In order to provide an excellent customer experience, businesses need to employ a variety of strategies – and offering translation services to your customers is one of them.

By translating all interactions into the customer’s native language, businesses can ensure that they are providing an accurate and authentic representation of their brand. This not only builds trust with customers, but it also helps to create long-lasting relationships. Here are fifteen ways a professional translation service can boost the customer experience.

1. Meet customer preferences

A customer’s preference for their native language is often a deciding factor in whether or not they will do business with a company. In today’s global economy, it is more important than ever for businesses to offer customer service in multiple languages. In fact, a study by CSA Research found that 76% of consumers say they would be more likely to buy a product with information in their own language, and 40% will never buy from websites in other languages. It is therefore essential to invest time in complying with your customers’ language preferences.

2. Make deeper customer relationships

Good customer service is the key to any successful business. It’s important to be able to understand what your customer wants and needs, and then be able to provide them with the products or services that they’re looking for. However, if you’re not able to communicate with your customer directly, it can be difficult to build those essential customer relationships. This is where translation comes in. By being able to translate customer needs into a language that you can understand, you can more easily build strong customer relationships. In addition, being able to communicate in your customer’s native language shows that you’re invested in providing them with the best possible experience. As a result, translation can be a powerful tool for deepening customer relationships.

3. Reduce misunderstandings

Language barriers can create misunderstandings that lead to customer frustration. In customer service, for example, a lack of communication can lead to miscommunication about an issue, leading to a longer resolution time. By ensuring that all communications are translated, companies can avoid misunderstandings that could lead to customer confusion or even legal issues. Language translation is a valuable tool that can help companies to avoid misunderstandings and provide a higher level of customer service.

4. Improve customer satisfaction

By providing translation services, businesses can ensure that their customer service is effective and efficient, no matter what language the customer speaks. This in turn leads to improved customer satisfaction and a better overall customer experience. In today’s global market, providing multilingual support is essential way to improve customer satisfaction.

5. Enhance your global reach

As the world becomes increasingly globalized, businesses are looking for ways to expand their reach and better serve their customers. One way to do this is by offering customer service in multiple languages. However, simply translating your customer service materials into different languages is not enough. To truly provide an excellent customer service experience, you need to use professional translators who are familiar with the nuances of the target language. These translators will not only ensure that your customer service materials are accurately translated, but they will also be able to adapt them to the cultural context of the target audience. As a result, using professional translation services can help you to enhance your global reach and better serve your customers.

6. Create a competitive edge

Customer service is one of the main ways that companies can create a competitive edge. And when it comes to customer service, nothing beats being able to speak to a customer in their own language. Translation into your customers’ language can help companies close the communication gap and gain a valuable advantage over their competitors. Whether it’s customer support, marketing, or sales, speaking the customer’s language can make all the difference. So, if you’re looking to create a competitive edge, don’t overlook the power of translation. It could be the key to success in today’s market.

7. Boost sales

Translating your sales message can help to bridge the communication gap, ensuring that customers can understand your message and feel confident about your products or services. Good translation can also boost sales by making it easier for customers from different language backgrounds to purchase your products and increase sales.

8. Give better support

It is important to provide customer support that is responsive and helpful, no matter what language the customer speaks. Translation services can be used to translate customer-facing materials such as FAQs, product manuals and how-to guides. By making sure that customer support is available in multiple languages, businesses can show their commitment to providing a positive customer experience.

9. Increase loyalty

Excellent customer service is essential for any business looking to build customer loyalty. But what happens when your customer base is spread across multiple countries and speak different languages? This is where translation comes in. By providing accurate translations, you can ensure that you are able to communicate effectively with customers in their own language. This level of customer service will help to build loyalty and trust, leading to repeat business and positive word-of-mouth marketing.

10. Provide video subtitling

In an increasingly interconnected world, the ability to communicate across languages is more important than ever. That’s why businesses are increasingly turning to video to reach a wider audience. Multilingual video subtitling allows businesses to provide customer service in multiple languages, translating subtitles in real-time. This not only helps to break down language barriers, but it also makes it possible to reach a global audience. As a result, businesses that make use of multilingual video subtitling are better able to compete in the global marketplace.

