Why you should use Lingmo Captions to translate your next Zoom Meetings call | Blog |

Captioning your Zoom meeting is extremely convenient however what happens when your Zoom participants don’t all speak the same language? It can cause the meeting to not run smoothly and the purpose of the meeting can sometimes be lost. Lingmo Captions translates live video captioning into other languages adding even more benefit to your Zoom meeting. Here are 5 reasons why you should use Lingmo Captions for Zoom Meetings.

1. Inclusive culture

To increase collaboration and amplify involvement, Lingmo Captions for Zoom Meetings adds AI and contextually translated captions to your video call. The integration automatically detects the audio from the person speaking then transcribes and translates it into captions for participants to read. Therefore Zooms users can speak multiple languages on the same video call and the captions show in the language each participant speaks. By doing this, the conversation can be understood by each foreign-speaking participant.

2. Removes the language barrier while opening the doors to new international opportunities

The integration is available in Zoom’s nine languages: Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Vietnamese. It works across all languages pairs without needing to be translated to or from English. For example, if four participants were on the Zoom call together and each Zoom participant spoke different languages, let’s say Spanish, Portuguese, Korean and Chinese, the audio of the speaker would be translated into captions in each participant’s language.  Lingmo Captions help organisations conduct meetings cross border because the live translated captioning reduces the international language barrier and opens the opportunity for new international partnerships.

2. Gives you live translated captioning.  From live video audio to captions

The need for translated captioning can’t come quick enough! We’ve made Lingmo Captions easy to use, in fact so easy that all you need to do is make sure captioning is on before you have your Zoom meeting. The smart integration will show you translated captions at the bottom of your Zoom screen whenever any of the participant’s speak. Lingmo’s AI software works in real-time so you can quickly understand what is being said. The captioning will only transcribe and translate if Lingmo Captions is activated on your Pro or Business account. Therefore for a small monthly fee, Lingmo Captions has tremendous benefits for today’s modern world.

4. AI and Contextually accurate translations

Lingmo’s smart software contextually and accurately transcribes and translates the speaker’s audio into captions detecting any dialects and nuances. The software automatically shows the captions in the language set on each Zoom users settings meaning they can quickly acknowledge the conversation. Lingmo uses their translation and transcription software rather than Zoom’s for superior accuracy and even delivers accurate translations when slang, jargon and acronyms are used in the audio.

5. A cost-effective way to conducting meetings cross border or with foreign speaking attendees

With much uncertainty around international travel, Lingmo Captions gives you and your business the flexibility to conduct Zoom meetings with international stakeholders. It will save on expensive airfares and translators not to mention time! Lingmo Captions was developed as a cost-effective solution to interact simultaneously between different languages to help you and your business stay on track from anywhere in the world.

Lingmo Captions for Zoom Meetings will be available on the Zoom App Marketplace to Zoom Pro and Business plan subscribers from April 2021. There will be a 7 day free trial and thereafter will cost AUD$27 per month/ user.

To be kept up to date with more news about the launch of Lingmo Captions please subscribe to our mailing list.

How to use Lingmo Translate for Zoom Chat: A step by step guide

An easy to follow guide to implementing Lingmo Translate translation software on your Zoom account

Do you use Zoom Chat and often think how much easier it would be to liaise and chat in your native language? Good news, this step by step guide will explain how you can add a language translation integration called Lingmo Translate to Zoom Chat and chat fluently between multiple languages.

This article will guide you to conduct multilingual chats within the Zoom Chat platform. We’ll also cover the app’s features, commands and pricing plan.

Additionally, we’ll add in links to our demo videos, documentation and contact us page as well as provide 3 tips for using Lingmo Translate.

What is Lingmo Translate for Zoom Chat?

The Lingmo Translate App enables Zoom Chat users to engage in Realtime multilingual conversational chats. Users can send and receive chats in their native language. Chats are instantly translated between 80 languages and 100’s of language pairs. This software allows Zoom Chat users to fluently converse in a language familiar to them.

