Anuvu collaborated with Unbabel to provide high-quality, reliable translations at scale.
Highlights
If you’ve ever enjoyed in-flight entertainment and felt delighted at the option to switch to different languages, chances are high that the airline has partnered with Anuvu. With more passengers in the air for business and leisure travel, the need for in-flight content has increased and will continue to rise as travel restrictions become more relaxed.
To accommodate the demands of a growing transportation industry, Anuvu needed to localize the translation process for 67 airlines; each of those airlines Anuvu served had distinct requirements for their translation content, varying according to the technology they used and the type of content they envisioned.
The Anuvu and Unbabel collaboration resulted in a simplified translation content format and automation of multiple translation request processes without impacting delivery to the airlines.
About Anuvu
Anuvu, formerly Global Eagle, is the leading provider of in-flight entertainment content for more than half of the world’s largest airlines. The company helps to improve the airline passenger experience by providing high-quality, multilingual in-flight entertainment and media to their clients.
At a glance
- Founded in 2004
- Headquarters in Santa Ana, California
- Offices on 6 continents
- Over 1000 employees
- Anuvu’s mobility market includes airlines, cruise lines, yachts, energy transportation, and government agencies
The challenge
The challenge of localizing languages across a myriad of monthly content requests and from multiple airlines in over 35 languages needed to be streamlined for Anuvu to maintain its reputation as a global market leader. Solving the issue would also enable clients to deliver uninterrupted, high-quality content in large volumes and scale.
Variables and content exigency
Before Unbabel, there were vast differences in the structures of the translation content files used by each airline. Each language and project contained individual translation instructions embedded within each file. Identifying the needed content required manual intervention, an arduous task that delayed the translation process.
Working in synergy
Automating the process for all of Anuvu’s translation requests, which would automatically generate a quote after the request or the delivery of the translated files, was the main priority for both teams.
The solution
Unbabel has been partnering with Anuvu since 2015 and became their lead localization partner in 2018. Anuvu turned to Unbabel to streamline an intricate localization process, providing their customers with faster and scalable service without compromising the quality of the translations. Unbabel was also tasked with standardizing the instructions for the various formats being used by the airlines. Through this partnership, Unbabel has transformed the Graphical User Interface (GUI) text for each airline customer, which allows users to interact with electronic devices using icons and audio instead of typing commands or navigating through text.
Both teams have also worked together to simplify the translation format and the automation process to ensure the delivery of multiple translation requests did not impede the productivity and efficiency of the airlines. “There was a real collaboration, with Unbabel owning the change process and making it real through a standardized and automated approach. The automation of file processing was a big shift, especially as it gave us quicker pricing and delivery, as well as better quality,” said Smith.
An automated and customizable translation system
Unbabel automated the seamless processing of each Anuvu project file with custom-built content filters matched against file patterns. Unbabel has significantly decluttered the view for the content to be translated and translation time, which enables Anuvu to generate translation quotes immediately, as required. Manual touchpoints — and potential human errors — have been eliminated, leading to a flexible, automated workflow that caters to the individual needs of each airline.
Dynamically applied character limits
Different airline platform screens had different requirements for character limitations. It was imperative that Unbabel find the space to accommodate the fluctuating changes of each translation to avoid disruptions while displaying the final content. For example, the differences between English and Romance languages: A phrase translated from English to Spanish, Italian, French, or Portuguese could be up to 30% longer than the source.
To circumvent this issue, character limitations were applied to each piece of content — and all within the Unbabel translation platform. This eliminated the need for any manual testing or additional revisions. The implementation of this new, standardized process created the blueprint for a strategic objective to automate the translation pipeline through Unbabel’s API integration. The digitized process has removed manual steps of the process, allowing the automated integration of the two platforms to effortlessly transfer content with speed and accuracy.
Anuvu now benefits from a seamless, customizable, and automated translation workflow, enabling them to help their airline clients deliver a remarkable in-flight entertainment experience to their passengers.
Unbabel’s impact
- Efficient onboarding process, allowing the seamless transfer of content from existing airlines without a need for additional resources.
- Automated process and reduced potential for manual errors within the content.
- Average turnaround time reduced by 20%.
- Anuvu can now generate instant quotes for translation with a simple and clear view of content and translation time.
After working closely with the Unbabel team to streamline the process, Anuvu can submit a translation for an immediate quote, including upon receipt of the translated file. The rollout resulted in a 99% adoption rate across all 67 airlines — all within a year.
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