Amazon is focusing their attention on expanding their Amazon Web Services platform with translation services. CNBC reports Amazon is working on a product that will allow developers to build apps and websites to use AWS to translate their content into multiple languages. The translation technology will be used to provide multiple language versions of products and will be based on technology Amazon currently uses across their products.
Translation services are big business as the company continues to expand around the world. Now, Amazon’s rivals Google and Microsoft have implemented their version of machine learning translation services to developers.
Amazon acquired machine translation startup Safaba two years ago, and the company has been performing translation to offer additional languages on websites including Amazon.com. Moreover, Amazon launched a competition partnership with Heidelberg University in Germany to encourage machine learning reading platforms that can adapt to user feedback regarding translation results.
Amazon Web Services is multi-billion dollar platform. AWS earned $3.66 billion in revenue in the company’s first quarter. With over 70 different services including email, video conferencing, content delivery networks and cloud hosting, companies are depending upon AWS for their business needs. As a result, more companies could see Amazon’s new multi-language service for their translation needs.
The world of machine translation is founded on deep learning found in artificial intelligence which involves software training systems also known as neural networks. Developers can harness data, and as a result, computers can make predictions about translations. In fact, Google moved from their phrase-based translation system to a neural machine translation system for Japanese several months ago. As a result, people immediately started getting higher quality translations.
This news comes after Amazon announced the acquisition of Whole Foods and ‘Prime Wardrobe.’ Ultimately, Amazon is not focusing on one particular market niche but expanding across fashion, retail, and business via their technological prowess.