How to use Lingmo Translate for Zoom Chat Integration.

Step 1. Sign up to Zoom or login into your Zoom account. Navigate to Solutions and click on App Marketplace.

Step 2. The App Marketplace is where integrations for Zoom are located. In the search bar, type ‘Lingmo Translate’ and press enter. Click on the Lingmo Translate icon to open the page.

Step 3. Next, you will need to Sign in to enable the integration process. Click ‘Sign in to Install’, fill out your criteria and press enter. You will return to the Lingmo Translate screen where you can click  ‘Install’.

Step 4. Authorize Lingmo Translate to access your Zoom account for integration to start. Click on the ‘Authorize’ button.

Step 5. Open your Zoom App on your smartphone or desktop and navigate to Meet & Chat icon. Lingmo Translate will be visible on your screen menu. There will be a new notification from Lingmo Translate. Click on the Lingmo Translate under Apps.

Step 6. You will see a welcome message from Lingmo Translate. In the message dialogue box type ‘Register’ and press return. You will then be prompted to add your email address to commence a 3 day free trial. Enter your email address on the white page by pressing the pencil icon in the message pop up. Press Save to close the white screen.

Step 7. A Congratulations pop up will display on the screen and prompt you to check your email account to retrieve the unique authorisation code needed to use Lingmo Translate. Retrieve your code and copy it.

Step 8. Go back to the Zoom App and return to the Lingmo Translate window. As explained in your registration email, you will need to type the following into the dialogue box: ‘connect’ and press return.

Step 9. Enter your code into the pop up window by pressing the pencil icon. A white screen will appear for you to paste your code and then press save. You will get a congratulations message confirming you are set up and ready to commence using Lingmo Translate to translate Zoom Chats.

Step 10. To set your language type ‘mylang’ followed by the send icon. The pop-up window will allow you to scroll through the language choices and select your desired language to communicate/chat in. Press ‘select’ to view the languages and press on the desired language. You will receive a Congratulations message to confirm your language is successfully set to your chosen language.

Step 11. Now you are ready to start a chat in your native language. Navigate to your contacts and select a contact to chat with. In the dialogue box type ‘/lingmo m’ followed by your message in your native language. For example. ‘/lingmo m’ bonjour’ and click enter.

Step 12. You will see a new pop up window showing the translation. This will show your language and the language the other person has their Zoom Chat set to. In this example, Chris has set his language to German. The conversation will now flow between French and German. NB: If the other person has not implemented Lingmo Translate they will not see the translated text and will receive the text in your native language only.

3 tips for using Lingmo Translate for Zoom Chat

1.    Lingmo Translate works better if all the people in your chat group have Lingmo Translate implemented. If they do not they will receive chats in your native language with no translation provided.

2.    Always use ‘/lingmo ‘ followed by the command to have a chat translated. A pop up window will remind you of the command after you have typed ‘/lingmo’.

3.    You can have unlimited chats with Lingmo Translate each month. Simply subscribe and enjoy the many benefits of having translation implemented on your Zoom Chat. View our pricing for Lingmo Translate.

For more guidelines please watch our Youtube videos, read the Lingmo Translate App document or feel free to contact us.

6 Reasons A Multilingual Website Benefits your Business

Can a multilingual website really add value? Any business who has a website wants to entice customers to their services, products or solutions. But how do you expand your business to reach new international speaking customers without blowing all your marketing budget?

The answer is simple, you need a multilingual website.

Businesses that offer customers a choice of multiple languages on their website have a real competitive advantage. Read Lingmo’s 6 benefits of why you should take advantage of making your website accessible for everyone.

1. Translating your website is cost-effective

Expanding your business to reach new markets doesn’t need to be expensive. In fact, a multilingual website is the most cost-effective and reliable way of engaging customers who speak another language.

By translating your website you can still work towards your global marketing strategy and stay competitive by offering your valuable content in multiple languages.

