed for 50,000 layoffs in 2025. The tech sector is the most visible example, but the pattern is spreading into marketing, legal support, customer operations, and financial services. Real people are losing real jobs, and the downstream effects on spending, confidence, and community tax bases are real too.

Sam Altman has said publicly that some companies are using AI as a convenient scapegoat for workforce decisions that had more to do with pandemic over-hiring and poor financial management than genuine automation.

There is some truth to that. Corrections have been underway since 2022, and most have not been associated with AI adoption, which really began to affect coding in 2023 and 2024. In other words, the layoffs began for financial reasons.

But that framing is also a convenient deflection. **The jobs are still gone**. The scapegoat versus genuine cause distinction matters less to the person updating their resume at midnight than it does in a policy debate.

## **The “Tech Hiring Is Dead” Narrative**

@[youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0j1HqEEDThc)

Dario Amodei at Anthropic has made statements about AI wiping out white-collar jobs and coding roles within the next few years. He said it plainly, and the comments rippled through the tech community in ways that reinforced a growing narrative: that a career in software development is now a bad bet.

I do not think that holds up against the actual data.

The [Indeed AI Tracker](https://www.hiringlab.org/2026/01/22/january-labor-market-update-jobs-mentioning-ai-are-growing-amid-broader-hiring-weakness/) reached a high of 4.2% at the end of 2025. Job postings mentioning AI have grown consistently since mid-2023. Employer job postings related to AI jumped 117% between 2024 and 2025.

LinkedIn data tells the same story. AI has already added more than [1.3 million new roles](https://www.weforum.org/stories/2026/01/ai-has-already-added-1-3-million-new-jobs-according-to-linkedin-data/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22228224717&gbraid=0AAAAAoVy5F4JlvyK4rUqmaS-YvSZPOeID&gclid=CjwKCAjw-8vPBhBbEiwAoA39Woe6mQZX1_buFGUtI9YbtRr40-az4skZCiUwUA81om3E-BfNLAXS9RoCNTEQAvD_BwE), including AI Engineers, Forward-Deployed Engineers, and Data Annotators. More than 600,000 new AI-enabled data centre jobs have been created.

[The US Bureau of Labour Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/) projects computer and information technology occupations to grow at nearly three times the average rate for all jobs through 2034. Professionals with AI expertise earn 56% more on average than peers without it.

This is not a hiring market where tech is dead. It is a hiring market where the skills being rewarded have shifted dramatically, and where people who have not made that shift yet are experiencing real pain.

The distinction matters. “Tech hiring is dead” is a counsel of despair that leads people to exit a field where opportunity is actually growing. “Tech hiring has shifted and requires different skills” is uncomfortable but actionable.

For workers, developing and highlighting relevant AI skills may be the key to landing a job in 2026, particularly in occupations with otherwise muted hiring activity. That is not cheerful messaging. But it is accurate, and accurate is more useful than comfortable.

## **What the Broader Market Actually Looks Like**

![Photo by Srinivasan Venkataraman on Unsplash](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/0*Dm6u-bhVbOOpEsiB "Photo by Srinivasan Venkataraman on Unsplash")

The overall picture is one of genuine contradiction, which is why the conversation is so difficult.

Companies are laying off staff, insisting AI will “do more with less,” yet they haven’t found ways to deploy AI at scale. Recruiters say entry-level pathways are narrowing, but critical roles remain hard to fill.

Just over half of people say they’re job hunting in 2026, while nearly 80% feel unprepared to find a new job. That gap between the number of people searching and the number who feel equipped is where a lot of the anxiety is living.

Recent college graduates are bearing a disproportionate share of the disruption. Those aged 22 to 27 saw an unemployment rate of 5.6% at the end of last year, compared to the overall rate of 4.2% (The Federal Reserve Bank of New York, [2026](https://www.newyorkfed.org/research/college-labor-market#--:explore:unemployment)). Many of these graduates were headed into entry-level roles at law firms, research organisations, tech companies, and public sector agencies, precisely the environments now adopting AI to handle the tasks that basic training prepared those graduates to perform.

[The World Economic Forum](https://www.weforum.org/press/2025/01/future-of-jobs-report-2025-78-million-new-job-opportunities-by-2030-but-urgent-upskilling-needed-to-prepare-workforces/) estimates that AI could eliminate 92 million jobs by 2030 while creating 170 million new ones, a net gain of 78 million. That number is meaningless to someone who lost their job in accounting in 2025 and cannot afford to retrain for an AI engineering role by 2030. The aggregate optimism and the individual pain are both real at the same time.

## **Why This Prompted Us to Build Something**

At [Elephant Stripes](https://elephantstripes.ai/), my team and I have been watching this closely. Not from the outside, but as people who care about the practical reality of what workers are navigating right now.

The job seeker’s experience in 2026 is genuinely difficult in a specific way. The advice is abundant. The tools are everywhere. The templates are free and ubiquitous. And yet most people still have resumes that do not actually represent what they are capable of.

The standard AI resume approach makes this worse, not better. You paste your existing resume into a language model, it polishes the language and adds keywords, and you end up with a shinier version of the same document. Generic. Template-heavy. Optimised for an ATS screening tool that has seen ten thousand copies of the same format.

![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/1*yqQR-REINmH1IeX8fFTUlQ.png)

That is why we built [**JobsLobster**](https://jobslobster.com/) differently.

JobsLobster does not just rearrange what you already have. It identifies what is missing. It asks you targeted questions about your actual skills, your specific contributions, and the outcomes you produced. And it builds something stronger from your answers, rather than from the limited version of yourself that ends up in a resume written in haste.

The differentiator is in the input. Most resume tools start with your resume. JobsLobster starts with you.

## **A Note on What Comes Next**

The transition happening right now is real and it is not finished. The disruption to entry-level work is real. The anxiety is legitimate. The companies using AI as convenient cover for decisions they made for other reasons are being less than honest about it.

And the future is not one in which technology simply eliminates work. Deloitte found that while 30% of organisations are exploring agentic AI options and 38% are piloting solutions, only 14% have solutions ready to deploy, and a mere 11% are actively using these systems in production. The wave is coming, but it is not a wall that hit overnight.

