MULTILINGUAL DATA ANNOTATION SERVICES COMPANY

Most of us have probably learned about and have a vague knowledge of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML). Aside from data annotation companies, many of us would have come into contact with AI at work in one way or another, for example:

• A robot moving through a shop floor and navigating around objects in its path
• Detecting a malignant tumour in a pathology film
• A Resume parser distributing an unformatted Resume into discrete data fields

Some would recognise it as the work of AI, and some would not.

Fewer still might appreciate the process behind making machines (or software programs) acquire human-like intelligence and act accordingly.

This might disappoint some, but AI in machines is neither the result of discovering a rare mineral from the Earth’s core nor a hitherto unrecognised magnetic wave; it results from meticulous training and programming done by the human hand and human intelligence.

The Process of Computer Training With a Data Annotation Services Company

To pick up signals from data is known as Machine Learning (ML). Machines cannot interpret data in the same manner as human beings. For example, when a human being sees a smiling face, she will instantly recognise it as one. For a computer, it is just data at the start and has no meaning. The machine needs to feed it to understand and associate with meaning and action. For example, one way could be to teach the machine to identify a smile from the shape of the lips. If the middle point is below the imaginary line connecting the ends of the lips, it is a smile.

This is the process of image, video, and data annotation services handled by multilingual data annotation companies. It involves enriching the raw data so a computer can associate some meaning with it. Repeating this process allows the computer program to draw inferences and ‘learn’ so that when the training stops and is presented with the following image, it can now interpret it as a smiling face or a frowning face. The magic behind AI lies in the quality of data annotation services and support.

Of course, this is a simplistic example for illustration purposes.

Data Annotation Company: The Different Service Types

There are many ways in which data can be annotated by a multilingual data annotation company for ingestion by a software program through ‘computer vision.’ The usage of a particular method will depend on the data type and the exercise’s objective. A few common types are detailed here:

• Bounding boxes

The primary use of bounding boxes is identifying an object’s location and size. This is done by drawing a rectangle tightly around the object and ‘binding’ the object with the rectangular box. Thus, the box becomes the ‘bounding box.’ It is a two-dimensional representation easily identified by x and y coordinates.

• Lines and splines

As we all know, a line is a line when it comes to any service, even multilingual data annotations. But what is a spline? While there are perhaps more accurate, complex mathematical definitions, a spline is essentially a flexible (not straight, not circular, not curved, but just flexible) representation of a ‘best fit’ across multiple points. Lines and splines are used in lane detection and identification, which is helpful for autonomous vehicles, a rapidly evolving application of AI.

• Semantic segmentation

What does semantic segmentation mean for data annotation companies? This image annotation is done at a pixel level in an image. Each pixel in the frame is attributed to one and only one of the classes of objects that need to be identified based on the context. In a two-dimensional image, the attribution will only be to the object type visible and on top.

• Entity annotation

Entity annotation identifies named entities in textual data for a multilingual data annotation company. It has many applications in NLP (natural language processing), such as searching and summarising.

• 3D cuboids

This could be visualised as a Bounding Box but with a third dimension, depth. Driverless cars could be an example of using this annotation technique and multilingual data service. This is because an estimate of distance could be established. With the third dimension, estimating the volume of objects would also become possible.

• Polygonal segmentation

Using a Bounding Box as the primary object identifier, one could visualise the rectangular box evolving into a polygon, in other words, a multi-sided figure that closely fits the contours of the object identified much more than a Bounding Box would.

• Landmark and key-point

What are landmarks and critical points for a data annotation services company? The basic technique of image annotation involves creating a map of the image at hand by placing dots across it and assigning meaning based on the combinations and relativity created. This technique is used in applications like face recognition, interpretation of facial expressions, and land-use patterns (based on aerial images).

Multilingual Data Annotation Company: How do you choose the best support and services?

Choosing a partner for one’s data annotation work is an important step. In any B2B relationship, one partner’s performance impacts the other. The larger the volumes, the greater the stake, so companies carefully evaluate interested parties before taking on one of the many interested data annotation companies.

