DeepL

History

DeepL was originally founded in 2009 in Cologne, Germany as Linguee, an online dictionary. The translating system was first developed within Linguee by a team led by Chief Technology Officer Jarosław Kutyłowski in 2016. It was launched as DeepL Translator on 28 August 2017. DeepL was founded in 2017 by CEO Jaroslaw (Jarek) Kutylowski. DeepL was founded in 2009. DeepL is headquartered in Cologne, Germany. DeepL has 1,535 total employees.

The company has grown rapidly from its origins as a translation search engine. Today DeepL has over 1,000 passionate employees and is supported by world-renowned investors including Benchmark, IVP and Index Ventures.

Mission

DeepL is on a mission to break down language barriers for businesses everywhere. The company aims to enable seamless communication across languages through cutting-edge artificial intelligence solutions.

Vision

Our mission is to bring AI products of the future to everyone, right now. DeepL envisions a world where language barriers no longer impede global communication and business collaboration.

Values

DeepL prioritizes:

• Quality and Accuracy: Delivering superior translation quality through specialized AI models
• Data Security: Enterprise-grade security with features like Bring Your Own Key encryption
• Innovation: Continuous advancement in language AI technology
• User Focus: Designing solutions that meet real business needs

Products and Services

Core Products

1. DeepL Translator

   • Kind: AI-powered translation service
   • Website: https://www.deepl.com/translator
   • Description: DeepL Translator is a neural machine translation service that uses convolutional neural networks and an English pivot. As of May 2025, the translation service supports 33 languages.

2. DeepL Write

   • Kind: AI writing assistant
   • Website: https://www.deepl.com/write
   • Description: In November 2022, DeepL launched a tool to improve monolingual texts in English and German, called DeepL Write. In the summer of 2024, DeepL announced the availability of two more languages in DeepL Write: French and Spanish. By January 2024, DeepL had added Portuguese (European and Brazilian) and Italian.

3. DeepL API

   • Kind: Developer integration platform
   • Website: https://www.deepl.com/pro/api
   • Description: Allows developers to integrate DeepL's translation capabilities into their applications and workflows

4. Browser Extensions & Desktop Apps

   • Kind: Productivity tools
   • Website: https://www.deepl.com/app
   • Description: Chrome, Edge, Firefox extensions and desktop applications for seamless translation

5. DeepL Pro

   • Kind: Enterprise translation platform
   • Website: https://www.deepl.com/pro
   • Description: Advanced features for businesses including document translation, enhanced security, and collaboration tools

Software Development Focus

Clarify Feature: Earlier this month, the company launched Clarify – an interactive feature that resolves ambiguities and provides more precise control over translations.

API Integration: The DeepL API enables software developers to integrate high-quality translation directly into their applications, supporting continuous localization workflows and global software development.

Latest Technologies and Trends (2025)

Advanced AI Models

Unlike general-purpose AI, DeepL's platform is powered by specialized AI models finely tuned for language, reducing the risk of hallucinations and misinformation while delivering more precise translations.

Performance Leadership

2024 blind tests found that DeepL translations powered by its next-generation LLM consistently outperformed competitors, with Google Translate requiring twice as many edits and ChatGPT-4 needing three times as many edits to achieve the same quality.

Voice Translation

Over the last year, DeepL also introduced its first-ever live voice translation solution.

Market Recognition

DeepL has been named to Fast Company's prestigious list of the World's Most Innovative Companies of 2025.

Enterprise Growth

Over 200,000 businesses and governments and millions of individuals across 228 global markets trust DeepL's Language AI platform. DeepL has become the preferred Language AI platform for businesses worldwide, with 50% of the Fortune 500 as customers.

Funding and Expansion

DeepL raised $300M of new investment at a $2B valuation and expanded its US footprint with the opening of its first US tech hub in New York City.

Key Technologies

• Specialized Language AI Models: Purpose-built for translation tasks
• Neural Machine Translation: Using convolutional neural networks
• Real-time Processing: Streaming translation capabilities
• Enterprise Security: Advanced encryption and compliance features
• Multi-modal Support: Text, voice, and document translation
• API Integration: Robust developer tools and integrations