11. Avoid cultural sensitivities

In a globalized economy, it is more important than ever to be aware of cultural sensitivities. customer service agents who are not properly trained in cultural awareness can easily offend customers from other cultures. The same is true of translations. If a company wants to avoid offending its customers, it must take care to ensure that its translations are culturally sensitive. There are a few ways to ensure that translations are culturally sensitive. First, it is important to use native speakers of the target language. These speakers will be familiar with the nuances of the language and will be able to avoid potential pitfalls. Second, it is important to consult with experts on the target culture. These experts can help to identify any potential sensitivities and ensure that the translation is respectful of the target culture. Finally, it is important to proofread the translation carefully. This will help to catch any errors or potential offensive language. By taking these steps, companies can avoid cultural sensitivities in their translations and provide a better customer experience for all.

12. Provide localized websites

In today’s connected world, it is more important than ever for businesses to provide customer service in a variety of languages. However, simply translating a website into multiple languages is not always sufficient. For many customers, it is also important that the website be localized, or specifically tailored to their location. This may include providing local contact information, offering customer service in the local language, and accepting local currencies. Localizing a website can help to build trust with potential customers and encourage them to do business with your company. In addition, by providing customer service in a variety of languages, you can reach a wider customer base and improve your chances of doing business on a global scale.

13. Translate social media 

More and more businesses are using social media as a way to reach out to their customers, and this trend is only likely to continue. However, customer service through social media can be a challenge, particularly for businesses that operate in multiple countries. This is where translation comes in. By working with a professional translation service, businesses can ensure that their customer service team is equipped to handle inquiries from all over the world. In addition, translation can also help businesses to make the most of customer feedback on social channels by ensuring that positive reviews are seen by potential customers in their own language. Ultimately, translating social media for customer service can help businesses to attract new customers and keep existing ones happy.

14. Boost search engine optimization (SEO)

In today’s global marketplace, it’s more important than ever to make sure your website is accessible to customers around the world. One way to do this is to provide translations of your content into multiple languages. This not only makes it easier for customers to find and use your site, but it also helps boost your Search Engine Optimization (SEO). When customers search for keywords in their own language, your site is more likely to show up if you have translations available. Providing translations is a great way to improve customer service and increase your chances of being found online.

15. Build trust

One of the most important aspects of customer service is building trust with your customers. After all, if they don’t trust you, they’re not likely to do business with you. One way to build trust is to make sure that your customer communications are clear and easy to understand. If your customers feel like they’re constantly being bombarded with jargon or incomprehensible instructions, they’re not going to stick around for long. By taking the time to translate your customer communications, you’ll send a strong message that you value their business and that you’re committed to providing them with the best possible experience.

Multilingual customer support

As we have discussed, translation can be a powerful tool when communicating with customers. Now let’s look at how our customer support agents can meet the needs of international clients.

While some customer service representatives are bilingual or even multilingual, others may not be. To reduce misunderstandings, CSRs should take the following steps:

• First, they should learn basic phrases in the customer’s language. This will help to build rapport and show that they are making an effort to understand the customer.

• Second, they should avoid using jargon or slang. These could easily be lost in translation, leading to confusion or frustration on the part of the customer.

• Finally, they should be patient and allow for extra time for the customer to explain their problem. rushing them will only make communication more difficult.

By taking these steps, customer service representatives can reduce misunderstandings and provide better service to their customers.

As you can see, providing translations can have a profound impact on the customer experience. If you’re not already translating your communications, now is the time to start. By incorporating them into your customer service strategy, you can boost satisfaction, loyalty, and sales.

Chatbots and virtual assistants are at the epicenter of the customer service revolution. So, what has caused the rapid takeover of chatbots? Aaron Schliem, Director of AI Enablement for Welocalize, explains.

Expectations have shifted. Brands need to demonstrate their value and support across the whole buyer journey, focusing more on the experience than the sale. And it’s clear that customers are open to these emerging technologies to help make that happen.

According to Servion, AI will power 95% of all customer interactions by 2025, thanks to the much more interactive and user-friendly customer support experience that chatbots offer. Salesforce found that 80% of customers say that their customer experience is just as important as the product or the service, PricewaterhouseCoopers found that one in three consumers indicated that they’ll walk away from a brand that they love if they have just one bad experience, and Replicant revealed that 80% of consumers indicated that they would prefer to talk to a virtual agent than to have a long wait time on the phone.