The workers who will navigate this best are the ones who are building AI fluency now, not as a panic response to headlines but as a steady, deliberate investment in the skills that the next decade of work will reward.

That is not naive optimism. It is what the data actually says.

Happy Labour Day. The work is changing. So are the people doing it.

\---

_Are you interested in getting early access to JobsLobster? Drop us a message_ [_here_](https://elephantstripes.ai/contact) _to stay updated!_

Labour Day in the Age of AI Layoffs - Tat Banerjeee

Labour Day in the Age of AI Layoffs

_I believe everyone wants to leave a legacy._

Many people choose to pass on their homes, investments and possessions.

For Jeff Dormish, leaving a legacy means so much more than that. He does not just want to leave possessions; **_he wants to pass on his history_**.

For many Americans, most of their ancestors came from Europe in the great emigration wave before the First World War. Jeff Dormish’s ancestors also came from Europe, Slovenia, to be exact.

![City in Slovenia](https://storage.googleapis.com/vtai-web-media-prod/cms/originals/blog-inline/edbc2d69d2e1c819815b593a5c9ebfa3692e7bd36e29984fd271d2fdbaef656a.webp)

In 2016, he began on a journey to discover his past.

Along with 49 other Americans, Jeff participated in an international genealogy conference organized by the Slovenian Genealogy Society.

On this trip, he directly saw and experienced the place where his ancestors had once resided. **At that moment, the things that he had seen in pictures have come to life**. Lucky for Jeff, the life-changing trip that he had undertaken was covered by a Slovenian TV station.

5 years later, **Jeff has become the President of the [Slovenian Genealogy Society International](https://www.sloveniangenealogy.org/)** based in Cleveland, Ohio. He wanted to put the 12-minute video from the Slovenian TV coverage in the archive of the genealogy group, hoping that it could help and inspire others in a similar situation. However, it was primarily spoken in Slovenian, a language that he could neither speak nor understand.

Jeff wanted the video to be translated into English. That is when he contacted VideoTranslator. Equipped with the video and Jeff’s parent’s family picture, I began to do my work.

# Transcribing The Video

Before translating the video, I used VideoTranslator’s application that can automatically transcribe videos by using the AI system that is embedded in the app.

![Transcribing video with videotranslatorai](https://storage.googleapis.com/vtai-web-media-prod/cms/originals/blog-inline/3445787c3d749ad7485e146b28882c16453fa1bb00db37b7b5278804f0a05f81.webp)

# Translating The Video

I understand that things can easily get lost in translation. That is why a professional translator was hired. The transcription from Video Translator’s app was transferred into a txt file and sent to a translator. The translator then came back with the translated subtitles of the video.

# Creating Burnt-In Subtitles

The original video has burnt-in subtitles in Slovenian. I wanted to make sure that the new burnt-in subtitles would match the current one.

First, I synced the translated subtitles to the video by using Adobe Premiere Pro. I shifted the timing a little bit to match the dialogues.

![creating a subtitle on premiere pro](https://storage.googleapis.com/vtai-web-media-prod/cms/originals/blog-inline/b0ca05d257e39f8a5dfaf916dd0913307f634f6389afeb46c0622aeb02db7baf.webp)

I also added a black background behind the text with 90% transparency to make it easier for people to read and match the style of the original video.

![editing subtitle in premiere pro](https://storage.googleapis.com/vtai-web-media-prod/cms/originals/blog-inline/6e81f4a5b3dac75b97cf52f72347af4441844cd2fbdf87df2cd576f38cad8ad1.webp)

After editing it, I saved the file with the burnt-in subtitles in the video.

After I sent the video with the burnt-in subtitles to Jeff, he asked me to fix some name spelling errors. I realized that the spelling errors were mainly from the original video, not from the translation.

![how to fix a typo in a video](https://storage.googleapis.com/vtai-web-media-prod/cms/originals/blog-inline/4ae3e3eb116d1292b33b844641c820888ce239994e12db16a4abaa29ee6e1ac3.webp)

So, how can I fix this problem?

I figured that I can fix this by adding a text overlay on top of the original one. I used matching font style and size and corrected the spelling errors.

![Fixing a typo using premiere pro](https://storage.googleapis.com/vtai-web-media-prod/cms/originals/blog-inline/46cabadf9928cad5f369d305bc932667d9db3f49baeb9b7b1e4b70a9cbe7c896.webp)

In the end, it looks like it was not edited at all!

# Fixing Up Damaged Photo

Jeff had sent us a picture of his parent’s family photo. However, the image is damaged with discolouration on the right side.

![Damaged picture of the Dormish Family](https://storage.googleapis.com/vtai-web-media-prod/cms/originals/blog-inline/723c4602ff71dac7ccb560ecc78729a89ca5fbe79ae5887b5badf653160f4bde.webp)

I know how much it would mean for him to have the picture fixed up, so I did.

I used Adobe Photoshop to fix the image. I replaced the damaged area with pixels from the undamaged picture by using the patch tool.

This is the end result.

![Restored picture of the Dormish family](https://storage.googleapis.com/vtai-web-media-prod/cms/originals/blog-inline/8ba42789918ed4ee5cf6d04c463186a4496cde77ec242444654fa07f30ed2781.webp)

# What I Learnt

Jeff’s story resonated with me. As an Indonesian of Chinese ancestry, I too often find myself wondering about my own families story.

**_Where were they from?_**

**_Why did they move?_**

**_Who were the important people in their lives?_**

I was born and raised in Indonesia.

My family does not speak mandarin, and my grandparents did not teach the Chinese dialect to me. Just like Jeff, language is a big challenge in discovering my own story.

Seeing how far Jeff has come and what he wanted to pass along to his children has inspired me. Someday I would also like to see the places where my people had lived, how they spent their lives, who their partners and children were, and untangle the mysteries of my past.

# Conclusion

Helping Jeff, who wants to leave a long-lasting legacy for his family, is one reason why we do what we do. We hope to help more people build legacies and find answers to their biggest questions in the future.

