Lotte Innovate said on the 4th it has introduced a real-time artificial intelligence (AI) voice translation agent at construction sites to support smooth communication for foreign workers.
The AI voice translation agent features multilingual AI translation that uses Lotte Innovate's in-house model for AI speech-to-text (STT). By applying a construction-specialized speech recognition model and a keyword boosting technique, it accurately converts on-site speech to text even in noisy environments.
The converted text can be translated into more than 180 languages through an AI translation engine, and a WebSocket-based low-latency streaming voice processing architecture minimizes translation delays, the company said.
A terminology dictionary trained on construction site terms is the biggest differentiator. It can translate on-site jargon that general-purpose translators struggle to capture, such as "brace (reinforcement to prevent deformation)" and "waler (horizontal support reinforcement)." The terminology dictionary improves management convenience—registration, modification, and deletion—so newly coined expressions or frequently used words at sites can be reflected immediately.
The operating method is also designed to be site-centric. When an on-site manager opens a translation channel and sends information, workers can check the translation results in real time on smartphones and other devices.
It also has versatility and scalability that are not limited to a specific industry. With a "user-defined dictionary" function that can tailor-train industry-specific terminology and a flexible API (application programming interface) structure, it can be introduced across various industrial sites—such as manufacturing, logistics, and shipbuilding—where foreign workers make up a high share of the workforce and the use of technical terms is essential.
The AI voice translation agent was first applied at Lotte Construction in Jul. last year and was introduced at Daewoo Engineering & Construction in May this year.
A Lotte Innovate official said, "We plan to expand the application of AI agents beyond construction sites to a wide range of industries with high proportions of foreign workers," adding, "We will use proven AI technology to improve on-site communication efficiency and contribute to higher work productivity."