The thought of offering multilingual content on your website has always been associated with high cost. However, with cost-effective monthly payment schemes now available, your website can be translated directly from your original copy at the click of a button.

2. A multilingual website increases financial productivity

The focus of most businesses is to increase sales. Translating your website is one of the most effective ways to achieve this.  

Customers that can read content in their native language are more likely to purchase from your website. In fact, 46% of website users agreed that if the information was in their native language it provided trust and confidence in the product making them more likely to buy the product.

By localising content, customers are more inclined to connect with your brand because you offer an advantage point compared to your competitors.

3. A multilingual website available to everyone

This may come as a surprise, but English is no longer the universal language of the internet.

As of March 2020, only 25.9% of internet users were English natives. In contrast, 3.4 billion people are from non-English speaking countries.

Most internet users will skip past non-localised websites in preference to sites that offer multiple languages.

Therefore, businesses without a multilingual website are missing out on a large share of potential customers.

4. Expand your potential market

Translating your website into multiple languages is an excellent starting point to increase your company’s global presence.

Your marketing messages will be reached by more people if you localise content which in turn will increase the size of your online audience.

For example, there are more than half a billion Spanish speaking online users currently however, the Latin culture has 10 different Spanish dialects.

With Latin users making up 8% per cent of the Internet population, you would instantly increase traffic to your website simply by translating it into Spanish.

A translated website will enable you to expand into new international markets and reach new target audiences quickly and effectively.

5. Increase international website traffic and SEO

Not so long ago, businesses believed you needed an army of multiple websites each translated into a different language to rank on the Internet. Apart from being time-consuming and expensive, this was a myth. 

Instead, adding languages to your website optimises the chances of it getting picked up by different search engines.

Websites that offer multiple languages will help your business rank internationally.

6. Build brand recognition and trust

Greater awareness of your brand comes from consumer engagement. Therefore, a translated website means more people will come to your website and that increases your brand recognition.

Providing a multilingual website will attract people globally and they will start to associate your brand with a certain need and want. This will be a point of difference and help you gain recognition of your brand and service. Not to mention, set you apart from your competition.

Customers who can understand your content in their language are more likely to tell like-minded people creating familiarity and repeat business.

Furthermore, a website in multiple languages adds credibility to your brand. You can truly become a ‘global’ brand once you offer a multilingual function on your website.

Similarly, if your website is localised, customers will appreciate your understanding of their culture thus, earning their trust.

Localise your website

Now that you are aware of the benefits of translating your website, you can increase web traffic, improve your global brand presence and expand your audience reach.

Lingmo Translator is a translation plugin for WordPress websites that enables content to be contextually translated into 80 languages. Your customers can select their language from the dropdown box located on your website and instantly see your website content and information in their language. Start a FREE TRIAL today and see the benefits of adding translation to your website.

Live Chat Translation: How Industries Can Benefit

By Danny May
CEO, Lingmo International

Discover why Live Chat translation is a necessity for your customer support strategy.

Imagine being able to communicate with your online website visitors who speak a different language and have a seamless Realtime live chat between different languages.

Any industry who markets online needs to communicate with their website visitors and interact with them quickly and efficiently to promote their products and brands. However, what happens to the service and experience when your customer speaks another language? It could mean you lose the sale or there is a huge delay responding which triggers the online visitor to leave the chat and go to a competitor.

Customer experience and engagement is a high priority for most, if not all online businesses so therefore interactions need to be fast and professional no matter what language the customer speaks.

Disrupting traditional Live Chat software

Traditional live chat systems are unable to perform multi-language two-way smart chats. Lingmo have pushed the boundaries to assist companies by understanding their pain points when communicating with customers who speak another language. Our AI-powered live chat translation software enables users to type in their own language and receive instant replies in the same language even if the live chat agent does not speak the customers language.

