The language barrier has long been an impediment to service-oriented industries. Learn how Aiello’s AI-powered products can address this problem.
When most people discuss problems that artificial intelligence (AI) can potentially solve, they rarely mention the language barrier. But it is indeed a universal problem in the global economy, especially for workers in service-oriented industries.
For example, if a hotel concierge receives an international tourist who can only speak in their vernacular, the employee may not be able to understand him. The two may have to communicate via pantomiming, which may result in misunderstandings.
Similarly, if a doctor needs to consult with a world-class specialist in another country to best address a unique patient’s case, he will have to first translate his case notes. To do so, he would have to source a translator from an online site, negotiate with him, and then wait for the transcript - a process which takes focus away from his patient.
Fortunately, AI can help address pain points like these. In fact, Aiello offers several AI-powered products that break down the language barrier, so professionals in the service industry can communicate with their customers and their peers much more seamlessly.
The language barrier emerges frequently in the hospitality industry. Tourists travel to countries where other languages are spoken, and they naturally have many questions about the hotel or the surrounding community. They most often must get by with hand gestures or the use of a shared second language like English, both of which may result in miscommunication.
To solve this problem, Aiello has Aiello Voice Assistant (AVA), a guest-facing device powered with AI software. After entering their hotel room and approaching the device, guests can choose their preferred language from several options, including English, Chinese, Japanese, and Thai.
Upon making the selection, AVA will issue a welcome greeting in that language. Guests can now use a wake-up word, such as “Hello AI” for English users, to prompt AVA to attention. From there, they can issue commands to make use of its various functionalities, which include everything from setting an alarm clock to playing music.
Much more crucially, these guests can now pose questions about the hotel or the surrounding area to AVA and get answers in their preferred language. This ability owes itself to AVA’s knowledge graph database, which was customized by the hotel. The result is that guest-facing staff, such as the receptionist, are spared from having to struggle through the language barrier. Guests instead get answers on-demand in their preferred language, which is the best customer service of all.
The language barrier does not only apply to interactions between service providers and customers. It can be equally problematic for service providers who need to collaborate with one another as part of service delivery to a client.
This issue is especially evident in healthcare, where the specialized nature of treatment may often require doctors to collaborate across borders. In the past, doctors had to translate their case notes and other documentation for their collaborators, a process which represents a significant opportunity cost in terms of patient care.
Vocol.ai, an AI voice collaboration platform by Aiello, also addresses this problem. Let’s say an English-speaking oncologist in Hong Kong needs to speak with a leading expert in Japan about a patient’s rare cancer. Using Vocol.ai, the oncologist can translate his meeting transcription with the patient into Japanese, which is one of 25+ languages that the solution supports.
This translation aids communication between the two parties, so that they can ultimately deliver the best medical care for the doctor’s patient.
When interacting with clients, it may be easier to code-switch into a shared first language to better explain a concept. Unfortunately, decorum prevents many professionals from doing so. Knowing that the meeting is recorded by transcription software, they refrain. They know that the software only works well in English and will result in funny translations for non-English languages.
Fortunately, this is not the case with Vocol.ai. For example, a consultant working in Singapore can switch from English to Mandarin to explain a concept that works better in his native tongue. Unlike other transcription software, Vocol.ai auto-detects the language and transcribes this part of the dialogue accurately. Much more importantly, the client can better understand what the consultant wants to say.
This feature is ideal for Asia Pacific, where code-switching between English and the vernacular is prevalent. It is also ideal for any service-oriented knowledge work, such as consulting, advertising, market research, and more. Vocol.ai reflects the multilingual landscape of the region, so service providers and their clients can best interact.
In the end, the term “language barrier” is appropriate: It can be overcome. In the past, service providers may have had to do so by hiring a translator, or even learning another language. Now it can be done with technology.
Aiello’s suite of AI-powered products, which includes AVA and Vocol.ai, is an appropriate start. Businesses in hospitality can provide AVA to customers so they can self-service their queries in their preferred language. Vocol.ai can also facilitate collaboration by auto-detecting different languages during code-switching and offering transcript translation into 25-plus languages. With these solutions, providers can hop right over the language barrier and get to the heart of the matter.
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