Users can request translations of existing media or live events Babelverse, a service designed to enable users to directly contact a human translator anytime, anywhere, opened a public beta of their service in Amsterdam on Thursday.Babelverse is a real-time human translation platform that aims to deliver simultaneous as well as consecutive human translations that are better than computer-generated equivalents, founders Josef Dunne and Mayel de Borniol said at the Next Web conference in Amsterdam. The startup relies on three groups of interpreters to deliver translation services: trainees, experienced multilingual speakers and professional interpreters. Trainees offer their services for free at first and can become experienced interpreters who get paid. In addition, there are also professional interpreters who are available for premium rates. Interpreters get 70 percent of the per minute interpretation price charged to users. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe Interpreters and people looking for translations can subscribe to the service’s public beta. Users can request translations of existing media, like YouTube videos and conference talks, and event organizers can request a live translation of their events. Currently, Babelverse is translating the Next Web conference into Spanish and Portuguese to allow a Latin American audience to follow the conference live in their own language. The service was tested by live interpretation of President Obama’s State of the Union speech last January. The service will not use English as the de facto language into which other languages are translated, the Bableverse founders said. “We want people to speak their own language,” Dunne explained. So, German should be translated directly into Japanese or Mandarin into Spanish, the founders said.In the first phase, Babelverse will be used for translating existing media and live events. “But in the future the purpose is to get it at anytime in your pocket,” Dunne said. Users should be able to use Bableverse through their mobile phones and request a direct translation on the spot, the founders envision. Loek covers all things tech for the IDG News Service. Follow him on Twitter at @loekessers or email tips and comments to loek_essers@idg.com Related content news CIO Announces the CIO 100 UK and shares Industry Recognition Awards in flagship evening celebrations By Romy Tuin Sep 28, 2023 4 mins CIO 100 IDG Events Events feature 12 ‘best practices’ IT should avoid at all costs From telling everyone they’re your customer to establishing SLAs, to stamping out ‘shadow IT,’ these ‘industry best practices’ are sure to sink your chances of IT success. By Bob Lewis Sep 28, 2023 9 mins CIO IT Strategy Careers interview Qualcomm’s Cisco Sanchez on structuring IT for business growth The SVP and CIO takes a business model first approach to establishing an IT strategy capable of fueling Qualcomm’s ambitious growth agenda. By Dan Roberts Sep 28, 2023 13 mins IT Strategy IT Leadership feature Gen AI success starts with an effective pilot strategy To harness the promise of generative AI, IT leaders must develop processes for identifying use cases, educate employees, and get the tech (safely) into their hands. By Bob Violino Sep 27, 2023 10 mins Generative AI Innovation Emerging Technology Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe