DeepL said on the 18th that in a survey of 500 office workers in Korea, 89.8% of respondents said real-time voice artificial intelligence (AI) translation is needed for work.
The survey found strong perceived need for voice AI translation, but actual usage was only 35.8%. In addition, 88.4% of respondents said maintaining a natural flow of conversation is important when using voice AI translation.
A total of 69.8% of respondents said they struggled to convey emotions or nuance in foreign-language communication, followed by difficulty delivering messages (69.0%), difficulty expressing opinions (64.0%), difficulty understanding the other party's intent (63.0%), and experiencing interruptions in conversation (60.0%).
Work settings where voice AI translation is needed included video conferences (48.4%), telephone calls (43.6%), and in-person meetings (34.4%).
Expected benefits of adoption included improved communication accuracy and comprehension (53.2%), reduced burden of using foreign languages (52.0%), and better real-time communication flow (50.2%). Regarding future intention to use, 82.6% responded positively.
Respondents cited translation accuracy (58.8%), real-timeness (58.2%), contextual understanding (54.4%), and security and safety (52.2%) as criteria for choosing a voice AI translation solution.
Gonçalo Gaiolas, DeepL's chief product officer, said, "Demand for real-time foreign-language communication technology is growing in global collaboration environments," and added, "AI-based voice translation technology is moving into a stage where it is being used in work settings."