ComixSuite Identity

Some of the biggest challenges we face in developing ComixSuite are the misconceptions about our work. This may stem from the fact that artificial intelligence is part of the service. Since AI is a hot topic in the publishing industry, sparking strong reactions, it's easy to understand how concerns arise. However, as a result, ComixSuite is often mischaracterized.

So, let’s take a moment to clear the air.

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What is ComixSuite? It is a tool that helps publishers manage their comic translation projects online and collaboratively, while relieving translators, copy editors and letterers of unnecessary tasks, so as to help them focus on their real added value.

What isn’t ComixSuite? A machine translation tool.

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Let’s dive a little deeper.

We seek to help quicken by using our AI to automatically position translated texts in the right place before lettering. It avoids hundreds of unnecessary manual copy-pastes, and the letterer can then concentrate on the design itself (up to 2000 in some mangas).

For translators, several features are offered to help them better identify the texts to be translated and to anticipate the space available in speech bubbles. Over the whole publishing process, which also includes editorial assistants and proofreaders, we're measuring 30% savings, and that's just the beginning. It’s a significant point. An essential point at a time when book prices are rising and young people are turning to other forms of media.

We're also keen to offer them the tools they use in their day-to-day work. And it's a well-known practice that some translators use machine translation as part of their preparatory work, whether for a single word, a sentence, or more.

Not everyone does, of course. But for those who do, we wanted to offer an option to do it directly from ComixSuite. As we are not an automatic translation tool, we use the DeepL service.

The translator can decide whether or not to automatically pre-translate a bubble. This is the translator’s choice and responsibility, as well as the one of the copy editor and publisher who approve the translation.

Basically, we believe that automatic pre-translations must always be approved by a human. That's why, when pre-translation is used on several bubbles at once, we implemented an interface that requires a human to interact with the translation in order to:

• Approve or delete it with a click;
• Edit and correct it.

Our system blocks the export of batch pre-translations for which there has been no human review, thus blocking the process towards lettering.

This is a policy we strictly adhere to, as part of our responsible use of AI at ComixSuite.

Hopefully, these details help clear up who we are at ComixSuite and what our intentions are. We are always happy to discuss and talk more about ComixSuite and our vision for AI in publishing, so feel free to reach out to us.

ComixSuite is a productivity tool for publishers, helping them improving processes so they can invest their time and resources on what matters mots: content quality.