In the last couple of years, there have been significant advances in technologies that help connect different countries and break cultural barriers. However, real-time translation remains an issue. In 2017, Google officially launched their first attempt at real time translation with Google Pixel Buds.
Reviewing Google Pixel Buds for real estate:
When paired with your smartphone and Google Assistant, Pixel Buds can translate 40 languages in real-time. So how does this affect the real estate industry? Agents and brokers frequently encounter language barriers in dealing with customers, and miscommunication can lead to potentially disastrous mistakes.
Pixel Buds offer a clear benefit to real estate professionals, because it helps them prevent miscommunication and also broadens their potential client base.
So why haven’t more brokerages started using Pixel Buds?
Simply put, the technology isn’t quite there yet. Google Pixel Buds does not take into account cultural cues that would affect how people interact with each other in different countries. A.I. learning will definitely need to be improved before real-time translations can compete with human translators.
See for yourself:
What’s next for real-time translation?
A wave of competitors, such as Waverly Labs and their Pilot and Time Kettle’s WT2, have emerged. However, Amazon—and their A.I. assistant Alexa—are the most likely candidate to take real-time translations to the next level.
Amazon is currently working on software that will translate while taking cultural differences into account. This means that if you translate the same phrase to your friend or your boss, then the translations would consider this cultural context and yield different results.
For example: the Korean language has a formal, semi-formal and casual tense. This means that depending on who you are talking with, the words and conjugation you must use can be completely different. If you say “Yes, I can help you, no problem” to your friend, this would be translated to: "그래, 도와줄게. 문제없어" (pronounced: Geulae, dowajulge. munjeeobs-eo). If you said “Yes, I can help you, no problem” to your boss, this would be translated to “네, 도와드릴게요. 전혀 문제 없어요" (pronounced: Ne, dowadeulilgeyo. jeonhyeo munje eobs-eoyo). Clearly, context can require completely different translations and is essential to creating appropriate and respectful translations.
If Amazon succeeds in creating real-time translations that take into account the circumstantial intricacies of different cultures, they could potentially redefine how real estate professionals communicate with their clients.
Want more tips on how to smash language barriers? Check out this blog!
