Lost in translation? Not on Paris metro during Olympics with help from AI

Paris's public transport system (RATP) has provided more than 3,000 agents with artificial intelligence-supported translation devices to help hundreds of thousands of visitors navigate the capital's network during this year's Olympic Games.

The handheld Tradivia device can translate between French and 16 languages, including Mandarin, Arabic and Korean, with the text appearing on a screen and read out loud.

The service will remain after the July 26 to August 11 Olympics in Paris, one of the world's top destinations for international visitors.

"We will have visitors from all over the world who will come. It is important to provide them with the right information," RATP representative Gregoire de Lasteyrie told reporters.

"Being able to speak to them in as many languages as possible and helping them find their way in Paris is extremely important."

Metro workers said the device would also give them more confidence.

"We no longer have this apprehension of approaching visitors," said Paris metro worker Raphael Gassette. "We no longer have this fear of thinking we're not going to understand each other.

"Here we know straight away, with regards to the languages here, to press and immediately have clear, more precise information and we can be sure when the visitor leaves, they're satisfied."

Reuters