If you need our help in translating your videos, do not hesitate to [reach out to us](https://videotranslator.ai/contact/).

Leaving A Long-Lasting Legacy: Curating Your Family’s History

The story of Jeff Dormish, who wants to pass on his family history to his children as part of his legacy, and how he inspired the VideoTranslatorAI team

One major challenge in diverse societies is the provision of healthcare services.

In western Sydney, this problem is directly tackled by the [South-West Sydney Local Health District](https://www.swslhd.health.nsw.gov.au/), which sits under [New South Wales Health](https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Pages/default.aspx).

Ok \- so obviously this is complicated stuff. But how does video translation help?

If you don't speak good English, specifically business English, finding information is very hard. The doctor is the only resource who can help, but what happens when they don't speak your language?

In this post, we look at how SWSLHD is trying to empower occupational therapists (OT’s) who work with developmentally challenged children.

It should be noted that the point of spending the money on these videos is the very long life they are expected to have \- learn more about the ROI implications of video content with Video Translator AI.

## **How To Reduce The Workload On Front Line Staff**

Doctors, nurses and medical professionals are clearly very busy people.

And have gotten busier (\!) due to Covid-19.

But the majority of work is around interfacing with parents.

Imagine you don't speak good English. You can get by, but that is kind of it. Now your child is sick. But your doctor does not know your language. Where do you get information from?

The simple answer is you spend time with doctors and nurses trying to get your concerns addressed in broken English.

But this is frustrating, and hard. And how do you know if you’re understanding is correct?

For SWSLHD, this is an enormously wasteful exercise in time (for front line staff) and money (for NSW Health), and introduces substantial risk to boot.

There must be a better way.

## **Getting Resources Into The Hands Of Front Line Staff**

The specific test case SWSLHD was looking at was Occupational Therapists (OT’s) who were working with young mum's whose children have developmental difficulties.

Specifically, how to get information to the family unit \- because if you can get the family to incorporate behavioural changes \- that is the win, but across multiple languages.

**The idea is to get information in different languages to the community \- this allows families to educate themselves about the challenges, thus making time spent with doctors/nurses far more effective.**

This is what the original English video is \- OT’s show it to mum’s in the clinic.

<iframe width="1128" height="635" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ruf1m26q3vQ" title="How to hold a pencil" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

## **Online Resources To Help Patients Using Video Translation \- Arabic**

This is the same video in Arabic.

<iframe width="1236" height="695" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VfsnG1zFLX8" title="How to hold a pencil (Arabic)" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

## **Online Resources To Help Patients Using Video Translation \- Vietnamese**

This is the same video in Vietnamese.

<iframe width="1236" height="695" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qAQmPpfkUHk" title="How to hold a pencil (Vietnamese)" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

## **Conclusion**

We’d like to thank the staff at SWSLHD for being super easy to work with, and generally for the life altering work they do \- you guys rock\!

Are you interested in our work? [Reach out and say hello](https://calendly.com/tbanerjee/translation-starter-call)\!

Please connect with us on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/videotranslator/), [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGrwmRcZiFkyq8-xAwn77Yg/) or [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/videotranslatorai/) for any comments, questions, or just to keep up to date with the work we do\!

If you're interested in learning more, [try our product now](https://agent.videotranslator.ai/chat).


How NSW Health Is Using Video Translation To Empower Occupational Therapists

Read how NSW Health is using video translation to help its occupational therapists help developmentally challenged children.

Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana or [VYASA](https://svyasa.edu.in/) is a registered charitable institution (1986) working to make Yoga a socially relevant field of study.

Based on the teachings of Swami Vivekananda, Vyasa University combines the four streams of Yoga with unity in their diversity, the key essence of Indian culture, applications of Yoga to bring health, harmony, and peace the world over are now spread across the globe in nearly 30 countries.![Vyasa University](https://storage.googleapis.com/vtai-web-media-prod/cms/originals/blog-inline/7449fe08a6a5786590577942d81b34ef954e20f931682d4af9a1fd93621c1679.webp)

The mission of VYASA is to combine the best of the East (Yoga and Spiritual lore) with that of the West (modern scientific research).

## **Covid-19 And Its Effects On India**

As of [May 8th, 2020, 56,342 positive cases](https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmed.2020.00250/full) have been reported in India. India, with a population of more than 1.34 billion—the second largest population in the world—will have difficulty in controlling the transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 among its population.

The reaction of the Government Of India has been strong, as they realised that allowing the pandemic to run away would lead to serious loss of life given the limited per-capita medical facilities in India.![Covid-19 cases in India](https://storage.googleapis.com/vtai-web-media-prod/cms/originals/blog-inline/c5cca046e9f42170ec7571e7b1b31f1f6fe7130e3d9708d9fb71191ffae63e75.webp)

The [Ministry of Health and Family Welfare](https://www.mohfw.gov.in/) (MOHFW), India, has raised awareness about the recent outbreak and taken necessary action to control COVID-19. Besides, the MOHFW has created a 24/7 disease alert helpline and provided policy guidelines on surveillance, clinical management, infection prevention and control, sample collection, transportation, and discharging suspected or confirmed cases.

## **Vyasa University's Contribution To The Fight Against Covid-19**

Vyasa University was asked by GOI contacts within MOHFW and [AYUSH](https://www.ayush.gov.in/) to create content that raised awareness about Covid-19.

But how to get this out into various Indian languages, in a timely and cost-effective fashion?![content localization workflow](https://storage.googleapis.com/vtai-web-media-prod/cms/originals/blog-inline/36081d521b64bcdb6cf6438e6318743ed254c52ecb5f4852fec4b2b7583f7f03.webp)

The outcome \- have a look on [their YouTube Channel](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH2MkZ6oLNjNs_NU_mhvTpw)\!