How Lingmo Live Chat works

Lingmo Live Chat is a multi-language online communication and help desk software that enables your business to interact with your foreign speaking website visitors in 80 languages. The translation software lets your online visitors select their language from a list of 80 languages, type a question into the chat window in their mother tongue and then receive all replies in their native language too.  

The live chat agents receive the chats in their own pre-selected language. This allows the agents to easily and quickly reply to several messages in their own language without trying to decode and translate them. Once the agent has replied, the message in automatically translated back into the online visitor’s language for them to easily and quickly read and respond to.

Benefits of live chat translation for Industries

Implementing Lingmo Live Chat allows industries to interact with foreign speaking website visitors hassle free without worrying about the language barrier.

Below are some key industries who can easily benefit from adding translation to their live chat and reach foreign speaking customers by simply adding our technology to their website or application.

Travel and Accommodation Services

• Online booking is the preferred choice for travellers
• Provides a productive communication tool to engage foreign speaking travellers
• Effective for more than just pre-booking. Good for feedback and checking in on clients
• Keep customers updated with new destinations, new offers and in-house sales
• Increase conveniences, build satisfactions, increase sales and cut costs.

Online Healthcare

• Digital assistance for foreign speaking patients who can’t come into a clinic or practise
• 24/7 assistance to support foreign speaking patients with small queries or uncertainties
• Opening the doors to better and more effective communication
• Physicians can write referrals and maintain follow-up’s regarding outpatients
• Ease clinic congestion and remain up to date on clinical care

Education

• Support international online registrations, helps with support and questions 
• Provide digital assistance from lecturers to assist foreign speaking students
• Effective tool for feedback and extra tuition
• Keeps foreign speaking students engaged and on task
• Increases convenience, diversity and enrolments from overseas
• Adheres to policies about fair and equal teaching for all enrolled students

E-Commerce Business

• Engage global online visitors with information and support
• For e-Commerce, communication is equally as important as sales and marketing
• Localise content and information to increase brand loyalty and customer experience
• Offer 80 languages to online visitors to increase their purchase habits
• Expand into new international markets by speaking online visitors’ languages

Banks

• Interact with foreign speaking investors and customers by answering questions and concerns in Realtime
• Build a personalised 24/7 service for new and existing customers foreign speaking customers
• Decrease call volume and wait time
• Increase conversation rate with online mortgage and bank account applications
• Recommend products and assist with application process
• Reduces time of face to face meetings without losing the human touch

Energy and Telcos

• Instantly support customers by redirecting chats to different departments
• Increase brand reputation by offering excellent customer service, support and engagement
• Assist foreign speaking customers quickly and easily
• Reduce time and improve business productivity
• Deliver a perfect customer care experience by chatting to online visitors in any of Lingmo’s 80 languages.

Add Live Chat Translation to your Live Chat

Live Chat translation technology enables businesses to:

• Interact with foreign speaking customers in 80 languages
• Quickly address customer questions, demands and expectations in any of Lingmo’s 80 languages
• Increase online sales with foreign speaking website visitors
• Directly communicate with website visitors in their own language
• Deliver translated information and assistance in Realtime
• Improve customer experience and enhance customer care
• Add a human touch to improve customer engagement
• Integrate with pre-existing Live Chat and Chatbot/Virtual Assistants

Thinking about bringing language translation solutions to your company?

Digital language translation and speaking with your customers in their own native language is key to scaling business locally and internationally. If you are keen to learn more about Lingmo’s live chat translation software and want to benefit from speaking your customers language, contact us and see how easy it is for your business to start a conversation in 80 languages.

We are AI-Powered translation software solutions experts. Check our services to see how you can take your business global.

Find Out More

Marketing Translation Blunders

By Gemma Giuliano
Head of Marketing, Lingmo International

Marketing translation blunders are not new and have happened for years, even the big brands fall victim to this. With companies competing to be the first to market with a brand in a new country, sometimes their eagerness fails with marketing mistranslations. This is usually because they haven’t spent the time to check the logo or slogan meaning relative to that region.   Slogans that work in one language may not always translate well in another language. With big business spending millions of dollars on advertising, some do not give a thought to what the slogan may mean in the country they are advertising in. 

