Here at MultiLingual Media, meetings with non-native English speakers, some more proficient than others, are a regular workweek occurrence. Given the language barriers, the occasional miscommunication is inevitable, and undoubtedly, many would prefer to speak their native language — not the language of business. If only it were possible.
Not so fast. It is possible, thanks to new technology crafted by vidby. Real-time translation is a reality with their new service, MeetUp.
But why real-time meeting translation? What does it bring to the table that other communication methods leave behind? Well, for those conducting business in foreign markets, four out of five professionals worry about not understanding the local language. They understand that miscommunication has consequences, sometimes small but all too often major. Miscommunication costs time and money, not to mention a whole truckload of unnecessary stress. You don’t need to explain it to us — we’ve been there.
But there’s also the simple reality that people aren’t truly themselves unless they speak their mother tongue. It makes them more comfortable, opens up their personality, and makes meaningful connections easier. Comfortable, personable, authentic people are the kind of people who get business done.
That said, a few stubborn problems have historically plagued real-time meeting translation. Most systems use smartphones, which can have poor voice recognition since their directional microphones only pick up high-quality sound from a single person, not a group. That requires either shouting or passing the phone to get an effective translation, and who needs that when the conversation is the focus of attention?
MeetUp gets around the technical problems by allowing each participant to use their own phone. But the best part (at least from our point of view), is that only one person needs to have the app installed and ready to go. Thanks to a unique QR code generation feature, the other parties simply scan the code and start talking. No installation required!
That means voice recognition is second to none since every person can use their own phone to speak. And since there’s no limit to the number of who can use MeetUp, there’s no need to sweat the large meetings or worry about limiting participants. The translation quality and audio output are both controllable. And enhanced security is another major benefit since personal devices protect against virus transmission.
Whether it’s conference translation, live captioning, business meeting translation, or event translation, MeetUp has you covered. Hotels, healthcare providers, restaurants, retail, airports, taxi and rideshare drivers, and migration and consulting centers especially have something to gain from the technology. And hey, might as well add media companies to the list, as we can attest.
Give MeetUp a try today if you aren’t convinced. Chances are, your clients’ faces, when allowed to speak their native language, will be all the convincing you need.
