Japanese manga comics are extremely popular, with the market expected to be worth $42.2 billion by 2030. However, only a small percentage of Japan’s annual output of 700,000 manga volumes is released in English due to the challenging and time-consuming translation process and a scarcity of translators. Orange Inc., a Japanese startup, has announced that it plans to utilize artificial intelligence (AI) to speed up the translation of mangas into English while reducing costs significantly.
The company aims to increase the production of English-language mangas to 500 per month, which is five times higher than the current industry capacity, with a target of 50,000 volumes in five years before expanding to other languages. Orange’s technology promises to overcome the difficulties that come with translating manga into English. The marketing vice-president of Orange, Tatsuhiro Sato, highlighted that translating Japanese conversational language often contains slang and short sentences, making it complex. Additionally, determining whether spoken lines were actually said in a scene or represent internal thoughts can be challenging. Furthermore, the original text being written vertically adds another layer of complexity as it conveys Japanese sound effects into English.
To combat these challenges and increase translation efficiency, Orange has secured 2.92 billion yen ($19 million) in funding from major publisher Shogakukan and nine venture capital groups, including the government-backed JIC Venture Growth Investments. The startup’s AI tool not only promises to speed up translation but also aims to combat piracy in the manga industry, which is estimated to be worth $5.5 billion annually according to the Content Overseas Distribution Association. With its innovative technology and ambitious goals, Orange Inc. is set