OOONA reports a year of ongoing refinement to its range of media localization offerings in line with the evolving demands of the broadcast content creation and post-production market.
Developments during 2024 included enhanced API integrations by language service providers and broadcasters, increasing application of AI technologies, workflow automation with features such as split tasks and innovative solutions aimed at refining quality assurance workflows, as well as an additional level of project management designed for global teams.
OOONA also launched a revamped website and expanded its offerings with respect to resource onboarding and training. This included new language pairs to the AVTpro certification, enhancing its EDU platform with an extensive selection of professional courses developed in collaboration with leading media localization experts, as well as a bespoke platform for companies to conduct their internal training programs.
The year concluded on a high note, with OOONA receiving a technical achievement award for its Integrated platform and its co-founder, Wayne Garb, recognized for his technological prowess and visionary contributions to the Media Localization market.
British Sign Language Broadcasting Trust (BSLBT) commenced a unique training initiative on OOONA’s EDU educational platform, tailored to BSLBT’s cohort of hearing-impaired subtitlers. BSLBT is a charitable organization that commissions British Sign Language (BSL) programmes, creating role models for deaf children and young adults. Its programmes are all in BSL and feature English subtitles, ensuring they are accessible to a broad audience. “The goal is to train a cohort of deaf BSL/English translators in the art of subtitling so we can continue to make sure our programming reaches everyone,” comments Stephanie Burke, Production Executive at BSLBT. “Previously subtitles were created by hearing people but we are now giving deaf people the opportunity to become trained subtitlers.” “This initiative not only aligns with OOONA’s commitment to accessibility but also provides for an excellent opportunity to learn and evolve our software to better serve the needs of deaf users,” adds Wayne Garb, OOONA co-founder and CEO.
OOONA announced the integration of its Convert & QC API into BluConductor(™), the proprietary platform of Blu Digital Group. OOONA Tools API augments the functionality of BluConductor, allowing users to seamlessly initiate, edit, conform and undertake an array of subtitle tasks directly within the platform. The incorporation of OOONA’s Convert and QC API into BluQC, a specialized sub-application within BluConductor, enriches its suite of media automation QC routines with the enablement of automatic scanning of timed text files for critical issues, the generation of comprehensive QC reports, and the bulk conversion of files, markedly streamlining the file validation process.
OOONA Integrated was selected to power Adapt, a new start-up focused on developing cutting-edge workflows for media preparation, localization, and distribution. Based in Denver, Colorado, Adapt aims to help artists and media experts use multiple AI toolsets. “There is no doubt that when it comes to AI in media, localization is at the tip of the spear,” says Justin Beaudin, Adapt founder and CEO. “Thoughtful orchestration platforms such as OOONA Integrated enable us to do this faster and with less investment so we can focus on getting the right people and processes in place.”
HOT, Israel’s leading telecom provider, has revolutionized the supervision of its video-on-demand catalog by implementing OOONA’s QA Manager. Faced with the challenge of managing a vast array of content changes daily, HOT leveraged OOONA’s technology to automate operational QA processes, enhance localization accuracy, and improve overall customer experience. The implementation involved integrating the system with HOT’s existing CMS to ensure seamless data synchronization and maintain data integrity. Comprehensive training was provided to familiarize the staff with the new system, along with ongoing support from OOONA.
Convergent Risks partnered with OOONA to introduce a new security course for the media and entertainment industry. “Proactive staff security training is paramount in order to mitigate most common security threats,” says Mathew Gilliat-Smith, EVP at Convergent Risks. “Our collaboration with OOONA on its EDU educational platform is a sensible avenue to provide comprehensive training on security threats at a global scale. We believe this initiative will provide a common set of security training best practices that apply to all full-time staff and freelancers working in the M&E sector, meeting the needs of content owners and addressing common studio requirements.” OOONA EDU is a cloud-based training platform built on Moodle. It offers a robust learning management system including self-paced courses, webinars and workshops.
OOONA’s flagship platform, OOONA Integrated, is set to power the future global operations of The VSI Group. The tool has been further developed to meet the group’s specific operational requirements. VSI is a leading global localization provider with 26 owned and operated studios worldwide. OOONA’s technology will help provide a significant enhancement in the group’s project management approach, enabling improved tracking for large orders and freeing up client operations resources to focus on problem-solving instead of administrative tasks. OOONA Integrated combines a robust translation management system specialized in subtitling and dubbing workflows with the full suite of the company’s expanding toolkit. Hosted on AWS and backed by advanced cloud technologies, it ensures scalability, stability and client data security “OOONA Integrated has been explicitly developed for the localization industry and fits well with our 35-year historic mission: to provide our clients with top-tier dubbing and subtitling,” says Scott Rose, VSI Group CTO.
OOONA announced a collaboration involving The POOOL, AVTpro, and ProZ.com. Developed by OOONA, The POOOL was the world’s first online directory dedicated to professionals working in the media localization industry. AVTpro is the first ever professional qualification in media localization. ProZ.com boasts approximately 1.5 million registered users and is the number one source of new clients for translators, interpreters and language professionals. “AVTpro Certification will allow ProZ.com language professionals to differentiate themselves from others when potential clients are searching for media localization experts,” says Mike Donlin of ProZ.com. “Credentials are an important part of complete profiles at ProZ.com. It’s exciting to add this certification that has been recognized by outsourcers in the industry.”
OOONA recently expanded its customer support team in Portugal and has now established its first European office. This is located in Limassol. “Our European business had been steadily growing and we saw a lot of opportunity there so we decided to make our services more accessible by establishing a European office,” says Maya Venturero, OOONA Integrated Product Manager, who is now based in Cyprus.
“A defining milestone for 2024 was OOONA’s receipt of a prestigious EGA Hermes Award for Technical Achievement,” Wayne Garb summarizes. “This recognizes our contributions to the media localization market and highlights our role as a leader in innovation and a setter of industry standards.”
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