Revolutionizing Manga: How Orange Inc. Harnesses AI to Translate Japanese Comics into English and Dominate the Market by 2030

A Japanese startup has announced plans to utilize artificial intelligence (AI) to speed up the translation of manga comics into English while reducing costs significantly. Orange Inc., a leading publisher in the manga market, has stated that the market is expected to be worth $42.2 billion by 2030.

Despite the popularity of mangas like “One Piece” and “Dragon Ball,” only two percent of Japan’s annual output of 700,000 manga volumes are released in English due to the challenging and time-consuming translation process and a scarcity of translators. Orange’s technology aims to increase the production of English-language mangas to 500 per month, which is five times higher than the current industry capacity, with a target of 50,000 volumes in five years before expanding to other languages.

Translating manga poses unique difficulties, as stated by Orange’s marketing vice-president Tatsuhiro Sato, who highlighted the complexity of translating Japanese conversational language that often contains slang and short sentences. Moreover, determining whether spoken lines were actually said in a scene or represent internal thoughts can be a challenge. Additionally, the original text being written vertically and conveying Japanese sound effects into English add to the complexity.

To address these challenges, Orange has developed an AI tool that promises to increase translation efficiency while also combating piracy in the manga industry. The startup secured 2.92 billion yen ($19 million) in funding from major publisher Shogakukan and nine venture capital groups, including the government-backed JIC Venture Growth Investments. With its cutting-edge technology and ambitious goals, Orange is set to revolutionize the way we consume and enjoy manga comics around the world.