Ken Lorber
The Kitchen, the industry’s only Emmy Award-winning language services studio, is celebrating its 23rd birthday today. The business has changed dramatically during the past two decades, as has The Kitchen and its firm and global footprint in the industry. “We’ve always seen opportunities and would always go for it,” explained Ken Lorber, founding partner and President/CEO of The Kitchen. “That’s how we have always remained ahead of the curve.”
The biggest question today, and when considering the future of The Kitchen and the language localization business in general, according to Lorber, is AI. “We are working with a very trusted and smart AI vendor in order to integrate the technology into our daily processes. Our technical, engineering, and translation teams have been testing the AI capabilities in numerous areas, confirming its ability to work within our systems. It has to offer security for our clients’ assets. It must deliver benefits, and in this case, the two biggest pluses are the human time it will save, along with the costs, of course,” Lorber explained.
Eutdel Garcia, The Kitchen’s VP of Engineering, and his team are using AI to some degree. “But it may not yet be the answer for all projects and we believe it will be some time before it is a universal solution for all. “We are using AI as a tool for a number of large subtitling and translation projects now, and it is working well. What would typically take 3 days to translate, time, and create subtitles can now be done in minutes. Of course, the human factor MUST be added to that equation. You still need a real person to QC and adapt any AI-generated work.”
The Kitchen and its AI partner continue to test and add language capabilities and enhance the quality of what AI can offer by working together. “While AI still has certain limitations, we do have a strong belief in what it ultimately can offer to the language localization process,” Garcia added.
“Right now, there are certain obstacles that must be overcome, not the least of which is the legal one, but while the lawyers do battle to resolve the various issues, technology continues to move along, and the various AI tools continue to improve and provide solutions to companies like ours,” Lorber said. “The Kitchen will move into the future with the same zest that it has always brought to the table. In this business, you must move, expand, investigate, and accept new ideas in order to stay relevant. In our 23 years, we’ve always found excitement in new developments. We’ve always adapted, relying on our teams to choose wisely. We believe in the future of this business and will continue to be flexible in accepting new and improved opportunities to bring to our clients,“ Lorber concluded.
Eighteen months ago, The Kitchen, a US-based language translation, dubbing, subtitling, closed captioning, audio description, and media services studio, introduced its first European language hub in Madrid, Spain. According to Ken Lorber, “This serves the European and Asian community and allows us to offer nearly 24-7 capabilities.” This year, The Kitchen opened its first UK-based sales office, meant to support the large base of work coming from London. Additionally, an international Board of Global Influencers was brought on board, specifically to serve as the eyes and ears for the team in areas of the world where they may not have a firm footprint.
“There is no doubt that The Kitchen’s celebration of 23 years is a very exciting milestone for us,” added Ken Lorber. “Our team is rock solid, our energy is greater than ever, and our future is very promising. We know that it has been a tough few years for our industry, and we are now more excited than ever to play a key role in its future.” The Kitchen has studios throughout the US, LATAM, Europe, and the Middle East. The Kitchen remains the industry’s only Emmy Award Winning language localization studio, having been the recipient of two Prime Time nods from the Television Academy over the years.