MotaWord

MotaWord is a cloud-based, collaborative translation and language operations platform headquartered in New York City, established in January 2014 by Evren Ay and Oytun Tez. It offers translation, localization, and proofreading products and services.

The image shows the MotaWord logo

History

MotaWord was founded in 2014 with the mission to make high-quality translation accessible at scale and at a lower cost. Evren Ay and Oytun Tez, the co-founders, envisioned a collaborative translation platform that would allow multiple translators to work together in real-time, maximizing both speed and accuracy. The company has since grown and had a chance to work with worldwide known companies such as Trading212, Iron Mountain, Sharp, Nielsen and others.

MotaWord is a collaborative translation platform developed to modernize and streamline traditional translation workflows. The concept originated from the challenges faced by its founder, Evren Ay, while managing Link Translations, a company providing translation and interpretation services for Fortune 1000 companies and the U.S. government. Observing the inefficiencies of conventional translation processes — characterized by slow, manual workflows — Ay envisioned a more automated and efficient system.

The initial prototype for MotaWord was called “L!NK,” designed to simplify client interactions through features like online quoting and collaborative translation capabilities. While L!NK did not progress beyond the design phase, it served as the foundation for what became MotaWord.

Evren Ay

Evren Ay is a business professional with a background in management. He studied at Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne and Baruch College of New York. Ay has held leadership roles in various organizations, including serving as Executive Director of the Federation of Turkish American Associations in the United States. Notably, he organized the “Turkish American Day Parade” in New York City for five consecutive years, attracting tens of thousands of participants. In addition to his work with MotaWord, Ay is a member of the Rotary Club in New York, a board member of the American Red Cross of Greater New York, and a Young Society Leader. He resides in both New York and Paris.

Oytun Tez

Oytun Tez is a linguist and software engineer with expertise in machine translation. He studied linguistics and wrote his thesis on machine translation while also gaining extensive experience in internationalization and localization projects. Before co-founding MotaWord, Tez worked on translation projects for leading global language service providers and direct clients. With a background in software development, he sought to enhance traditional translation workflows through technology. Tez is a board member of StartOut in New York and a co-founder of the Social Good Association in his home country. Outside his professional work, he is a published poet and digital artist.

Collaborative translation

The translation industry has traditionally been slower to adopt innovation compared to other sectors. While advancements such as Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) tools and machine translation have improved efficiency, they often introduced additional complexity to workflows. MotaWord sought to address these challenges by focusing on simplifying translation management and introducing a collaborative approach.

MotaWord's platform enables multiple translators to work on the same project simultaneously, incorporating real-time collaboration and oversight. This model allows for faster project completion and higher-quality translations compared to traditional methods. A proofreader is integrated into the workflow, ensuring the output is refined, consistent, and accurate.

Online Presence

MotaWord operates entirely through its website, www.motaword.com, where clients can submit projects and access translation services. The platform is widely used by companies seeking agile solutions for international communication and localization needs.