## **Sample Vyasa University Video With Telugu Open Captions**

<iframe width="1236" height="695" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4tPrHo_mJcI" title="ELDERLY PERSONS 1 YOGA FOR COVID 19 WITH TELUGU SUBTITLES" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

## **Sample Vyasa University Video With Kannada Open Captions**

<iframe width="1236" height="695" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/B2J9ueZGhyo" title="ELDERLY PERSONS 2 YOGA FOR COVID WITH KANNADA SUBTITLES" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

## **Sample Vyasa University Video With Malayalam Open Captions**

<iframe width="1236" height="695" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/A_YkGEeBgik" title="ELDERLY PERSONS 1 YOGA FOR COVID 19 WITH MALAYALAM SUBTITLES" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

## **Conclusion**

It was a pleasure working the with staff and leadership at Vyasa University and we wish them the best of luck with their work going forward\!

Please connect with us on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/videotranslator/), [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGrwmRcZiFkyq8-xAwn77Yg/) or [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/videotranslatorai/) for any comments, questions, or just to keep up to date with the work we do\!

We're no longer just about transcription—VideoTranslatorAI now offers a complete multilingual communication platform to support real-time conversations across languages.

If you're interested in learning more, [try our product now](https://agent.videotranslator.ai/chat). We'd love to hear from you!


How Vyasa University Is Fighting Covid With Video Translation

Vyasa University is working to raise awareness about Covid-19. Read more about how they used video translation to reach stakeholders across 8 Indian languages.

The hospitality business is in a hard place right now because of Covid 19\.

[QAChef is a technology company](https://qachef.com/info/#whatwedo) that digitizes food safety compliance processes through a single handheld device, thus enabling unprecedented ingredient-to-customer food traceability and greater efficiency and productivity.![QAChef productivity during covid pandemic](https://storage.googleapis.com/vtai-web-media-prod/cms/originals/blog-inline/f4cda8b15ba6f9b98a6040e2ab7a7e7bc7e36728852957e32718a29800e35cfc.webp)

So QAChef is in a fantastic position, a ready-for-market product that enhances traceability across large-scale food production \- perfect given the focus on food safety and associated health implications in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

But it's not likely to be that simple is it? QAChef’s clients are large-scale caterers servicing industries like aviation, tourism and restaurant chains \- all badly hurt by the slowdown in consumer confidence.

How do you convince a big prospect, in the face of a poor outlook, when business risk tolerance is at an all-time low?

It's all about the relationship.

## **Why Choose AI Video Translation?**

In QAChef’s case, it was to demonstrate commitment to a relationship.

"We understand you speak a different language from us, this is what we are doing to show you we will back our product in your market."

Too many companies from non-English speaking countries have been burnt by smooth-talking salesmen who disappeared after making the sale.

AI Dubbing sets the tone \- a commitment to a new relationship.

## **Redefine The Relationship Using Language \- Service Internationalization/Localization**

QAChef’s clients are global players, and implementing new technology is always part of the context of successful internationalization.

There are three ways to implement service-level internationalization.

* App Internationalization/Localization
* Website Internationalization/Localization
* Marketing Internationalization/Localization

QAChef has an intuitive handheld device, easy enough to use across languages. But the harder thing to internationalize is context.![how QAChef is reaching cliengts in a tough market](https://storage.googleapis.com/vtai-web-media-prod/cms/originals/blog-inline/5f9dfc8b6ec3553b3515e21a30500e6f0715413defde3509ba2d702d19c7444b.webp)

What QAChef decided to do was internationalize its marketing efforts.

For this, they turned to VideoTranslator.

## **The Marketing Internationalization/Localization Process**

Marketing internationalization means taking existing investments in marketing assets, internationalising these into another language and deploying them to existing social channels with the appropriate metadata wrappers.

In the QAChef case, we worked to translate their existing video content.

This was done by (i) video transcription, (ii) video translation and finally (iii) video dubbing.![how_qachef_is_reaching_clients_in_a_tough_market_video_internationalization_flow_33cfed32fd.webp](https://storage.googleapis.com/vtai-web-media-prod/cms/originals/blog-inline/3633755e822e50efc5b75237ee8a44f5b504348234bed38005cccc63d603629e.webp)

This is the original video, and we will look at it in Chinese and Arabic.
<iframe width="1236" height="695" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/46htRYyJOJE" title="QAChef CEO Message #1" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

## **Video Translation In Chinese / Mandarin**

The use case here was as part of a pitch to a global player with a significant mainland China footprint.

<iframe width="1236" height="695" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5tv9lN227co" title="QAChef CEO Message #2 (mandarin)" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

## **Video Translation In Arabic**

The use case here was part of a pitch to a major supplier of the aviation industry across the MENA region.

<iframe width="1236" height="695" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/v1icDo_1v9k" title="QAChef CEO Message #3 (Arabic)" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

## **Notes On Video Translation**

It's quite important to remember a few rules of thumb when you are doing a video translation.

* As you move up in information complexity, the quality of AI gets worse. Why? Because higher complexity information is scarce \- so it's hard to train an AI on it. Hence you need a human subject matter expert post-editing.
* Don't sell the AI-dubbed content as human. People are not silly, anyone can tell the difference between a human and a machine. Explain it is an AI \- and no one will forget your pitch.
* If you put your video through a voice translator, the above will not be the output. There is a layer of diacritics being used prior to the AI dubbing.

## **Conclusion**

We hope you enjoyed the post, and stay tuned for more content\!

Please connect with us on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/videotranslator/), [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGrwmRcZiFkyq8-xAwn77Yg/) or [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/videotranslatorai/) for any comments, questions, or just to keep up to date with the work we do\!

If you're interested in learning more, [try our product now](https://agent.videotranslator.ai/chat).

How QAChef Is Reaching Clients In A Tough Market

QAChef a tech company in hospitality - is using video translation in Chinese and Arabic to gain new clients in a tough climate using marketing localization and marketing internationalization.

A recent interview with [FireTech Connect](https://firetechconnect.com/) was really good fun, with [Leigh Kelson](https://www.linkedin.com/in/leighkelson/) hosting a free-wheeling discussion about crisis, technology and the future of AI in the internationalization and localization space.

## **FireTech Connect**

The [FireTech 2020 program](https://firetechconnect.com/about/) is an initiative of the Peregian Digital Hub, a leading technology incubator based in Noosa on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.

