German AI company DeepL has unveiled a new specialized large language model (LLM) for translating and editing text. The company claims this update sets a new industry standard for translation quality.
According to DeepL, the new model combines three key features:
- A specialized LLM optimized for language tasks, aiming to produce more natural translations with less risk of errors or hallucinations.
- Training on over seven years of proprietary data focused on content creation and translation, unlike other models trained only on public internet data.
- Input from thousands of carefully selected language experts who help train the model for high-quality translations.
DeepL says blind tests with language professionals show their translations are preferred 1.3 times more often than Google Translate, 1.7 times more often than ChatGPT-4, and 2.3 times more often than Microsoft's offering. The company reports particular improvements in English to Japanese and Simplified Chinese translations, with a 1.4-fold improvement for the combination of English and German.
DeepL CEO Jarek Kutylowski calls this launch "only the beginning" of the company's AI-powered language solutions for businesses, stating that DeepL is investing heavily in improving translation quality, efficiency, and adaptability.
The new model is available to DeepL Pro customers for translations between English, Japanese, German, and Simplified Chinese, with more languages planned. Users can activate it in the web translator by selecting "Next Gen Model."
DeepL declined to provide additional details about the model's inner workings, testing methodology, or specific performance metrics beyond what was included in their press release.
In May 2024, DeepL announced a $300 million funding round, making it one of the best-funded German AI companies alongside defense AI firm Helsing.
