Stepes

Stepes is an online translation and localization service founded in San Francisco in December 2015. It was developed in conjunction with CSOFT International, a language-services company with operations associated with Beijing and San Francisco. The service is designed to connect organizations that need translation with professional translators working across more than 100 languages and a range of industry and subject-matter domains. The brand's principal distinction is its mobile-first, chat-based approach to human translation. Rather than treating translation as a purely desktop workflow, Stepes breaks longer source materials into smaller segments and presents them to translators as a sequence of messages on a mobile device. Translators answer each segment in a conversational interface, while the platform assembles the responses into a complete translated document. The application also provides mechanisms for viewing source and translated text in context, including swipe-based navigation between the original and translated versions. Stepes has stated that it holds patents in the United States and China relating to aspects of this interface and its software. Stepes combines this user experience with an AI-enabled Translation Management System. The system supports cloud-based translation-memory searches, continuing terminology management, workflow automation, translator matching, and handling of multiple content types. Supported work can include documents, video, websites, software, and other business materials. The service is intended for organizations that need multilingual content production, localization, and specialist translation rather than only casual word or phrase translation. The company launched its online software in early December 2015, followed by iOS and Android applications. In May 2016 it introduced Stepes Translate, a human-translation interface modeled in part on the familiar side-by-side layout of machine-translation products. Through Stepes Translate, a user enters source text and receives a translation produced by a human translator using the Stepes mobile application. Users can observe progress while the request is being completed, and many short requests are designed to return results within minutes. Stepes was founded by Carl Yao, who also created TermWiki, a multilingual social knowledge network focused on industry and domain terminology. The name Stepes refers to the Eurasian steppes, a geographic region associated in the company's origin story with the development and spread of many spoken languages. The service positions mobile translation as a way to broaden access to professional translation capacity by allowing translators to work from smartphones as well as computers. Reference material describes a translator network of approximately 60,000 people, although the date and methodology for that figure are not specified. The brand's broader proposition is to combine human linguistic judgment with software-assisted scale. Its platform can match requests by language, industry, and domain, while terminology and translation-memory tools are intended to improve consistency across repeated or specialized assignments. Stepes therefore sits at the intersection of professional translation, localization technology, workflow software, and on-demand digital services. Publicly available reference material does not establish detailed financial information, current corporate ownership beyond the development relationship with CSOFT International, or a complete list of present-day offices and executives.

Stepes was founded in San Francisco in December 2015 as an online translation and localization service. The company was developed in conjunction with CSOFT International, and its founder, Carl Yao, had previously created TermWiki, a multilingual terminology and knowledge platform. Stepes takes its name from the Eurasian steppes, which its origin story associates with the historical spread of languages. The service was created around the idea that professional translation could be organized through mobile devices rather than relying exclusively on desktop software and conventional agency workflows. Its chat-based system divides longer translation assignments into smaller units and sends them to translators as message-like tasks. Translators respond within the mobile interface, and Stepes compiles the responses into a finished document. Users can navigate between the source and translated text to review context, while the platform manages the overall workflow. Stepes launched its online software in early December 2015. Mobile applications for iOS and Android followed. In May 2016, the company introduced Stepes Translate, an interface in which a user enters source text and receives a translation from a human translator through the Stepes application. The product was designed to provide a familiar, side-by-side experience associated with online translation tools while retaining human translation as its underlying service model. Users could see progress as a request moved through the system, and short requests were intended to be completed quickly. The platform's technical foundation includes an AI-enabled Translation Management System with cloud-based translation-memory searches, terminology management, workflow automation, and matching by language, industry, and domain. Stepes supports multiple content formats, including documents, video, websites, and software. Its model is therefore broader than a consumer text-translation application: it addresses business translation, multilingual content operations, and localization projects. The company has described its approach as mobile translation, meaning that professional translators can work through smartphones as well as browsers and desktop computers. It has also characterized this model as a way to expand the available translation workforce by connecting organizations with a large network of bilingual and professional linguists. Reference material identifies a network of approximately 60,000 translators and coverage of more than 100 languages, though no date is supplied for those figures. Stepes has stated that it holds patents in the United States and China covering elements of its chat-based translation interface, swipe-based context review, and related software. Public reference material does not provide a complete account of later product development, financial performance, current management, or corporate structure. The available record establishes Stepes as a specialized translation-technology brand combining human linguistic services with mobile workflow software and localization-management capabilities.

• 2016

  Stepes Translate launches

  [1]Stepesen.wikipedia.org

  The company introduces Stepes Translate, a human-powered online translation interface with live request progress.

• 2015

  Stepes is founded in San Francisco

  [1]Stepesen.wikipedia.org

  Stepes is founded in December as an online translation and localization service developed in conjunction with CSOFT International.

• 2015

  Online platform launches

  [1]Stepesen.wikipedia.org

  The Stepes online software becomes available in early December, introducing its mobile-oriented chat-based human translation workflow.

• iOS and Android applications are introduced

  [1]Stepesen.wikipedia.org

  Stepes expands access through applications for Apple's iOS and Google's Android platforms.

A mobile-first, human translation and localization platform that uses workflow automation, translation memory, terminology management, and translator matching to deliver multilingual content at scale.

• Human translation platform · 2015

  Stepes mobile translation platform

  Stepes's core service connects business translation requests with professional translators through web and mobile interfaces. Longer materials can be divided into smaller segments and distributed as chat-like tasks. Translator responses are assembled into complete deliverables, with source-text and target-text views intended to support contextual review. The platform is designed for more than 100 languages and multiple industry or domain categories.

• On-demand human translation · 2016

  Stepes Translate

  Stepes Translate is an online interface introduced in May 2016. It presents a side-by-side translation experience familiar from machine-translation services, but routes requests to human translators using the Stepes application. Users can enter source text, monitor progress, and receive the translated result in the target field.

• Translation-management software

  Stepes Translation Management System

  The platform's AI-enabled management layer supports cloud-based translation-memory searches, terminology management, workflow automation, and translator matching. It is intended to help businesses coordinate recurring or complex multilingual work across documents, video, websites, software, and other content formats.

• 2016

  Launch Stepes TranslateProduct launch

  Background

  The company sought to make human translation accessible through an interface resembling established online translation tools.

  Action taken

  Stepes introduced Stepes Translate, allowing users to enter source text, request human translation, and view progress while the work was completed.

  Aftermath

  The launch extended Stepes from a translation workflow platform into a more direct, on-demand translation service.

  Source

• 2015

  Adopt a chat-based mobile translation modelProduct launch

  Background

  Stepes was developed around the premise that professional translation could be distributed through mobile devices and handled in smaller conversational units.

  Action taken

  The company launched a platform that sends translation segments to human translators through a chat-like mobile interface and automatically compiles their responses.

  Aftermath

  The approach became the defining product feature of Stepes and was later associated with patent filings in the United States and China.

  Source

• 2016

  Stepes introduces Stepes Translate[1]Stepesen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  Stepes launched Stepes Translate, a human-powered online translation interface with live progress and a side-by-side user experience.

• 2015

  Stepes launches online translation platform[1]Stepesen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  Stepes introduced its online translation and localization service in early December, presenting a mobile and chat-oriented workflow for human translation.

• Stepes releases iOS and Android applications[1]Stepesen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  The service subsequently expanded its platform with mobile applications for iOS and Android, enabling translators to work from mobile devices.

1. 1Stepesen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Stepes Launches In-Context Software Translation Solutionprnewswire.com