When companies expand into new international markets it is essential contextual translation is used, not just literal word for word translation. Here are some brand marketing translation fails that have soiled brand reputations and show that translation isn’t always as easy as it seems.

Funny Marketing Translation Blunders

HSBC Bank made the classic mistake of literally translating their campaign slogan ‘Assume Nothing’ into multiple languages. Unfortunately, this translated into a meaning of ‘Do Nothing’ and cost the bank $10 million in global re-branding to correct the mistake.

KFC learnt the hard way when they entered the Chinses market. Their well-known slogan “Finger Lickin’ Good’ was mistranslated into Mandarin as “Eat Your Fingers Off”.

Pepsi tried to market its beverage in Taiwan with the slogan ‘Come Alive with Pepsi’. However, in Chinese this translates as ‘Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the grave!’.

When the ‘Schweppes Tonic Water’ campaign entered the Italian market, it completely failed. The company’s product name was literally translated into Italian as “Schweppes Toilet Water.”

Braniff Airlines launched a campaign about their new leather seats, ‘Fly in leather’. This was translated into Spanish as ‘Vuela en cuero’, however in Mexican, it meant ‘Fly naked’.

Lost in Translation

This really highlights that apart from embarrassing and costly mistakes, translation needs to be given more thought.  Not being able to connect with your consumers because of a translation blunder can seriously affect your brand.

Be mindful of Cultural Differences

Business is about communicating with people and building long fruitful relationships.  Each company has a product or service to offer and it is up to that brand to convince the consumer to buy it. To do this right you need to do you research to find your target audience but also understand the culture of the target country too. It’s imperative to understand any differences or any sensitive areas that your brand could potentially violate.

Essential Translation

Translation solutions do not need to be a chore, painful, time consuming or expensive. Language translation can be used to localise content, build relationships and understand the cultural perspectives.  Being able to communicate directly in a stakeholder’s native language will also help your business flourish and grow, and offer that all important competitive advantage. Investing in a translation solution allows your business to communicate with your foreign speaking target audience. After all, consumers would rather buy a product if content is in their native language. 

Brands that got it right

While we have seen some epic brand translation blunders, some brands did get it right when scaling their products into new international markets.

One example is “Guilty” by Gucci Perfume: 古驰 “罪爱”
One of the cleverest brand names around sees this translation not only stay loyal to the pronunciation of the original brand name but also capture the meaning of the word “Guilty.” In Chinese “罪” means “guilt” and “爱” means “love”, so “Guilty Love’.

It is difficult enough marketing in your home market let alone a foreign market where there are multiple languages to contend with. Lingmo’s customised translation solutions allow you to create a unique voice that differentiates your brand in every market without losing your core values.

Thinking about bringing language translation solutions to your company?

Lingmo  are AI translation software experts. Check out our multilingual solutions to see how you can support your global audience better.

Find Out More

ATM Language Translation: Making ATMs Accessible in 80 Languages

By Gemma Giuliano
Head of Marketing, Lingmo International

ATM Translation

With more people living aboard, immigrants settling in a new countries and tourists travelling to international destinations, our multilingual world needs to cater for different languages and localise content. No matter what language you speak and in what country you are in, you will probably need to access an ATM to withdraw cash but can you be guaranteed the ATM you go to will have language options allowing you to select your native language to perform a transaction?

Would you feel comfortable using an ATM in a foreign language? Would you be confident withdrawing cash if you couldn’t understand the instructions and had to stumble your way through the menu options in hope you pressed the correct button to receive your funds? Currently, with ATMs having the ability to allows customers to do a multitude of banking functions, wouldn’t having the ability to perform banking transactions in your own native language be huge value add?

