Roblox has introduced an AI-powered translator to its in-game chat that functions in real time for any combination of 16 different languages, including English, Spanish, Japanese, Russian, and more.
In a blog post, Chief Technology Officer Daniel Sturman said that this feature would allow for near instantaneous translation for both static text and real time conversations between players. Text is automatically translated to a player’s chosen language with a latency of 100 milliseconds or less, though there is still an option to see it in the original language.
Sturman told The Verge that their goal was to make users feel more comfortable around each other by eliminating the language barrier. “We know engagement goes up when users speak or interact with others in their own language,” he said. “We took that concept and removed the language barrier with the automatic translation.”
The translator uses a unified Large Language Model (LLM) to work with all 16 languages in a single model. It also needed to be context-sensitive, recognizing phrases and slang specific to Roblox. The AI was trained on open-source data, in-game slang, and chat translation results, and was then judged on accuracy, fluency, and incorrect references. It also uses back translation by translating the second language back to the original and comparing the two.
The plans for the translator are far from finished, as more languages are planned to be added over time. It will also feature an option for feedback and suggestions to improve accuracy.
Beyond that, the team is looking for other ways to break down language barriers, such as translating text in multiple dimensions on images and 3D objects and translating voice chats automatically, matching tone, rhythm, and emotion.
“In the future, we could use AI to translate non-compliant [banned] words to compliant words or throw it at voice chats for real-time voice translation,” Sturman said. “There’s many possibilities.”