FireTech Connect is funded by the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources through the AusIndustry Entrepreneurs’ Programme; The Queensland State Government’s Advance Queensland Program; and Noosa Shire Council.

[Leigh Kelson](https://firetechconnect.com/mentors/) is the Program Director of FireTech \- he is a technology entrepreneur, cloud computing pioneer, and media tech veteran. He has founded ten ventures over the last 30 years and had a number of successful exits. Over his career, he’s been a CEO of publicly listed companies, involved in raising more than $100 million in funding and completed two successful IPO’s on the Australian stock exchange.

Leigh is also an all-round good guy, and we are big fans of the work FireTech Connect is doing\!

## **Conversation**
<iframe width="1236" height="695" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FFg1Pqv7FII" title="In conversation with Tathagat Banerjee Founder and CEO Videotranslator.ai" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

### **Highlights**

* coping with crisis, a end user experience of the the Covid-19 crisis [0:41](https://youtu.be/FFg1Pqv7FII?t=41);
* working in finance and hedge funds [3:41](https://youtu.be/FFg1Pqv7FII?t=224);
* how AI video translation tech can be applied to public fire / emergency communications to help the community understand vital information [8:28](https://youtu.be/FFg1Pqv7FII?t=508);
* a basic intro to AI / Machine Learning, Big Data, and Big Compute [18:55](https://youtu.be/FFg1Pqv7FII?t=1135);
* and talks about what’s next for [Videotranslator.ai](http://videotranslator.ai/) [29:27](https://youtu.be/FFg1Pqv7FII?t=1767);

## **Conclusion**

We hope you enjoyed the conversation, and stay tuned for more content\!

Please connect with us on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/videotranslator/), [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGrwmRcZiFkyq8-xAwn77Yg/) or [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/videotranslatorai/) for any comments, questions, or just to keep up to date with the work we do\!

If you are interested in trying out our technology, [book a demo](https://videotranslator.To explore this with our team, [try our product now](https://agent.videotranslator.ai/chat).


Video Translation And Its Implications For FireTech

Talking to FireTech's Leigh Kelson, we cover the origins of the video translator app, and what video translation can do for clients. We also cover the role of AI and ML in the language space.

DISCLAIMER: This blog post was updated after having a conversation with JobsForNSW. [3 Dec 2019]
**
Please check the JobsForNSW website for updates. The process covered below changes regularly and DO NOT rely on the below to be correct going forward. It was correct at time of publication, but talking to the JobsForNSW staff it is LIKELY to change pretty soon.**

Earlier this year we put in an application for a Minimum Viable Product Grant from JobsForNSW, a [NSW Government initiative](https://www.nsw.gov.au/).

In this blog post we are going to look at the entire process and work through our successful application. Specifically:

What is the MVP grant and where do you get more information?
What the grant process looks like and what information we had to provide to get the grant.
What the grant process was like, step by step, at a procedural level.

The point of this post is to provide information to anyone else within the Sydney/NSW startup ecosystem who is also looking into this grant and potentially applying.

Will probably do another post of the content of (a) the videotranslator.ai grant application itself, and (b) the progress report at the end.

We are also hoping to have a follow up post where we talk to one of the officers inside JobsForNSW to get a insider view into how the process works.

## What Is The JobsForNSW MVP (Minimum Viable Product) Grant?
From the JobsForNSW website, Minimum Viable Product (MVP) grants are designed to support promising startups with the funds needed to progress from a proof of concept stage to a minimum viable product. The grants are aimed at startups that are yet to generate revenue to help them engage with a potential business customer, or channel to market, and create innovative solutions that address compelling industry needs or market gaps.

## How Much Money Can I Get From The JobsForNSW MVP Grant?
From the JobsForNSW website, An MVP grant is a matched funding grant up to 50% of approved project costs, to a maximum of $25,000.

Remember: You do not have to ask for the full $25,000.

In the specific case of videotranslator.ai we had a total project cost of $41,400.00. The idea is JobsForNSW is funding 50% of approved project costs, to a maximum of $25,000. Hence the amount we ended up getting for our project was $41,400 * 0.5 = $20,700.

## Assuming We Get The Grant - What Is The Timeline For The Application Process?
From the JobsForNSW website, Successful grant applicants will receive 35% of the funding up-front and 65% after completion and validation of the MVP.

The exact sequence of events is provided below:

**DISCLAIMER: SmartyGrants below is the old system - JobsForNSW are transitioning to a new system.**
- You put in your application using an online system called SmartyGrants. The form itself is fairly straightforward - we did not use any external consultants.
- You get a notification saying your submission has been received. This is an email and looks like below. **Note the blacked out telephone numbers and emails are public, but have been hidden to the JobsForNSW staff don’t get spammed. If you really need to reach them, get creative with Google.**

![large_blog_assets_winning_how_we_won_a_jobsfornsw_mvp_grant_winning_how_we_won_a_jobsfornsw_mvp_grant_1_2d841642ba.webp](https://storage.googleapis.com/vtai-web-media-prod/cms/originals/blog-inline/b3b2d6cad41e3d63f80db42c944b867368afab8c72e923fcb555222e1d501099.webp)

- You get another notification saying you have been moved to round 1 of the selection process. Unless your application is terrible and you have not completed the form, you should get to here without too many issues. It looks like below:

![large_blog_assets_winning_how_we_won_a_jobsfornsw_mvp_grant_winning_how_we_won_a_jobsfornsw_mvp_grant_2_7333df57c9.webp](https://storage.googleapis.com/vtai-web-media-prod/cms/originals/blog-inline/94b2e99e9ab9dfd3f3359d084cd98de17d450b32322fbfe6bcc52df1b0895fec.webp)

- Once here JobsForNSW has an internal process. In another post we will talk about how that exactly works. For now, the application goes to an internal committee and either you get the grant or you don’t get the grant.
- In our specific case, videotranslator.ai got the grant - Winning! Also, on winning the grant you get notified by email. This looks like below:

![large_blog_assets_winning_how_we_won_a_jobsfornsw_mvp_grant_winning_how_we_won_a_jobsfornsw_mvp_grant_3_7d07efd6c7.webp](https://storage.googleapis.com/vtai-web-media-prod/cms/originals/blog-inline/540d11a63436a2bbb7028f119c2391d7db524193d9f85b7b2484602f2ffe2ede.webp)

- You will also get another email, from a person - that how you know :)

![medium_blog_assets_winning_how_we_won_a_jobsfornsw_mvp_grant_winning_how_we_won_a_jobsfornsw_mvp_grant_3b_a6b1b3e79a.webp](https://storage.googleapis.com/vtai-web-media-prod/cms/originals/blog-inline/7468d364e7740c615562758151a39f68e53b73ff73b07250cd2d0d835e9f2444.webp)

- Download the deed, and make sure you sign and return the contract.