Below is a set of parameters outsourcers should use to separate suitable providers from unsuitable ones and select the most suitable ones.

What prior experience do they possess in data annotation services (multilingual or not)?

To be short, please select a pure player in data processing and data labelling services.

While it is not recommended that bidders without relevant prior experience be eliminated without consideration, prior experience providing the same or similar services can help the proposed engagement get off to a flying start. A BPO engagement has to necessarily go through an initial cycle of hiring, training, and ramping up before efficiency can be achieved.

For data annotation companies, taking on an inexperienced partner may fetch good value on other parameters like pricing. For the sake of earning experience in a new stream of work, the vendor may be willing to offer favourable rates as they know they will otherwise not stand a chance vis a vis other bidders. So, value prior experience, but don’t outright reject its absence.

Having successfully executed various data annotation projects for clients worldwide over the last 10 years, OWorkers is in a position to help your project get off to a quick start and reach optimum productivity within a defined timeframe.

Do they have the project management expertise for a smooth transition?

For any multilingual data annotation company, experience, quality, and accuracy only come into play if the transition from client to vendor ownership has been done effectively. Process parts often slip through the cracks during this ‘lift and shift’ operation from client to vendor. The skill of Transitioning under the overall umbrella of Project Management is an essential discipline in the armoury of BPO companies that needs to be deployed again and again each time they win new business.

Our philosophy is that for a client, the delivery experience starts as soon as the contract is signed. Hence, project management and transitioning are essential components that contribute to the OWorker’s expertise for a client. A key contributor to OWorkers, having transitioned and served hundreds of satisfied clients over ten years, has been our project management and transition discipline. And we are fine-tuning it with each new contract.

Will they be able to deliver the accuracy required for data labelling services?

Eventually, multilingual data annotation services for labelling are about quality and accuracy. There is a reason a piece of work needs to be done. It may create input for the following process. The following method requires it to be of a certain quality and accuracy. We can all guess that it’s likely that the GIGO (Garbage In, Garbage Out) principle takes over. If it needs doing, it needs to be done well, to the level specified based on the requirements of our process. If there is doubt on this aspect, it might be best to stop the conversation now and save everyone some time and heartache.

The challenge is that the quality or accuracy of a project can only be evaluated after it has been completed. This will only be done after we have assessed and awarded them the contract. So, how does one evaluate the potential to deliver?

What is an excellent way to establish a company’s commitment to data annotation? Existing client testimonials may be an excellent way to demonstrate commitment to quality. If they have done it for one or more clients, they value high-standard delivery and will maintain it for you.

We have consistently delivered at over 98% accuracy, which is higher than the level demanded by most clients. Our QC (Quality Control) and QA (Quality Assurance) processes and an independent QA team reporting directly to our project management keep our delivery teams on their toes and ensure that the quality achieved is better than the client’s expectations.

Can your multilingual data annotation company deliver fast solutions? 24X7? Overnight?

Speed is always important in business. Of course, not at the expense of quality. But a business wants everything: quality and speed. Speed allows you to do more faster. It gives you a competitive edge. A data annotation company doing work for you needs to fit into your scheme of things and deliver such that your process keeps moving at the optimum speed. Even if it takes time to establish a new method, it needs to be run efficiently once ramped up and running.

OWorkers data annotation services deliver fast, allowing our company to do more for you and earn more. We provide overnight on many of our contracts. Our centres are geared to operate 24×7. In addition, we have centres in three of the most desirable locations for BPO services; sometimes, cases provide a time difference with our clients that again facilitates overnight processing. The input we receive is processed and ready when the client starts work the following day.

Is the offered pricing competitive?

This is an essential feature of any commercial engagement, though it is recommended that it be evaluated. Other aspects have been. Pricing Shadows other equally important criteria, and decisions can be made solely based on the lowest price.

It must be highlighted that while a low price is always welcome to an outsourcer, an inordinately low number, way off other bidders, should ring alarm bells and not be accepted with open arms. 