The main selling points for companies are that chatbots tend to be more cost-effective and efficient. Think about it this way, if you are running a 24-hour call center, you will need to find an office to rent, equipment for calls, and employees who can work throughout the day… And this can be incredibly pricey for most businesses.

The emergence of chatbots has got customer support workers worrying about their future. There’s a fear that these bots will take the place of humans for good. However, you need to look at this emergence of chatbots as an opportunity rather than an obstacle.

Humans and chatbots can work in tandem, and humans will still have a valuable role to play. For example, a more simplistic rule-based chatbot will be able to provide answers to straightforward questions. This allows human support agents to deal with more complex issues.

How is AI Transforming the Chatbot?  

By utilizing the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI), chatbots can be transformed from basic rule-based programs to systems that can manage a more conversational chat in real-time.

This has opened the door to new developments for the world of customer support, and these developments will hopefully lead to an improved customer experience.

Looking to the near future, the next generation of AI-powered chatbots will use new technologies that make them sound even more human.

We are seeing more and more developers use natural language processing (NLP) tools, as they can be used to further the bot’s understanding of a user’s intent, sentiment, and context. With this information, chatbots can accurately generate answers that are more sensitive to a variety of topics.

Chatbots programmed with NLP are a great option for businesses that need efficient and effective customer service solutions because they allow the user to feel as though they are chatting with a human.

What Exactly Is Machine Learning? 

Machine learning (ML) describes how a system, like a chatbot, retains information from inputs and interactions. The chatbot must rely on NLP to gain and use this new knowledge. As the chatbot continues to learn, it will be able to provide improved answers to queries.

For those of you who operate your business in multiple languages, your bots will need to be rigorously tested with high-quality training data. If the chatbot is programmed with machine learning, it will be able to manage multilingual semantics, grammar, and even market-specific cultural nuances.

What Is Speech Recognition? 

This is where conversational AI starts to feel more human. Virtual assistants, like Siri, Google Assistant, and Alexa are voice-based systems programmed with speech or voice recognition technology. These programs allow these virtual assistants to understand and respond to verbal cues.

It works by translating speech into text. Next, the virtual assistant uses this text to determine the intent behind the request, and then it will process a corresponding response. Finally, they will send the chosen text response to be converted into speech.

Four Benefits of Conversational AI Chatbots  

Now we’ve gone over the basics of conversational AI and chatbots, let’s take a look at some of the benefits of using them.

1. 24/7 Efficient Customer Service 

By using a chatbot, your customer service channels can be open every hour of the day. 24-hour customer service is vital to keeping your customers happy.

Today, customers want quick and efficient customer service. The thought of having to wait hours to solve an urgent problem or having to have the same conversation repeatedly with multiple humans to solve one problem can be incredibly frustrating… and can damage your reputation.

By using conversational AI, you are available for your customers whenever they need it!

2. Availability Across All Channels 

Customers now like to have the option of communicating with a brand across all media channels like Instagram, Facebook, or even WhatsApp. So, you need to be able to provide answers across all your channels, not just one or two.

Automating your customer service channels allows you to provide a more personalized service for your customers while remaining on-brand with your customer service delivery.

3. Stronger Personalization 

This is arguably one of the best benefits of conversational AI chatbots. By utilizing this technology, you’ll be able to personalize your services to each customer’s needs. It’s details like this that will get you noticed ahead of your competitors for all the right reasons.

Chatbots allow you to deliver the most accurate answers in a relatable way. Remember, the more personalized your service, the greater your chances of turning your prospects into loyal customers.

4. Expand Your Global Reach

How can customers get the support they need, if the customer service is in a language they don’t understand? Don’t miss out on meaningful customer engagement because of language barriers. CSA Research found that 75% of consumers surveyed in 29 countries said they are more likely to purchase the same brand again if the after-sales care is in their language.

Making your chatbots available in different languages, allows your customer support to have greater reach and influence, and ‘speak’ with customers all over the world. By implementing a multilingual chatbot that meets the local language and cultural expectations, brands can build a stronger connection and trust with customers.

