American Airlines has launched a new initiative offering real-time translation across 29 languages at its Admirals Club lounges at Los Angeles International airport.
The service – powered by Google Assistant’s interpreter mode technology – was announced at CES, the world’s largest consumer electronics show taking place at the Las Vegas Convention Centre this week.
AA said that the technology would be used to assist customers “only when a multilingual team member is not available”, and will “help Premium Customer Service representatives provide more personalized service to customers”.
Among the 29 languages available for real-time translation include Arabic, French, German, Japanese, Russian, Spanish and Vietnamese.
Commenting on the news Maya Leibman, American’s chief information officer, said:
“The science fiction universal translator is now science fact. Incorporating technology like the Google Assistant’s interpreter mode will help us break down barriers, provide a worry-free travel experience and make travel more accessible to all.”
Last month ANA introduced portable real-time language translator ‘Pocketalk’ to 50 airports in Japan, capable of translating up to 74 languages including various dialects and “commonly used idiomatic phrases”.
