Roblox’s recent introduction of an AI-enabled real-time translation system marks a significant advancement in breaking down language barriers within its Metaverse. With over 70 million daily active users worldwide, facilitating communication across languages is crucial for fostering a more inclusive and connected gaming community.
The development of this translation system was no small feat. Chief Technology Officer Daniel Sturman outlined two major challenges the team faced: creating a system capable of translating between any pair of the 16 supported languages and ensuring fast translation speeds to support real-time conversations.
To address these challenges, Roblox developed a context-aware model capable of recognizing specific terminology, slang, and abbreviations used within the platform. This allows for seamless interactions between players speaking different languages. Additionally, techniques such as back translation were employed for less common language pairs, enhancing the model’s learning process.
Roblox utilized a mixture of publicly available and internal data to train a sophisticated language model, integrated into a system known as a mixture of experts (MoE). This approach enabled the platform to support multiple language translation apps within a single system, optimizing resource usage.
The introduction of this AI-enabled real-time translation system is a step toward creating a more inclusive and connected gaming community. It allows players from different linguistic backgrounds to communicate and play together without language barriers. Looking ahead, Roblox is exploring further advancements, such as automatic voice chat translations, to enhance communication within the Metaverse.
By prioritizing translation technologies, Roblox aims to address a wide range of communication needs within the Metaverse, from casual conversations to formal negotiations involving businesses and governments. While achieving seamless voice chat translations may seem like science fiction today, Roblox remains committed to pushing the boundaries of translation technology to create a more inclusive virtual world.