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Exploring DeepL's development history: How did it expand from 7 languages to 33?
DeepL Translator is a neural machine translation service launched in August 2017 and owned by Cologne-based company DeepL SE. The translation system was originally developed in Linguee and later launched under the name DeepL. Initially it was able to translate into seven European languages, and has since been expanded to support 33 languages. Its algorithm uses convolutional neural networks and English-based pivot technology, and it offers paid subscriptions for additional features and its translation API.
Service Overview
Translation Methods
The DeepL service uses a proprietary Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) algorithm trained on the Linguee database. The service’s developers say it uses a newer neural network architecture that produces more natural-sounding translations than competitors.
The translation is claimed to have been generated by a supercomputer with 5.1 petaflops of computing power, located in Iceland and running on hydroelectricity.
Translator and Subscriptions
The translator is free to use, but each translation is limited to 1500 characters. Files supported for translation include Microsoft Word, PowerPoint (.docx and .pptx formats) and PDF files up to 5MB in size. A paid subscription service for DeepL Pro has also been available since March 2018, providing features including API access and software plugins for computer-assisted translation tools. Unlike the free version, the translated text is not saved and there is no character limit.
Supported Languages
As of January 2024, DeepL translation services support English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Polish, Dutch, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese (Simplified), Japanese, Korean, Turkish There are as many as 33 languages including English, Spanish, and Ukrainian.
History
DeepL’s translation system was first developed within Linguee in 2016 by CTO Jarosław Kutyłowski and launched on August 28, 2017. The service initially offers translations into seven languages, including English, German, and French, and claims to outperform competitors in blind tests and BLEU scores.
Since the launch of DeepL, Linguee's company name has been changed to DeepL GmbH and it is financed through advertising on its sister site linguee.com.
On December 5, 2018, support for Portuguese and Russian languages was added. In July 2019, Jarosław Kutyłowski became CEO of DeepL GmbH and in 2021 he reorganized the company into a European company (Societas Europaea). Then in September 2019, DeepL launched translation software for Windows and macOS. On March 19, 2020, it added support for Chinese (Simplified) and Japanese, and claimed to have surpassed competitors including Baidu and Youdao.
DeepL Write Launch
In November 2022, DeepL launched a tool called DeepL Write, which aims to improve monolingual texts in English and German. In December 2022, the company announced that the tool would be available for internal use only, with plans to launch it again in early 2023. The beta version was finally released on January 17, 2023.
Evaluations and Awards
Overall reviews of DeepL Translator are quite positive. Many media outlets praised the accuracy and detail of its translations and believed that its performance was better than Google Translate. In addition, DeepL won two Webby Awards in 2020 for Best Practice and Technical Achievement.
A study from the University of Bologna found that Italian-to-German translations were similar in performance to Google Translate.
In the language translation app market, DeepL has been sceptical from critics for supporting fewer languages, but the company’s continued efforts to improve and expand have helped it stand out.
As technology continues to advance and expand, what does the future hold for DeepL?