![medium_blog_assets_winning_how_we_won_a_jobsfornsw_mvp_grant_winning_how_we_won_a_jobsfornsw_mvp_grant_3c_0908e6e6c5.webp](https://storage.googleapis.com/vtai-web-media-prod/cms/originals/blog-inline/27f7927293f5c4bd3b6b3bfff43e0e760ff1b293cc161421a983ad71b4571db5.webp)

- Sweet - the entire process took maybe 8 weeks - its a pretty quick turnaround.

## Assuming We Get The Grant - What Do I Need To Know About The Deed?
The grant is fairly simple. That being said, there are a few things which are really important:
- The grant will cover the budget you put into your application. You really want to get this part right!

![medium_blog_assets_winning_how_we_won_a_jobsfornsw_mvp_grant_winning_how_we_won_a_jobsfornsw_mvp_grant_5_6a2f148313.webp](https://storage.googleapis.com/vtai-web-media-prod/cms/originals/blog-inline/d1855567226fa0babac3abcda8b75eab14dfff12f7bb071ad87dcd799629ac1a.webp)

- Additionally, it is important that 80% of the Project Costs are within NSW. This does not mean if you pay Google Cloud or AWS or Azure you are in breach, it means that you can use a maximum of 20% of your budget on offshore resources. You also need to be aware that the duration of the projects is a maximum of 6 months.
- Don’t worry too much about being too specific - in private conversations, the JobsForNSW staff understand you are a startup and maybe not everything works out. They understand that you are trying to do something really hard, and not everything goes to plan always.

![medium_blog_assets_winning_how_we_won_a_jobsfornsw_mvp_grant_winning_how_we_won_a_jobsfornsw_mvp_grant_6_e082418728.webp](https://storage.googleapis.com/vtai-web-media-prod/cms/originals/blog-inline/081ad68120eec7ed87ca496fd3f1124151dd66530208c50b826eb13d37a160c1.webp)

- Lastly, the deed will cover exactly what JobsForNSW will fund and its timing. This looks like so:

![medium_blog_assets_winning_how_we_won_a_jobsfornsw_mvp_grant_winning_how_we_won_a_jobsfornsw_mvp_grant_7_281381b331.webp](https://storage.googleapis.com/vtai-web-media-prod/cms/originals/blog-inline/8674b32e896839333cf5acea1ccdffec7159dcc26754d266eeae30903df50c1d.webp)

- You're good to go!

## Assuming We Get The Grant - What Is The Timeline For The Project?
The main points to know:

1. The payment is in two parts. The first 35% is pretty much immediate. You raise and invoice and that is it.
2. The second part happens at the end of the project. You submit a report (using the same online application), have a meeting with your advisor, and then raise another invoice for the remaining 65% of the grant monies. 
3. That is kind of it in terms of process.

## Conclusion
We are super grateful to JobsForNSW. We did complete out prototype, filling out bits that did not work very well. We picked up a client (hopefully they will become a keystone client) during the project, and the client is super happy with our work.

Personally, we have not yet reached product-market fit, which I think of as having a scaleable sales process for your product at a good customer acquisition number (CAC), rather than product itself, but also think we are well on our way 😃 😃

## Thank You
I spoke to some other folks at Fishburners for advice through the process and after. Would like to thank the folks below, you guys are awesome.

1. David Cox at QAChef.
2. Man LEE at Sana.
3. Peter Boyer at Muster - a mate at Fishburners was curious about the MVP process. Hope you get the grant bud!

Check out the above startups - they are doing very cool technology stuff!

Please connect with us on LinkedIn, YouTube or Facebook for any comments, questions, or just to keep up to date with the work we do!

We are very grateful for your support!

Winning: We Won The JobsForNSW MVP Grant! Before, During And After...

We won the JobsForNSW MVP Grant! Learn about our journey through the application, execution, and completion of the grant in this behind-the-scenes blog.

Short video makers are an up and coming category of apps that are really hitting the ground running in China. Short video clips (even less than a second long) have been gaining in popularity along with social platforms like Instagram and Snapchat, and especially in China with Wechat and Weibo. The social component to online video broadcasting has changed how we consume short videos, and what we expect from them.

A recent [research project by Music Ally](https://musically.com/2019/07/31/next-tiktok-short-video-apps-china/) supposed that the short video app space in China could be a predictor of what is yet to come globally. In this article we give a basic overview of some of the major short video makers in China and what unique features they have to offer.

## What is a short video app?

It depends on what app you’re using and what you’re using the videos for, but a short video app is essentially, an app that makes short video clips. Some apps have specific use cases such as converting iPhone Live Photos into gif’s or short movies so that they can be shared on social media, while others exist to create a slideshow type sequence of photos. Some apps might have this feature built in (like Instagram) whilst others are standalone apps, or can be linked onto social media apps. Most short video makers tend to have some form of social component.

## How to translate your English video to Chinese?

The point of this blog post is to tell you about Chinese video apps..

## China’s most popular short video apps

### 快手 (Kuaishou)

[Kuaishou](https://www.kuaishou.com/) started as a gif program and then expanded into a short video maker. Users can create both pictures and videos, as well as combinations.