Multilingual ATMs

ATM’s are widespread throughout the globe and are in many locations for residents and tourists to access. Trying to ascertain which ATMs should be equipped with certain languages choices would be difficult and would no doubt need to be upgraded frequently because of ebb and flow of people movement around the world. What is probable is that ATMs need to offer their services in multiple languages and making them accessible in most languages will be essential.

Therefore, instead of banks choosing a location they believe have a multilingual presence, Lingmo’s software can be embedded into all ATM’s, making them all offer 80 text languages and 29 voice languages. Just because an ATM is put in Sydney, Australia, doesn’t necessarily mean the languages on offer should be limited to English and Chinese because they are the most commonly spoken languages in the region, or in the US, Spanish and English, but instead displaying all languages puts the ball in the customer’s court.

One thing is true, an ATM should be accessible by anyone without discriminating language and location. Machines that are equipped to converse with customers in their native language will define the bank, provide a point of difference and improve the bank’s ROI.

80 Text languages for all ATMs

With digital AI-translation, Banks don’t need to fathom out which primary languages their customers are going speak or who is going to visit their country and what languages they will probably converse in – that would be hard given there are so many variables. Instead of relying on what the native spoken language is in an area or which country tourists visited from in the past, our AI software allows customers to choose their native language on the ATM without being required to choose a limited pre-determined language selection. This will improve user experience, build trust and confidence and increase engagement. Therefore, financial institutions need not be limited to where they can put an ATM because Lingmo offers a broad range of languages to cater for 80% of the world’s languages.

ATM’s that converse in your customers native language

Our AI translation can perform Realtime translations into 80 languages allowing text to be translated on-screen instantly. Our software is trained and customised to recognise financial services terminology and detects industry specific financial focus keywords and vocabulary. Leveraging IBM Watson on IBM cloud, our automated translations are highly accurate, 97% in fact and contextually translate the entire paragraph, not literal word for word translations resulting in a better translation. With continuous training the AI becomes smarter the more it is used.

So, you may be asking how it works? After the customer has chosen their desired language, all text on the screen will change to their preferred language allowing the customer to have a seamless experience and an easier way to use the ATM rather than losing confidence in the service.

Adding speech translation to ATMs

ATMs usually offer visually impaired customers an option to listen to the menu instructions as an alternative to reading the text on screen. With the audio in place, language translations can easily be added allowing customers the ability to hear instructions in their own native dialect. Our translation software covers the most common 29 languages in speech and once customers are guided to select their preferred language, the instructions are heard in that language. This means, an ATM with our translation software can be used anywhere in the globe because all 29 languages are accessible no matter where they are located.

Making AI Translation accessible in all ATMs

Regardless if you’re a large International bank with ATMs across the globe or a boutique bank located in a tourist destination or with a high multilingual population, you can benefit greatly from using AI Translation software to make your ATMs accessible to customers in up to 80 languages. Instead of making customers struggle and become frustrated when trying to decipher unfamiliar languages, financial institutions can add our translation API to their application that puts the customer first and gives them a better banking experience.

Keep your customers satisfaction a priority – contact Lingmo to enquire about our voice and text translation APIs for ATMs.

With AI-Powered Translation, Industries Look To Speak Every Customer’s Language

Using AI to make Live Chat Multilingual

Expand into international markets by using AI-Powered live chat plugin on your website. It translates chat conversations into your customers language in Realtime.

International businesses loose customers each day because they cannot communicate in their native language. Unfortunately, it is a comment we hear all too often from the customers we work with.  According to recent statistics, 1.66 billion people worldwide purchased goods online in 2017 worth an estimated USD 2.3 trillion and with projections set to reach USD 4.48 trillion by 2021 it highlights that internet shopping is one of the most popular actives to do online.  Traditionally live chat agents are not multilingual and are unable to provide chat with foreign speaking customers in their native language.  This is not an ideal situation for either party. To overcome this challenge, we have launched an AI-powered live chat agent that converses in multiple languages.

