XTRF launches advisory board to bolster business strategy

Translation management platform provider XTRF has announced the creation of a new advisory board appointed to support business and operational decision-making processes at the Krakow-based firm. This latest move comes straight off the back of the company’s decision to buy out its VC investors in late December 2020, thus enabling them to independently make and execute key decisions. A number of reputable industry professionals are set to join, and Kristina Cole, localization program manager at Medtronic, is the first of XTRF’S advisory board members to be revealed to the public.

Microsoft develops AI-powered live transcription for Teams meetings in English

Microsoft Teams has announced a new live transcription feature that can be implemented for any meeting conducted in English on the platform. The AI-powered system identifies each speaker and transcribes their speech in real-time, creating a written record of the meeting that can be saved for later reference as well. Speakers also have the option to turn off the identification feature if they prefer not to be quoted.

Globalme retires former name, now operating as Summa Linguae Technologies

Globalme, which was acquired by Summa Linguae Technologies in 2019, will no longer be known under the name of Globalme. The companies had been operating as one unified company for a while now, announcing in a blog post that the name change is one of the final pieces of the puzzle to complete the merger of the two companies.

Take 1 hires new CTO and VP of localization and post-production

Take 1, a company providing transcriptions, translations, and access services for the entertainment industry has announced two new appointments to its leadership, effective April 1. Adam Hewes is joining the company as its new chief technology officer after spending more than 17 years working in broadcast engineering for companies such as Scripps Networks International and TVT. The company also welcomes broadcast localization expert Yelena Makarczyk to serve in the newly-created position of VP of localization and post-production.

Slator’s Job Index reaches record high for the month of April 2021

Falling in line with the upward trajectory from the first three months of the year, April 2021 is set to be another good month for job prospects in the language industry. Slator’s Language Industry Job Index has reached its all-time high this month, an impressive recovery after the index fell to record lows last summer due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The index rose just around 10 points, from 122.49 in March 2021 to 132.66 in April — this is the highest uptick in hiring activity recorded on the index in more than 18 months.