* Video length: up to 17 seconds
* Live streaming: Yes
* Captioning: Manual![Kuaishou App](https://storage.googleapis.com/vtai-web-media-prod/cms/originals/blog-inline/ede68be9fc00fc7c618a0eb889439b9895dd80a93c5a8cc39c1b7166d88aceb6.webp)

### 火山小视频 (Huoshan)

[Huoshan](https://www.huoshan.com/) is a video shooting app, so you must make the short video clips in real-time (rather than using existing photo and video content).

* Video length: up to 15 seconds
* Live streaming: Yes
* Captioning: Manual

### 微视 (Weishi)

[Weishi](https://weishi.iiilab.com/) is unique in that it has an integrated subtitles feature. Once common use for users to include song lyrics as subtitles if they’re singing the videos.

* Video length: Not specified
* Live streaming: Yes
* Captioning: Automated![Weishi App](https://storage.googleapis.com/vtai-web-media-prod/cms/originals/blog-inline/69e085420697b85d692f8c83039aa0e17f933671830a782cfda2dd17019496df.webp)

### 西瓜视频 (Xigua Video)

[Xigua Video](https://www.ixigua.com/) is a bit more similar to YouTube than others in that it has a searchable platform and uses an AI to recommend videos based on interests.

* Video length: Not specified
* Live streaming: Yes
* Captioning: Manual

### 美拍 (MeiPai)

[MeiPai](https://www.meipai.com/) is a social video platform which users can add filters, audio clips, video effects and overlays. The platform started out with a 10 second limit, but now allows for videos up to 5 minutes in length. MeiPai integrates with Weibo, and the videos created by users can be downloaded and shared on other platform as well.

* Video length: up to 5 minutes
* Live streaming: Yes
* Captioning: Manual![MeiPai App](https://storage.googleapis.com/vtai-web-media-prod/cms/originals/blog-inline/8b8e64951d6555fd8655391a968b92972b36d59d988a9f716fd4f0da81f5fe35.webp)

### 秒拍 (Miaopai)

[Miaopai](https://www.miaopai.com/) is the most popular short video maker in China, with [over 250 million daily views](https://chozan.co/2017/02/23/miaopai-3-key-functions/). Users must shoot videos in-app. They have the option to scroll through and view short video clips shared by those they follow (much like Instagram). The big sell for Miaopai is that many Chinese celebrities use it to interact with their fans. Miaopai integrates with Weibo.

* Video length: Not specified
* Live streaming: Yes
* Captioning: Manual

### 小咖秀 (Xiaokaxiu)

[Xiaokaxiu](https://www.xiaokaxiu.com/)’s main use is the creation of music videos, or users creating videos from existing audio. They can upload the audio and select from included illustrations, animations and text to create a short video clip. Xiaokaxiu has an integrated audio captioning feature.

* Video length: Not specified
* Live streaming: Yes
* Captioning: Automated![Xiaokaxiu App](https://storage.googleapis.com/vtai-web-media-prod/cms/originals/blog-inline/d69dd6cabf70add8a203072acff0434529212ceb91cd6c980421bab1003be9ec.webp)

### 场库 (Changku)

[Changku](https://www.vmovier.com/) was created by a movie production community in China, and in doing so, has become the go-to platform for sharing high-quality short films. It has global popularity.

* Video length: Not specified
* Live streaming: No
* Captioning: Manual

### 小影 (VivaVideo)

[VivaVideo](http://www.xiaoying.tv/) is used to create short video clips. VivaVideo includes a variety of features, including music, filters and the option to add subtitles. The short video clips created by users tend to be more artistically-driven than on other apps.

* Video length: Up to 10 seconds
* Live streaming: Yes
* Captioning: Manual![Viva Video App](https://storage.googleapis.com/vtai-web-media-prod/cms/originals/blog-inline/5837ad8ecb866109ec7ac9bdd29483d1806239f782d04c54bbb31acf293c57bd.webp)

## Conclusion

The increasing popularity of short video apps in China are possibly a sign of what’s to come globally for how we consume and use these social platforms. The individual abilities on each app allows the user to express their creativity in different ways. We’re excited to see what’s next in the space of short video apps.

If you're interested in learning more, [try our product now](https://agent.videotranslator.ai/chat).

We're happy to announce that we are currently crafting a revolutionary **multilingual videoconferencing tool** to facilitate barrier-free communication across languages\! Learn how it helps you connect with Chinese speakers without having to be fluent in Chinese by clicking [read the full source](https://videotranslator.ai/blog/the-diversity-of-chinese-language-how-to-connect-with-chinese-speakers-without-being-fluent-in-chinese/)**.**

Let's connect with us on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/videotranslator/), [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGrwmRcZiFkyq8-xAwn77Yg/) or [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/videotranslatorai/) for any comments, questions, or just to keep up to date with the work we do\!


Short video apps are really hitting the ground running in China. In this   article we give a basic overview of some of the major short video makers in China   are and what unique features they have to offer.

9 of China's Best Short Video Apps

Why do we prefer to use professionals, especially in a business environment? Professionals execute the same tasks regularly, so they know the ins and outs of a problem and can solve it better, in a short amount of time, and most often with improved costs. Knowledge, practice, and experience are valued in all professions. The translation industry is no different, and experienced translation professionals are most often preferred.

*Using professional translation services should be your preferred default, especially when the content is aimed at business customers.*

Moreover, if you need certified translation for legal documents, for example, marketing or technical translation for business or the translated version of documents that require a high level of accuracy.

## **Why Businesses Require Professional Translations**

In our global world, with virtually infinite options for development, most companies, no matter how small, are considering expanding their operations abroad or going global. In such a context appears the necessity of surpassing language barriers and translate the necessary content and documents to reach that goal. And, of course, communicating efficiently with foreign audiences.

The first step is to make the company marketable in the foreign market, as the basis for the primary goal of reaching as many new clients as possible. It is well known that clients, in general, prefer to consume information and content in their own language; thus, the need for localisation of content. To ensure a company reaches the desired success abroad, it needs to have its content translated in accordance with the local culture and seize the chance to promote its products and services there.

*Most businesses do not have in-house talents and capabilities to execute the translations at a highly professional level, so they outsource this task or partner with a supplier that can solve it.*

Depending on the complexity of the business, operations expansion might involve a professional translator, a team of professional translators or a specialised translation services agency. Comparing the advantages and disadvantages of a language translator versus using a specialised agency will indicate the best option in this case.