When it comes to a multilingual data annotation company, the reason that low cost can be alarming is:

• The vendor is desperate for business at any cost
• The vendor is trying to prevent a competitor from getting the deal at any cost

The risk for you is that if the deal is financially unsustainable for the vendor, they will either withdraw at some stage or cut corners, leading to quality issues.

At OWorkers, with our nearshore and offshore centres, you have the potential to save up to 80% on your cost, as confirmed by several of our existing clients. This can translate to up to 3 USD per hour for scale on non-related language high-volume projects. Our pricing is transparent, so we offer you a choice of dollars per unit of time or unit of work. You choose.

Will they support the multilingual delivery of data annotation services?

Data annotation companies offering services and support ought to be aware that our world is more global and connected today than ever before. One direct consequence is that companies doing business globally must provide services in many languages and different cultures. 

Whether you are already global or aspire to go international, all businesses are trying to expand and either become global or become more global. When you take on a partner, it would be best to take on one who can support you irrespective of your work region. This means a data annotation company that can provide services in many languages and awareness of cultural sensitivities.

Our language capability is available when you outsource data annotation services to us. OWorkers currently supports more than 25 common languages across our three global centres for a wide variety of data, video, and image annotation services and is willing to add more if a specific requirement arises.

Does the multilingual data annotation company use current technology? Is our data secure with them?

What makes current technology vital in data annotation? Technology is the backbone of most BPO processes. Data annotation is a requirement because, again, technology is artificial Intelligence. The vendor should be able to demonstrate a commitment to leveraging the power of advanced technologies to facilitate the task they seek to take on.

Data security is closely linked to technology, as the data worked on is almost always in digital format, which is shared across networks and devices to move the process forward. Some use automated data annotation.

Through its partnership with leading providers of data annotation tools, OWorkers leverages the best technology solutions for client projects. We are ISO (27001 and 9001) certified, and our employees sign and operate under an NDA and work with strict security protocols. We also offer physical segregation of client processes, where required.

Flexibility and scalability matter. Can they hire the correct numbers when needed? Can they handle spikes?

Along with technology, people (or human resources) are the essential prerequisites for all data annotation companies and services. After all, human intelligence will create the training data sets that will be used to train machines. The partner needs to be able to hire the right resources at the right price, as and when required by the business, which means occasionally scaling up and down to meet seasonality and other spikes.

OWorkers can ramp up and down quickly—precisely, up to a hundred headcounts in 48 hours for basic image annotation. Our deep connections with the local communities and our position as a leading employer give us access to a perennial supply of interested candidates seeking jobs. It helps that we are known to hire people and not use them as contractors or freelancers. This also gives us flexibility in deployment. Most of them have already been trained to deliver quality.

Is the company’s financial health conducive to continuity and data annotation support?

If a multilingual data annotation company’s financials present a less-than-robust picture, there could be a tendency to take shortcuts in delivery, which could adversely impact client deliverables. Adverse financials may also force the vendor to make hard decisions like closing down parts or all of the business, which means you will need to go through the vendor identification process again.

OWorkers is registered locally in all its global centres and has been a consistently profitable enterprise. It also pays local and social taxes for its employees and is deeply rooted in the communities it operates in.

Is the management committed to our business?

What is quality management for multilingual data annotation services? Eventually, the leadership of the data annotation services company will decide how important each contract and each relationship is for them. While there are no clear parameters to establish this, it is hoped that an outsourcer’s leadership team will have the foresight to judge this during the several interactions they are likely to have with the partner’s leadership team to form an opinion.

The OWorkers Advantage In Short for Annotate Data

In short, OWorkers is an honest specialist company in multilingual data annotation solutions and processing data, recognized in the industry and for whom GDPR compliance is a requirement, not a choice. Our delivery centres are in 3 global locations, providing the benefit of business contingency in times of need. We have been a trusted partner of several UNICORNs over the years. We can work 24X7, and our prices are highly competitive. To finish, our company offers data annotation services that strive to create positive social and economic change through employment in underserved communities. By working with us, you help bring motivated individuals into the global digital economy.