Florian and Esther discuss the language industry news of the past few weeks, beginning with a recap of SlatorCon London, which attracted a record 250 attendees. 

They highlight growing interest in language AI, startup innovation, and research, as well as a broader shift in industry sentiment toward viewing LSIs and LTPs as integral parts of the AI economy rather than businesses being disrupted from the outside.

Drawing on Slator’s newly released market report, Florian shares that the total addressable market for language solutions and AI reached USD 30.85bn in 2025, declining 2.7% year on year. Traditional LSIs saw a steeper 5.1% decline, while LTPs grew nearly 20%.

The duo also examine the wider AI landscape, discussing massive funding rounds and IPO plans at Anthropic and OpenAI. Florian argues that these developments create challenges for LTPs seeking defensible market positions, citing OpenAI’s launch of real-time speech translation shortly after DeepL announced an expanded focus on voice translation. 

On company news, Florian and Esther review the bankruptcy of voice AI startup Lovo following legal disputes over voice rights and data usage, as well as the financial difficulties facing transcription specialist VIQ Solutions.

Esther closes with an overview of recent M&A activity, including acquisitions by TransPerfect, RWS, and The Translation People, alongside the formation of Germany’s new IMK Group. She also notes growing consolidation in the voice AI sector and highlights a recent funding round for Japanese AI translation startup Yellow Blue.