NEWS

Taylor & Francis to make more translated books available
more quickly using advanced AI

Following a program of rigorous testing, Taylor & Francis has announced plans to use AI translation tools to publish books that would otherwise be unavailable to English-language readers, bringing the latest knowledge to a vastly expanded readership.

Until now, the time and resources required to translate books has meant that the majority remained accessible only to those who could read them in the original language. Books that were translated often only became available after a significant delay.

Today, with the development of sophisticated AI translation tools, it has become possible to make these important texts available to a broad readership at speed, without compromising on accuracy.

Taylor & Francis has announced that it will make an increased range of translated titles available under the CRC Press and Routledge imprints, across a broad range of fields, including resources for students and practitioners.

To ensure the quality of these translations, the team at Taylor & Francis has spent a year testing different AI tools, a process which included assessment of AI outputs by expert translators and detailed comparisons of AI versions with those produced by human translators.

All new manuscripts produced through this AI-translation publication route will be copyedited and then reviewed by Taylor & Francis editors and the books’ authors before publication. Comprehensive glossaries will be used to train the AI on technical and subject-specific terminology, ensuring that there is no loss of meaning between translations.

This new approach to book translation will bring a range of benefits to authors. Previously, most authors would have had to arrange for a translation of their work before they could submit it to a publisher for consideration. This step will no longer be required for proposals sent to Taylor & Francis in over 30 languages, saving authors considerable upfront costs. With many more books being published in translation, authors will also see the impact of their work increased significantly and new research collaboration opportunities opened up.

Jeremy North, Taylor & Francis Books Managing Director, said: “Taylor & Francis has a proud history of making outstanding books available in English for an international readership. Our China Perspectives series is a good example of this, which now includes over 350 titles by leading Chinese scholars. However, we have always been aware that our translations program represented just the tip of the iceberg, which is why we were keen to explore whether AI could help.”

North added: “This new initiative, which we will be working on hand-in-hand with our regional publishing partners, is a very positive use of AI technology. It promises to promote better understanding between cultures and accelerate awareness of the knowledge required to meet today’s challenges, regardless of where it is first published.”

Prospective authors can get in touch with the Taylor & Francis Editorial Contact for their subject area to enquire about AI translation.

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