The Economist uses AI to translate videos to connect with young readers globally

(CLO) Espresso, The Economist's concise news app, uses AI to translate video content into multiple languages ​​to reach young readers globally.

At the WAN-IFRA Newsroom Conference in Zurich, Switzerland, in October, Liv Moloney, Head of Video at The Economist, said that The Economist has developed many ways to connect with younger readers. A key product in doing this is a short-form news app called Espresso, launched in 2014.

In September, Espresso was made free to students worldwide. Espresso also makes extensive use of video, as this is the primary medium through which young readers prefer to consume news.

Additionally, The Economist is trying to reach a younger global audience by distributing more content in multiple languages, something AI could make easier.

Video language options for users are labeled "AI translation".

Moloney says everything on Espresso, including text and audio, can be easily translated into four languages ​​(Spanish, German, Mandarin or French) for readers who need it.

“The entire app will be translated into those languages ​​for you, which is awesome. Obviously this app is a great testing ground for testing those types of products,” she said.

To drive that, Moloney said, “We’re currently using AI to translate our videos into the four languages ​​I mentioned. It’s really amazing because it can transcribe voices, sync our videos, and translate them at the same time.”

To do this, her team members upload them to the platform they use, then send the videos to native speakers to check.

“The great thing about the platform is if there's a translation that's a little weird or the wording isn't right, you can fix the script and it'll fix the video too,” Moloney added.

The Economist also recently launched Spanish-language channels on TikTok and Instagram. “We’ve seen one of our videos get over half a million views on TikTok in Spanish, which is amazing,” she says.

Moloney notes that The Economist is using a number of platforms (including YouTube) that help the publisher get a good number of views per video.

All of their AI-translated videos are clearly labeled. “We’re completely transparent with our audience that we’re doing this,” she says.

Moloney said The Economist only launched the feature about four to five weeks ago, but they have received very good feedback, as well as a large number of video views across multiple platforms.

The video team consisted of 16 people, including journalists, producers, editors and motion graphics designers.

Ngoc Anh (according to WAN-IFRA)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/the-economist-dung-ai-dich-video-de-ket-noi-voi-doc-gia-tre-toan-cau-post320552.html