In Conclusion

Even though chatbots have evolved exponentially over the past few years, we still need humans to assist to provide stellar customer service.

And while AI-powered chatbots can reduce the cost and effort of running a call center, you still need human support to solve complex problems. So, you must cement your role in the evolution of the conversational AI chatbot rather than fight against it.

For more information, read “The Power of Localization and AI in Customer Support and Online Help.”

About the Author

Aaron Schliem, is Director of AI Enablement for Welocalize. Welocalize accelerates the global business journey by enabling brands and companies to reach, engage, and grow international audiences. Welocalize delivers multilingual content transformation services in translation, localization, and adaptation for over 250 languages with a growing network of over 250,000 in-country linguistic resources.

Driving innovation in language services, Welocalize delivers high-quality training data solutions for NLP-enabled machine learning by blending technology and human intelligence to collect, annotate, and evaluate all content types. Our people work across offices in North America, Europe, and Asia serving our global clients in the markets that matter to them.

When we surveyed over 1,000 decision-makers at global mid-market and enterprise organizations, more than 90% of them said Language Operations (LangOps) could be very or extremely important for their global market strategy. That’s because, with LangOps, AI-powered translation technology gives organizations complete control over every aspect of language in order to streamline operations and drive business growth.

But how do companies plan to measure the value of LangOps? What metrics will they look at to gauge impact? How might it increase cost efficiencies and drive revenue?

Here are three areas that organizations often evaluate to determine the success of LangOps.

The need for high translation quality remains constant

When looking to evaluate a LangOps platform for purchase, 46% of the decision-makers we surveyed said that translation quality would be the most important factor to consider. But what does good or acceptable translation quality look like to organizations today? According to our survey audience, the top five indicators are:

• Translated content correctly conveys the meaning of the original text (38%)
• Proper communication of the company’s brand standards (37%)
• Words and expressions resonate with the target audience (35%)
• Correct usage of industry terminology (32%)
• Follows guidelines for dates, addresses, and measurements (30%)

These needs are aligned with LangOps’ ability to help organizations rapidly scale without having to compromise on translation quality. LangOps teams use technology — AI that automates and enables near real-time translation and quality estimation — along with a community of editors to ensure optimum quality outputs and help train their language translation engine over time.

Interestingly, enhancing translation quality was also the number one improvement our survey respondents said they would like to make to their current translation and localization efforts. High degree of translation quality was especially important to departments like customer service, BizOps/digital transformation, and IT/tech support.

Because many organizations’ localization efforts rely on translating content and communications piece by piece, ensuring high translation quality can be a difficult and manual process — often without a single owner or strategy to tie it all together.

Imagine how jarring it would be to browse a website with well-translated on-page content, but then you open up a chat session to ask a question about a product and the responses you receive don’t make any sense. LangOps solves this issue by taking a holistic approach to driving and maintaining high translation quality at scale.

Operational and customer-centric KPIs are a top priority

When asked what ROI metrics or KPI improvements would be most valuable in making a decision to purchase a LangOps platform, one-third of our survey audience reported they would like to see an increase in customer retention and/or customer satisfaction.

These tie into the “KPIs of language” that we’ve been examining this year, including operational metrics such as

• Average response time
• First contact resolution rate
• Cost per contact

And also customer-centric metrics like

• Customer satisfaction score (CSAT)
• Net promoter score (NPS)
• Customer effort score (CES)

With a dashboard such as the Unbabel Portal, organizations can monitor their KPIs in one place without having to switch back and forth between different analytics and reports. This allows teams to make better decisions about how to increase customer service agent productivity and reduce turnover rates, while also working to boost customer retention and satisfaction through filtering data by geography, language, service line, channel, and more.

Let’s say a company with fluctuating seasonal demand notices that customers in Mexico are satisfied with their Spanish language support, yet customers in Spain are not. Their LangOps team could examine the metrics to determine the reason for the disparity (i.e. using a more casual tone that Latino consumers view as friendly but Spanish citizens think is rude). From there, the customer service team can make the necessary adjustments.

