RWS Holdings plc, a global leader in technology-enabled language and content solutions, has acquired the intellectual property of Papercup’s AI dubbing technology. This strategic move enhances RWS’s ability to provide scalable, high-quality multilingual video and content localization for enterprise clients across industries.
RWS acquires Papercup’s AI dubbing technology IP for undisclosed terms.
Papercup’s tech replicates speaker tone, pace, and emotion with AI voices.
Integrates with RWS’s 1,800 in-house linguists and 40,000+ global experts.
Enhances Language Weaver and Trados for multimedia localization.
Papercup served clients like Sky News, Bloomberg, with 1B+ video views.
Supports corporate communications, training, and marketing content.
Papercup’s AI dubbing technology combines voice synthesis, thousands of unique AI voices, and editorial tools for human specialists to fine-tune outputs, delivering quality comparable to human dubbing at lower costs and faster turnaround times. “The acquisition of Papercup’s market-leading technology marks our intention to transform all forms of enterprise content,” said Ben Faes, CEO of RWS. The hybrid approach ensures brand-consistent tone, pacing, and accuracy, addressing limitations of AI-only dubbing tools.
The acquisition aligns with RWS’s strategy to embed AI across its technology stack, complementing tools like Language Weaver (neural machine translation) and Trados (translation management). With 60+ global locations and 45+ AI patents, RWS serves 90 of the top 100 global brands. Papercup’s technology, used by Sky News and Bloomberg for over 1 billion video views, enables cost-effective localization of corporate communications, training, and marketing content.
Papercup, founded in 2017, raised $30.5M, including a $20M Series A in 2022, but faced a staff exodus to Scale AI, prompting the IP sale. “It’s difficult to see Papercup take a different path than I had imagined,” said co-founder Jesse Shemen. Despite this, the technology’s integration into RWS’s ecosystem, supported by 40,000+ linguists, positions it to capture a share of the $4.7B dubbing market by 2028.
RWS’s acquisition of Papercup’s IP strengthens its leadership in AI-driven localization, enabling enterprises to connect with global audiences efficiently and authentically.
RWS is a content solutions company, powered by technology and human expertise. We grow the value of ideas, data and content by making sure organizations are understood. Everywhere.
Our proprietary technology, 45+ AI patents and human experts help organizations bring ideas to market faster, build deeper relationships across borders and cultures, and enter new markets with confidence – growing their business and connecting them to a world of opportunities.
It’s why over 80 of the world’s top 100 brands trust RWS to drive innovation, inform decisions and shape brand experiences.
With 60+ global locations, across five continents, our teams work with businesses across almost all industries. Innovating since 1958, RWS is headquartered in the UK and publicly listed on AIM, the London Stock Exchange regulated market (RWS.L).
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