Amazon is bringing an AI translation service to Kindle that will allow independent authors to get their books translated into other languages without the usual high cost.
The feature, called "Kindle Translate," is currently in beta and is available to a select group of Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) authors. Amazon pointed out that less than 5% of books on its US store are available in more than one language, and it hopes that this new tool helps authors "reach new audiences and earn more."
For now, you can only translate between English and Spanish, and from German into English. Authors manage everything through the KDP portal, where they can choose languages, set prices, and hit publish.
A fully formatted translation is ready within a few days. Amazon has promised that every translation is "automatically evaluated" for accuracy before it goes live. Authors can decide to preview the book first or just let it publish automatically once it passes the check.
There will also be a "clear label" for titles that use the service so readers know they are reading an AI-generated translation. This gives readers a chance to preview the translation with the "Look Inside" feature before they commit to buying. Translated ebooks can also be enrolled in KDP Select and included in Kindle Unlimited.
Although Amazon did not specify the exact technology Kindle Translate runs on, it is almost certainly a large language model (LLM). An LLM can be a perfect fit for this kind of work because it can handle the nuanced language of a book, preserve the original formatting, and even perform the automated quality checks that Amazon mentioned.
The company has been expanding its use of LLM technology throughout the year. Just yesterday, it announced its integration of its new LLM-powered Alexa+ assistant into the Amazon Music app. This update, available in Early Access, lets you have detailed conversations about music with the assistant.