Here are a few examples of KPI improvements that our customers have achieved through the Unbabel LangOps platform:

• 5% increase in CSAT scores (Skyscanner)
• 42% reduction in turnaround time for email support (TomTom)
• 91% cost savings compared to staffing native speakers (Tile)
• 100% increase in overall service level performance (Panasonic)

Language is a gateway into new markets — and new revenue  

Many mid-market and enterprise companies have leveraged AI-powered, human-refined machine translation to expand their global reach and access new markets. Relatedly, our survey found that the top catalysts for earmarking a LangOps platform as a priority budget item are entry into a new foreign market (49%) and increase in demand in non-English speaking countries (44%). Furthermore, approximately one in four decision-makers said that language/cultural barriers are the biggest roadblock to expanding their business in new geographical markets.

Following increased customer retention (33%) and customer satisfaction (32%), our survey respondents said that new revenue generation (31%) through global expansion would be a top KPI improvement to take into account when evaluating a LangOps platform. Ultimately, many executives and decision-makers want to make sure that investment in new technology will have a positive impact on their company’s bottom line.

After learning that a centralized LangOps platform can improve KPIs at a fraction of the cost of a native-speaking team, 90% of our survey audience said they believe it could save money in the long-term vs. traditional translation services. These substantial cost savings can help organizations increase profit margins on their revenue. Over time, LangOps can even open up new revenue streams.

Providing multilingual support through LangOps is a time-tested way to build customer loyalty across the globe while driving more referrals, repeat business, and brand trust among your target audience.

Unpacking the value of LangOps

From improving translation quality and language-related KPIs to its ability to help generate new sources of revenue, there are many ways that LangOps can provide value for companies today. To find out more about the factors that decision-makers at mid-market and enterprise organizations consider when pursuing a LangOps solution, download our latest guide, Going Global with Customer Support: How and When to Build and Execute a Language Operations Strategy.

Customers want to feel like they are being heard. They want their concerns and questions addressed with care and understanding, not dismissed or ignored. This is why speaking your customers’ language is paramount in customer service.

In this article, we will look at 8 reasons why it’s important to speak your customers’ language – from the importance of empathy to the benefits of a multilingual workforce.

Build More Empathy

The number one thing that all customers want is to feel like they are being heard. When you speak your customers’ language, you are putting yourself in their shoes and making them feel like they matter. This is especially important if the customer has a problem with your product or service. When you speak your customer’s language you build empathy which will make them feel like you care about their concerns and issues.

Simplify Product Discovery

When someone can’t understand your product description, they are unlikely to purchase it. When you simplify the language that is used in your products or services it will increase customer engagement and conversion rates because potential customers can easily find what they are looking for. Customers who have a difficult time understanding information about your brand cannot engage with it so simplifying and utilizing a language translation service will help you to increase customer engagement and product discovery.

Fast Track Customer Acquisition

If you want to break into new markets then speaking your customers’ language is a must. When you speak the native tongue of foreign markets, it will make it easier for them to understand what you are offering and want to purchase from you. While your competitors are fighting over who can speak English better, you will be speaking the language of your customers which allows for faster acquisition because you have entered an entirely new marketplace.

Strengthen Customer Retention

Customer retention is hard and it all starts with speaking your customers’ language. Customers who feel like they matter will be more likely to purchase again from you because of the strong bond that has been built between them and your brand. Speaking their native languages also makes international markets easier to retain.

Maximize Customer Training

When you educate your customers on your product or service you are strengthening their understanding of what you have to offer. This can be done through speaking the customer’s language because it is easier for them to comprehend when they hear information about your products in their native tongue. You will be able to get the customer up to purchase faster when they understand your products or services because you are speaking their language.

Increase Employee Satisfaction

One of the secrets to customer satisfaction is to keep your employees happy. When you utilize a multilingual workforce, it will make your employees happier because they are able to interact with customers in their native languages. This satisfaction can translate into better customer service and that is what you need if you want to improve the overall customer experience. Don’t overlook the importance of speaking your employees’ language in addition to your customers’ language.

Improve Customer Experience

Your customer is on a journey. They are looking to purchase something that they will be satisfied with. Speaking your customer’s language is paramount in ensuring this happens because it gives them a better overall experience and makes the entire process easier for them as well as you – which leads to satisfaction. Anything that you can do to make this journey easier will result in more conversions and satisfied customers.

