Translating millions of messages each month

An online dating network is using translation technology to enable single people worldwide to communicate regardless of their native language or location.

Cupid Media, which operates 36 dating sites in 100 countries around the globe, turned to SDL’s Machine Translation technology to meet its growing need for additional languages. Cupid Media uses SDL’s solution to translate each user’s personal profile and facilitate real-time messaging between users across various languages and dialects.

The company translates vast amounts of user-generated content, which can be prone to spelling and grammatical errors. SDL reports that because the type of content requires sophisticated translation, its Machine Translation technology brings a flexible approach to Cupid Media’s language needs by allowing complex translation algorithms to be used for different language pairs depending on content and context. By producing higher-quality results and intercepting any cultural linguistic nuances that could cause misunderstanding or offense, SDL says it enables Cupid Media to offer a better, more authentic user experience.

“We are responsible for creating a high-quality dating product that is fun and easy to use,” says Ben Snart, IT and development director at Cupid Media. “SDL provides a very reliable, cost-effective service that we know we can trust. I can’t recall a time when there’s been a technical issue or a problem with availability and there’s never any need for us to contact customer support. It’s just one less headache for us to worry about.”

Since implementing the SDL technology, Cupid Media has experienced a number of positive results, enabling it to increase the volume of accurate translations, particularly for unstructured, user-generated content, SDL says. Today, 2.5 million active Cupid Media users generate 50 million messages each month.