Are culture-translating multilingual voice assistants the way to a better future?
When different cultures meet, even the causes of conflict can be confusing. Take, for example, the meeting between the conquistadors and the Aztecs. The conquistadors fought wars to conquer territory and eliminate rivals, while the Aztecs fought to take sacrificial victims [2] rather than to conquer opponents. Different perspectives on why a conflict is occurring inevitably complicate efforts to end it.
The inability to translate and understand cultural differences have been devastating to many nations and people and has led to significant confusion and unnecessary conflict. The first step in the translation of culture begins with the translation of language. Historically this has been done via human translators who themselves are subject to individual biases. Therefore cultural translations, which are much more complex than language, have been left on the back-burner. With technological advancements solving language translations, can we work towards making cultural translations, also possible? Can we help humans co-exist peacefully through the helpful intervention of new technology, such as the use of multilingual voice assistants?
Let’s present the above in a slightly simpler perspective. Imagine a world where multilingual voice assistants prevalent. They will (and already do) help people who speak in different languages, understand each other. Neat. But simply being able to understand what the other is saying, does not necessarily mean peaceful co-existence. Sometimes cultural practices can themselves cause conflict and breed misunderstanding. Think about the many wars in history that could have been avoided with an understanding of a different culture and cultural practice. Now “fixing” this might seem simple at first, but would probably be far more complicated when you dive in. However, it is still worth exploring.
As we move into an era with voice-powered devices that are capable of translating out language to others and vice versa, we need to think more about the translation of culture. Multilingualism should not be limited to language but also extend to culture and cultural practice. If we strive to create assistants that can help humans communicate better we might achieve a more empathetic existence.