Knowledge is Power

Customer satisfaction all starts with knowledge. When you are providing your customers with information that they can understand, you are empowering them with the ability to make an educated decision about whether or not this is a product or service that will meet their needs and wants – which increases conversions. Providing information in different languages allows for more people to be aware of your product or service and what it can do for them. Make sure that you are using language translation services to ensure that the most people possible will be educated about what you have to offer.

In Conclusion

If you want to increase customer satisfaction, conversions, and overall experience then you need to speak the language of your customers. If your business wants to grow – taking advantage of speaking multiple languages is a must because it will allow for more people in foreign markets to understand what you are offering which means increased sales. Don’t be like your competitors and think that speaking English is enough – because it isn’t. Boost customer satisfaction and conversions by using language translation services to speak the customers’ languages, not just yours!

We’ve been working hard to change the future of language and its impact on your business. We’re now introducing a new technology category: LangOps.

Whether you’re aspiring to take your business to a global audience or planning to increase demand for your product in a new region, you know you need to communicate with your customers in their native language. However, some of the best-run businesses think of language as a barrier.

To drill deeper into language issues businesses face every day and possible solutions, we surveyed 1000+ business decision makers in mid-market and enterprise organizations across several industries and functions. We were proven right: In the 2021 Unbabel LangOps Survey, nearly a quarter of global business decision makers ranked language and cultural differences among their top five growth blockers, along with the prohibitive costs.

Not only that, the survey results also supported our vision for the future of language in businesses. At Unbabel, we believe that language is a growth driver: Language, when used correctly, can accelerate international expansion and increase customer satisfaction and brand awareness. To achieve this, you need the right strategy and platform.

Announcing a new market category: Language Operations (LangOps)

We know that, when expanding to capture new markets, businesses face several challenges in managing languages: the tremendous cost of adding new languages (say 44%), the lack of a clear single owner (36%), and the disconnected, decentralized process of incorporating new languages (36%). We’re thrilled to introduce a new discipline to solve these major challenges.

Language Operations (LangOps) is a holistic approach that enables organizations to leverage people, processes, and technology to enable multilingual communication.

If you look around your organization, you can probably see at least three different approaches to multilingual communication. Maybe sales hires native speakers who need to be in the field. Product needs localization. Marketing is looking to translate parts of the website, piece by piece, with freelancers. Customer service is testing out machine translation to find the right fit. And each of these teams individually owns their piece of translation, so there’s no holistic view on what languages are working for you, where you should head next, and how you can streamline all these operations and bring more efficiency.

Traditional solutions, like language service providers and translation management tools, have been just enough to meet requirements. However, these approaches have not been enabling companies to go global. In our survey, decision makers specified that their current localization function falls short in quality (34%), speed (32%), and consistency (30%). And with the power of AI and a global community of editors, we want to think beyond the status quo.

Benefiting from a centralized LangOps function

With LangOps, we want to eliminate the disconnect and friction in the existing system by introducing a single, accountable owner: a LangOps manager or team. This can even be your existing localization professionals — all they’d need is to use an AI-powered LangOps platform like Unbabel. A LangOps platform offers customers a single dashboard with key language analytics providing comprehensive insights for all critical business functions, augmented machine translation tools and workflows enabling collaboration and optimization, and seamless integrations and APIs that plug into existing systems to incorporate translations into different communication channels.

By unifying all the translation and localization efforts across an organization, LangOps helps businesses scale into new markets quickly, add and manage languages efficiently and cost-effectively, and produce consistently high-quality translations at every touchpoint. It gives a business complete transparency and control over all the aspects of language in their organization.

Here’s what decision makers from globally operating organizations had to say about LangOps.

• LangOps would save money. More than 90% of those surveyed agree a centralized LangOps platform could be a cost-effective solution to do more with less.
• Centralized LangOps is valuable. More than 86% believe that a centralized LangOps team managing all the translation and localization efforts in their organization could be extremely or very valuable.
• LangOps is important for global market strategy. More than 90% of respondents agree that LangOps could be extremely or very important for their organizations’ global market strategy.
• The market feels confident about rapid adoption. More than half (52%) of respondents are so enthusiastic about LangOps that they would like to get a LangOps solution implemented within five or six months.