Multilingual Customer Service Representatives

Our Talk2You Chat software is an AI-Powered live chat agent that speaks 80 languages allowing customers and business representatives to speak in their individual native language together.  It enables businesses a way to liaise to foreign speaking customers.

The way Talk2You Chat works is by the customer clicking the live chat pop up box on their business’s website and selecting their language. The live agent is alerted and can start typing in their own native language. The customer will read the text message response in their own native language and so on until communication ends. Essentially both parties can communicate between any of the 80 languages, for example you could have a Hindi speaking customer service representative and a Spanish speaking customer that can converse without even knowing the software is translating their chat. The AI-powered live agent is part of our Talk2You platform that was rolled out earlier this year on our smartwatch Time2Translate and as an App that can be purchased for iOS and Android smart devices. Powered by IBM Watson Artificial Intelligence, the chat conversation text is analysed and translated contextually into the recipient’s language alleviating the challenge of any language barriers.

Customers First

This technology is supporting customer service representatives to become global communicators which in turn enables customers to feel appreciated, heard and understood plus allows enterprises to reach new customers and retain existing customers. It puts customer at the centre of business operations.

Customised Solution

Understanding your business terminology is incredibly important, we are able to train the system to recognise your business terminology and key words. For example, a travel booking system would require specific details about bookings and use travel jargon that the AI can be trained to recognise. Our software translates conversations contextually rather than in literal word for word translation, so the impact of the conversation is not lost.

Make that Change

We are changing the way global businesses converse with their customers online and are bringing this service to customer centric industries such as retailers, e-commence, aviation, hotels and travel.  Early adopters are rapidly recognising the huge benefit this technology is having on their business and bottom line.

AI powered technology is entering new heights and our translation technology is giving enterprises a new way to liaise with foreign speaking customers. Our live chat agent can speak 80 of the world’s most popular languages today bridging the gap of communication, imagine what it can do for your business tomorrow?

Are you wanting to expand your customer base and global footprint?

Contact us today to see a demo and learn more about how our customised Talk2You Live Chat software can assist you to grow your customer satisfaction and global footprint easily.

For more information visit our website www.lingmointernational.com

High-tech AI empowers people with better language translations

By Danny May
CEO, Lingmo International

While on a business trip to China, my passport was stolen. I wasn’t sure what to do, so I approached a policeman for help.

The poor performance of the translation app I downloaded led to the policeman going for his gun and my colleague running away in fear. Instead of saying “hello, how are you”, I said “hello, I love you.”

I knew I couldn’t be the only person who had had problems while traveling because I didn’t speak the local language. Something better needed to be done.

Enabling better beginnings with Watson APIs

Before I founded Lingmo, I was a plumber. After my close call in China, I spent a lot of time studying everything I could about translation services, AI and machine learning.

In my research, I found that the two biggest problems with translation services were accuracy and latency time. I knew AI could help with both. So, we sold our house and I created Lingmo.

My team and I began by using our own machine learning, algorithms and data—with terrible results. It took roughly 50 seconds for a translation.

That’s when we turned to IBM. Once we starting working with Watson Language and Speech APIs, we found that system training went 50% faster. We also increased accuracy, including with dialects and slang. The more data we entered, the better the results.

One of our key differentiators that helps with accuracy is that we don’t do word for word translation because this often leads to unintelligible results. Instead, we use AI for speech recognition that puts what’s said into linguistic context. This cuts down the possibility of error tremendously.

Expanding services and offerings

In June 2017, we launched a device called Translate One2One, which is the first independent translation interface. This would have been impossible to put into devices had we not addressed accuracy and latency time issues with AI.

Talk2You, which we released in April 2018, is the world’s first for instant translation voice messaging. It works like WeChat, WhatsApp or other instant messaging platforms where you can leave a voice message for someone, but ours also enables translation from one language to another through the process.

These types of services are real game-changers for CEOs who, for example, can now instantly deploy messages to teams across the world.

In addition, we custom build our code to suit large organizations like airlines, where specific terminology is needed.