Even if nowadays we have tools to translate automatically the content needed, they are not able to replace a translator professional and it’s not exactly an option.

Why? The explanation is simple: they fail with semantic words, concepts, writing styles and mix up the meaning of the context. Automatic translation tools make often some hilarious translation errors; a business that respects itself and its image will not need such failures. For international businesses relaying on automated translation may be an expensive adventure.

So, using just an automatic translation is not a reliable option, not for technical, marketing or otherwise sophisticated material. Unless the respective business is ready to assume the consequences of seeing their efforts damaged by such a detail. Translation errors jeopardise intellectual property and the image of the company.

*Remember the translated copy makes or breaks the success of a company on an overseas market and impacts heavily its operations. It has a direct impact on the reputation, company’s projected image across borders and brand awareness.*

## **Advantages and Benefits of Translation Services for Business**

It results in professional translation services offering several benefits that cannot be neglected. You can review them below. For typical small to medium translation projects, a professional translator:

* Delivers a polished and accurate copy of the original document
* Translates the documents correctly, efficiently, consistently and in due time. Based on their experience and qualifications, professional translators also target industry expertise (for example, medical translation) and are able to adapt style, terminology and context.
* Uses professional translation tools to generate high-quality translated copy
* Based on their translation expertise will deliver a localised copy that takes into consideration the cultural influences, inspires confidence and ensures success.
* Saves time and money for the client company as the quality of his/her work is high and free of errors and needs no further corrections or adjustments
* Will choose to translate just in the areas they have expertise in, for highly specialised areas like legal, engineering or medical.
* Is up to date with technological trends and modifications in cultural context and language conventions.
* Adheres to a strict code of ethics and handles your documents with the highest level of confidentiality and impartiality.

In the case of large and complex translation projects that involve multiple languages and multiple sites/applications, partnering with a reputable translation agency is the best solution. Because for a *specialised professional translation services agency, this is their core business and what they do best*. Apart from the above-mentioned benefits, the translation agency will also:

* Offer access to a pool of trained and tested translators, available for an extended selection of languages, ready to start the translation work with the shortest delay.
* Have certified translators for the required industry and accreditation.
* Have in place processes to check on the quality and accuracy of the translation
* Select the company that needs translation, the effort of interviewing individual translators, testing them or checking their references.
* Have wide experience and manage complex translation projects with ease, like multiple sites and applications that a company owns, and execute them in a shorter amount of time.
* Act as a bridge for the client-company in relation to the target culture by making the translated content culturally and regionally appropriate, while assessing cultural differences. For example, Latin American Spanish is slightly different from European Spanish.
* Act like a supplementary marketing tool, as the translation agency’s experience with similar businesses helps target the intended market and infuses the client’s brand with confidence. Marketing and translation combined often lead to increased sales in the target market.
* Free time for the client, who will have more time at its disposal to concentrate on its core business once the translation job is outsourced to a professional translation partner.

*Professional translation services provided by a reputed translation agency are a strong strategic tool to smoothly communicate with various audiences*.

If you were wondering about the advantages and disadvantages of translation in business, well, there is no doubt, translation has a positive impact on business expansion, reaching higher levels of turnover and profit.

Research made by [Common Sense Advisory](http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com/) called “Translation at Fortune 500 Companies” emphasised that translation correlates with superior business performance. Businesses that used translation to communicate with their partners were 2.67 times more likely to obtain higher revenues. The ones that translated content to comply with local legal requirements were 1.86 times more prone to experience revenue boost and 1.33 times more likely to see improved profits.

Obviously, businesses that aim for expansion and profit growth will always look for the best professionals they can get. And professionals in translation have to answer these exigencies and be up to the required standards.

## **How Do You Qualify as [a Translation Professional](https://www.daytranslations.com/blog/skills-for-translators/)?**

A professional translator has the following skills:

* Writing skills: A translator needs to have excellent writing skills, to correctly translate the content from the primary language into content in the target language. The translator must be able to adapt their writing to different styles, such as technical, marketing, casual, formal etc. To develop great writing ability, the translator likely has strong formal education, polished with practice and experience.
* Advanced language skills and knowledge: It goes without saying that advanced language knowledge is needed for both the source and the target language. Native or near-native language skills are a requirement; otherwise, there is a risk of missing subtle nuances and generating errors in translation.
* Organised and detail-oriented: Some other skills are necessary to qualify as a professional in translations. Attention to detail, dedication to follow methodical processes to ensure accuracy, tenacity to find the best wording version, to name just a few, are important skills.
* Robust translation methodology and proofreading processes: Translation is quite a complex mental process, so a clear methodology should be in place in order to avoid shortcomings. To ensure highly accurate translation, a professional translator should have processes in place for (1) specific verification, (2) editing, (3) proofreading, and (4) reviewing procedures.
* Extensive experience: As in any other industry, experience has its own role and there is no substitute. Translation skills and quality will improve over time along with gaining more and more experience.

These are just the main skills that someone needs to succeed in the translation world and deliver high-quality translations. Hence, some other competencies are needed, like cultural knowledge related to both languages included in the translation process, customer service abilities, specialised knowledge in the industries for which the translations are performed. Also, having translation certifications is a heavy burden on the status of professionals in this area.

## **Conclusion**

There are clear differences between a professional translator and a layman translator, and an ability to speak a foreign language and it’s crucial for obtaining high-quality results in translation. Translation professionals have the know-how, skills and expertise to go beyond linguistic proficiency and ensure top quality for their translation work.

Please connect with us on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/videotranslator/), [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGrwmRcZiFkyq8-xAwn77Yg/) or [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/videotranslatorai/) for any comments, questions, or just to keep up to date with the work we do\!

We are very grateful for your support\!

If you have questions, [try our product now](https://agent.videotranslator.ai/chat).


Using professional translators is generally preferred in the business world. Check out why!

What are the benefits of using Professional Translators?

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Elephant Stripes is a consulting firm that designs, builds, and ships AI products and delivery systems.