LangOps, the next stage

For years, we’ve been building tools and integrations at Unbabel that would help customer support teams excel using their existing workflows, in any language. And now, we’re uniquely positioned to spearhead the LangOps category in which AI-powered, human-refined machine translation technology serves as the centerpiece to power an entire organization’s language strategy. We can’t wait to share more innovation in this space.

With this new discipline, we’re ready to bring localization to the next level and help your business gain complete understanding of what language can do for their growth. Learn more.

About the Author

Sophie Vu is Chief Marketing Officer at Unbabel. Unbabel helps customer support teams communicate with customers around the world, no matter what language they speak.

Artificial intelligence and machine learning (ML) continue to get a lot of hype. While successful AI use cases have arisen, most businesses still struggle to find the best ways to introduce automation with AI. In the case of language translation, a hybrid human-machine translation approach can help businesses address their customers’ needs in more personalized, regional or dialect-specific ways.

Multilingual customer service demands conversations that feel authentic. Human translators can review AI-enabled translations to provide that essential human touch that is still so critical to an optimal customer experience. They can also help navigate language nuances, ensuring a natural flow to conversations with accurate responses that reflect the local dialect. Through this combination of AI and human translation, customer satisfaction and brand loyalty improve when brands are perceived as authentic, which is vital for companies to grow and thrive.

Opportunities abound

Opportunities for translators who provide this essential service are plentiful and span a wide array of professions. According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of interpreters and translators is projected to grow by 20 percent by 2029. At Unbabel, many translators can work a side job to earn extra income. Pursuing a “side hustle” is an ongoing trend for young adults that can have a lasting impact on their lives especially as we are transitioning out of a pandemic.

As we know, AI and ML capabilities have progressed at a rapid pace. Much like humans, machines are still learning and need human feedback to improve. Unbabel translators use a pragmatic approach to correct machine learning translations and, in turn, provide crucial contributions to the AI community at-large. The human feedback helps to improve AI’s algorithms. Different roles have  emerged to meet the demands of ML translation. For instance, human agents could help the AI learn updates in local dialects like Brazilian-Portuguese. These could be sent to a gaming company’s customer and, in the meantime, agents and work with an AI translation solution to apply these fixes to help the algorithm “learn” from mistakes in real time. This all contributes to these responses becoming as accurate and personalized as possible.

Translators can improve machine translation quality

Translators also have the opportunity to contribute by participating in AI translation research, often through open source projects. The updates of words and phrases created by the algorithm are shared with the community for further improvements. These translators  care about what Unbabel is doing because it helps their customers and the broader AI community.

AI has brought about new online communities within which translators can connect and collaborate. Particularly in a time when remote work has been so prominent and many employees are confined to their own homes. The Unbabel community of translators is a great example. Translators can learn from one another, laugh about the machines’ mistakes, and share learned experiences, along with challenges and successes in the spirit of improving together, just as they might do in-person at the office but remotely. Feedback from customers is also more readily shared to improve upon work and build new friendships.

In the future, translators and machines will become more copesthetic and will continue to evolve. Unbabel plays a vital role in the movement and remains at the forefront. We open new opportunities for freelance translators, encourage sharing insights with the broader community, and unite people in new and exciting ways.

Check out our blog to learn more about Unbabel’s innovative hybrid approach to multilingual translation shaping the way businesses do customer service.

About the Author

Camila Pohlmann is Head of Community Ops at Unbabel. Since 2017, Camila been leading the Community operations at  Unbabel. Our Community is a group of thousands of linguists, translators, language professionals, and dilettantes that ensure that the translations we deliver have the quality our customers expect.

Working from all across the world on our platform, they are the true power that Unbabel skilfully combines with proprietary world-class AI. Unbabel has raised $91M in funding and has over 200 employees across its Lisbon headquarters and offices in San Francisco, New York, and Pittsburgh. Leading brands like Facebook, Microsoft, Booking.com, and easyJet use Unbabel to make their customers happier and their support operations vastly more efficient.