Making a difference, one language at a time

Our systems are being used in more than 36 countries. At the moment we offer translation in ten languages: Arabic, Chinese, English (U.S. and U.K. dialects), Italian, Japanese, Spanish, Brazilian, Portuguese and Korean. This covers roughly 85% of the world’s population.

We launched Lingmo because we wanted to empower people—whether you are one of the most well-known CEOs in the world, or if you’re someone who just wants to go on a once-in-a-lifetime trip. Whether for work or leisure, removing linguistic barriers is our goal.

Hello, I Love You

By Danny May
CEO, Lingmo International

“Hello, I Love You” is why I started Lingmo International.

My story started in China when I had my passport stolen and I tried to communicate with people to ask for help and get directions to the local police station. Failing miserably purely because my hand gestures, miming and pointing were not working.  Not to mention I looked odd dancing around the street!

I felt completely lost and alone, and didn’t know how I could communicate to the crowds of people near me because I knew they didn’t speak my language. It was a daunting feeling when you are in a foreign country and don’t speak any other language.

I decided to download a translation app (now competitor!) and thought this would solve my problems and get me to where I needed to go. While I was waiting for the app to download I spotted a local police officer so with my app in hand, I headed towards him with a new-found confidence knowing I would be able to communicate with him. “Hello, how are you?” I said into the translation app and waited for the translation to play for the police officer to hear. Now this is where it went horribly wrong. 

What the police officer heard was obviously not what I had asked as he looked very angry and I was scared, really scared. I looked down at the translation that he had heard and read the English text only to find to my horror that I had said to the police officer “Hello, I love you”.

I was frozen and as the police officer’s hand went down towards their gun. I really thought I would be thrown in jail.

Luckily, I wasn’t shot or arrested but I did find the Australian Consulate in the end, through miming and pointing, and got everything sorted.

After my ordeal, I recalled the event and the one opportunity I had to ask for help failed me. The translation app had not translated my questions, had not detected my accent or dialect and the speech recognition obviously did not work.

From that day on, I was on a mission to develop a translation device that would not give the same results I had experienced in China because I didn’t want anyone else to go through what I had been through.  Now this was easier said than done, considering I was a plumber by trade with no formal qualifications in technology or developing software. Honestly I knew that this was outside of my comfort zone, I was told I was crazy for even considering such a project, but I felt so strongly about helping people I buckled down and started my research.

That was 3 years ago and through selling my family house to initially fund Lingmo International, bringing on 2 partners, building a development team, hiring staff and opening international offices, the dream of bringing a tangible translation solution to disrupt the global language barrier has grown steadily and is being adopted by the B2B and B2C market.

It has not been easy, in fact it has been very challenging but that the passion my team and I have keep us driving forward. We understand the high’s and low’s and with each knock back we grow, we learn, and we build on what not to do!

It’s been incredible to see where we started to where we are now. For me, it’s all about changing people’s perceptions and giving them a solution. Whether it is for cross-border communication, internal communications, a tool for travelers or a method of learning a new language, our products are developed to give people the flexibility to understand one and another no matter what language they speak.

So in a way ‘Hello, I Love You’ will always resonate with me.  If I hadn’t declared my undying love for that police officer I would have never experienced the opportunity to be an entrepreneur and more importantly, would not have been able to help bridge the language barrier gap.

For more information visit our website: https://lingmointernationalnet.wpcomstaging.com/  

About Danny May
Danny May founded Lingmo International when he was still working full time as a plumber. He formed the start-up with no prior knowledge of how to set up a company and had no technical industry background.  After a lot of handwork, research and a lot of late nights, Danny now has a thriving start-up and has a dedicated team who share his vision allowing Lingmo to break down the global language barrier with their intuitive translation technology. Danny thrives in mentoring people who are keen to start their own business. His focus areas are fund raising and letting people know you don’t need to be knowledgeable in your chosen industry to form a business.