Roundtable: Meeting multilingual demands with AI technology

In the ever-expanding landscape of global business, companies worldwide need to communicate in multiple languages. Multinational corporations, startups eyeing international markets, and even local businesses with diverse audiences all share a common challenge: the need for effective multilingual communication.

In an interconnected world, understanding the nuances of human languages is not just a luxury but a strategic necessity. As companies strive to reach a global audience, the demand for accurate and culturally sensitive language translations becomes paramount. Enter artificial intelligence (AI) and natural language processing (NLP).

Generative AI systems offer real-time translations that enable companies to swiftly adapt their content to local markets. However, there's more than meets the eye when it comes to translation, and it's important to consider the preservation of cultural nuances, semantic accuracy, and the potential biases embedded in AI models.

In this roundtable discussion with our partners, we discuss the transformative potential of AI in delivering multilingual content as well as the considerations for harnessing it benefits without compromising the authenticity and integrity of the message.

So, let's dive in:

"How do you foresee artificial intelligence impacting the landscape of multilingual content in the future?"

Real-time translations

The first area that comes to mind is the generation of translations for real-time content. These kinds of tools already exist but are not perfect and I imagine we will see a drastic improvement in this area. Your DXP has channels offering live events or live streaming, and currently translations could be delayed by manual human translations. I think AI could be extremely useful here to offer accurate immediate real time translations for any language!  

Liam Goldfinch, Senior Systems Developer at NetConstruct
 

Easier to target the global market

Our current experience is that it can speed up and reduce the cost of the translation process, providing first-draft translations for many companies that otherwise might not be able to afford to run translations for multiple countries — meaning they stick to English as a universal language or only develop local-level content for a few key markets.  

Julian Reiter, CEO at Positive
 

Beware the black box of AI

Artificial Intelligence brings a lot to the table when it comes to the ratio of efficiency to clarity. In day-to-day use, it is and will be a complete gamechanger. However, the human touch to translating the more complicated, tech-related ideas and text is there to remain. At least for a while.

There are some parts of intercultural nuances that are difficult to grasp and adjust for, without being able to peer into the decision process. The so-called black box is one of the drawbacks to AI, making it less transparent in its content creation.  

Antonie Králová, Marketing & Event Specialist at BiQ Bluesoft a.s.

Human validation is important

In the same way that AI provides a major efficiency boost to content writing, it will dramatically reduce the cost of high-quality multilingual websites and marketing campaigns. Many companies that avoided multilingual content in the past will embrace the opportunity in the future.

However, it will continue to be important to validate AI-generated content and translations, to ensure the content is effective, adheres to brand voice, and isn’t offensive to the target culture. Xperience by Kentico will enable content teams to leverage AI effectively, by embracing best-of-breed AI platforms and integrating them with a modern DXP’s content management capabilities.  

Mike Wills, VP of Technology at BlueModus

The advancement of AI tools

I think the effect that AI will have on multilingual content will be profound. AI should be able to better understand the semantic meaning of the content, as in how it understands the semantics of different languages and how phrases are linked together. AI should aid in creating SEO-optimized content because of this better understanding. This will increase the visibility of multilingual content in search engines, driving more organic traffic.  

Brian McKeiver, Co-Owner at BizStream

Regional adaptation and signature 

Obviously, AI will enable you to automatically suggest translations for languages based on whatever content language you start with. That's like Google Translate functionality. It will add a regional signature to each language variant to really adapt that content to the region.  

Roel Kuik, Kentico Practice Lead at Aviva Solutions

AI translation: a balancing act

According to our panel, AI is set to become a key facilitator for businesses seeking to broaden their global footprint. By streamlining the translation process and keeping costs low, AI enables companies to embrace multilingual content strategies that were previously too costly or challenging. Real-time translation also helps to get messages across global assets quickly.

However, intricate intercultural nuances pose a challenge for AI tools, making human validation essential to ensure appropriate, inclusive, and impactful global digital experiences. The consensus seem to be that AI tools will improve to understand regional differences and include them in translations, which will positively impact their SEO.

As businesses increasingly turn to AI for multilingual content, finding the balance between efficiency and linguistic authenticity will become a central concern. The cost and speed implications, though potentially advantageous, should not overshadow the need for nuanced, human-like translations.