Amazon launches AI-powered Kindle Translate service for e-book authors

Amazon on Thursday announced the launch of Kindle Translate, an AI-powered translation service designed for authors who use Kindle Direct Publishing to expand their reach. The service initially translates text between English and Spanish and from German to English, as it is still in beta. More languages ​​will be supported over time.

The retail giant noted that less than 5% of titles on Amazon are available in more than one language, suggesting there is a huge opportunity for AI translations.

Of course, AI is not perfect, which means it may introduce errors into the text. To address this issue, Amazon allows authors to preview their translations before publishing if they wish. If the author is not using the service to speed up the translation of his work into another language he speaks, this ability to verify the work of the AI ​​will not benefit him much; They will still need a human translator to review the AI ​​output if they want to ensure the best accuracy.

(Amazon claims that its AI-driven translations are “automatically assessed for accuracy” before publication, but it does not detail the steps involved in this part of the process.)

The company says authors can manage and access their translations through the Kindle Direct Publishing portal, where they can choose languages, set prices, and publish their translated work.

Meanwhile, readers will see AI-translated works clearly labeled as “Kindle Translate” titles and will be able to preview translation samples.

Kindle Translate competes with many other AI-powered translation services and tools on the market, which can vary in price and which offer broader support for more languages. There are also open source tools. Some people in the industry criticize the use of AI in this way, saying that human translators are better at picking up nuances — especially in fiction and other literary works. But AI is improving on this front, and will likely continue to improve over time.

At present, the Kindle translation service is offered for free, according to Amazon’s announcement, which quotes one of its early testers who praised this aspect of the service, saying that indie authors struggled to find a “cost-effective and trustworthy solution.”

Amazon says translations are eligible for enrollment in other programs, such as KDP Select, and are included in the Kindle Unlimited subscription service.