omNovia Will Provide a Translation Solution for Webinars

Last week, omNovia Technologies, a company that provides meetings, Webinars, online training, and Webcasts, announced that it will provide a translation solution for its Web conferencing.

This solution, simply called omNovia, is a platform that enables a company to hold a Web conference that is translated into multiple languages simultaneously. The participants only hear the language on the channel they choose. Conference participants can also see a variety of presentations, media, and chat in their chosen languages.

Shawn Shadfar, CEO of omNovia Technologies, says the new platform "is a direct result of customer requests for a translation solution." omNovia Technologies asserts that businesses can save time and money because they only need to hold one conference. The company also compares its technology with that of the UN, since it also uses live translators.

omNovia chose to use actual live translators as opposed to translation technology because the company asserts there are still too many errors made in translation software. “The fact is that speech recognition is still not something that can be used on a daily basis...it becomes a gadget and not a workable solution,” Shadfar contends. “90 percent [accuracy] is great to give a demo, but not for actual usage. That’s the reason why TV networks use real people to do their close captioning.”

The platform also allows for various characters, so languages like Chinese, Japanese, and Arabic are all supported. While currently 10 languages are available, Shadfar says the platform can be easily configured to support other languages. It can also be adapted to suit a company’s needs by checking and un-checking preference boxes. Since the platform runs as a hosted service, it doesn’t need to be installed either, and omNovia’s solution has a unique recast ability, which allows users to record and play back a conference in their chosen language channels.

Adem Sengul, product manager, points out that the platform also allows a company to present itself as truly international.

Currently, the platform can host up to 5,000 participants, and possesses CRM and social media interfaces. The company offers a few different versions of this service, including an HD option. The omNovia basic package, which supports 25 participants, starts at $49 a month.

“If you translate two languages, you’re saving 50percent,” Shadfar states. “If you’re doing five, you’re saving a lot more. There is a significant cost saving when you can create one Webinar.”