To provide better services to our diverse community, my library proactively hires staff who speak different languages and offers a monthly subsidy for those who can demonstrate their language proficiency by passing a language test. At the Member Services and Reference Desks, we have one Cantonese/Mandarin/Japanese speaker (that’s me!), one Mandarin speaker, one Spanish speaker, one Tamil speaker, and two Tagalog speakers. Still, there are times when we encounter members who speak languages that we are not familiar with, and technology can come to our rescue.
Real-time Machine Translation
- Mobile apps such as Google Translate and Apple Translate offer convenient camera and voice translation for quick transactions in the library.
- ChatGPT and other AI chatbots are great tools for translating written text into other languages.
- Use case 1: A reference librarian uses Google Translate’s camera feature to translate a flyer about our summer reading program.
- Use case 2: A staff member uses Apple Translate’s voice feature to help a worried mother who has lost her child in the library.
- Use case 3: I used ChatGPT to translate our Summer Reading program materials from English to Traditional Chinese, and only needed to make minimal changes.
Machine Transcription
- AI transcription services such as JotMe can help with translation, transcription, chatbot support, and meeting notes in over 200 languages.
- Use case: Library staff use JotMe to turn speech into text when community members share their stories via Zoom and other video formats.
Real-time ASL translation
- Sign Language AI allows users to translate, compose, and search for ASL in real time on their website. Sorenson Communications is also developing an AI-driven sign language translation support tool that will translate a deaf individual’s signs into English text, and then turn the hearing person’s spoken response into text for the deaf user.
- Use case: Our Library is located very close to the California School for the Deaf, so we often welcome members of the deaf community. Using real-time ASL translation, library staff at the Member Services Desk help deaf users search for and check out materials.
References
Apple. (n.d.). Translate text and voice for conversations across languages using iPhone. https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/translate-text-voice-and-conversations-iphd74cb450f/ios
ChatGPT. (n.d.). Home. https://www.chatgpt.com
Google. (n.d.). Home. https://translate.google.com
JotMe. (n.d.). Home. https://www.jotme.io/
Sign Language AI. (n.d.). Home. https://www.signlanguageai.com/
Sorensen OmniBridge. (n.d.). Soreson Omnibridge. https://omnibridge.ai/
Hi Coco, I love that your library prioritizes providing multi-language services. I have not seen any libraries around me doing something like that before. My local libraries offer better pay for employees that can speak Spanish, Mandarin, or Vietnamese, but there is no mention of multilingual skills being a plus or specifically seeking them. Also, thanks for bringing my attention to these AI translation and transcription tools! I am generally pretty pessimistic about AI usage, but these seem like cases where artificial intelligence is genuinely useful and even irreplaceable. I’ll consider using these in the future!
Hi Isabel! My library system creates specific positions for bilingual speakers so that we can better serve our community. Recently, there was an opening at another branch for a Spanish-speaking position, which I’m not qualified for. 🙁 Our bilingual staff members receive a (small) monthly subsidy, and I am happy to hear that other libraries like yours also offer better pay! I think machine translation still has room for improvement as it is not 100% accurate, but I have had good experience using it at work, and I plan to experiment with it and other new technologies (such as real-time ASL translation) and recommend them to others.
Hi Coco – Thank you for sharing all these translation resources! My college has a LanguageLine account (video call with a translator). So, I have not had much need to explore other options. It’s great to know there are so many different tech options to help with communication. Like you said, this is so important for properly serving a diverse community.
Hi Rachel! Kudos to your college for exploring interpretation and translation services to serve your community members. On-demand interpretation/translation services like LanguageLine are great tools but can get pricey because many are charged by the minute. AI translation can be a great alternative especially for simple inquiries at the reference desk.
@cocoatthelibrary this was so interesting and I’m glad you chose this as your focus for new horizons. It amazes me how technology has enabled such expeditious translation opportunities at the desk. All of the examples you shared are so useful.