By Choi Jin-woo
Photos = Choi Jin-woo

"This is amazing. We don't have anything like this in my country. Even if you can't speak Korean or English, it seems convenient to use your mother tongue."

Kardelen Kose, a tourist from Turkiye (Turkey), on the afternoon of Dec. 12 said this after seeing the AI (Artificial Intelligence) Live-Translation System for the first time at Myeongdong Station on Seoul's No. 4 subway line. Seoul Metro on Dec. 4 launched pilot operations of the real-time interpretation system, which is based on an AI system of foreign language interpretation to offer smooth communication between foreign nationals and subway staff.

The 13 languages offered by the system are Arabic, Chinese, German, English, Spanish, French, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Russian, Thai and Vietnamese.

Using the system is easy. For example, selecting the English option on the screen caused a notification sound to go off and a subway worker to appear. A person pressed the button on the microphone and asked, "Where's the nearest restroom?”

A few seconds later, an English-to-Korean translated sentence appeared on the 55-inch transparent screen. The subway worker pointed toward a desired direction and said, "Go to your right."

After finishing his sentence, a Korean-to-English translated sentence also appeared. Unlike commercial translation apps like Naver's Papago or Google Translate, the AI-based system helps communication with the subway worker more intuitively in an in-person conversation with eye contact and gestures.

"An average of 20-30 visitors visit the AI Live-Translation System daily," Myeongdong Station manager Choi Hyeong-chae said. "Those who mainly use it aren't just tourists from English-speaking countries but also those from Japan and China."

On the same day, tourist Eric Medema from the U.S. state of Michigan asked through the microphone installed in the booth, "How can I go to the War Memorial of Korea from Myeongdong Station?" The staff member saw the English-to-Korean translated sentence and said, "Take Subway Line 4 towards Hoehyeon Station and get off at Samgakji Station."

Medema called using the system far more convenient than a Seoul subway map.

Choi said the greatest advantage of the system is its "ability to allow users to quickly obtain the information they need through conversations with station staff without language barriers." He added that service in Korean is for hearing impaired Koreans who face difficulties in communication.

Nina Amila from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, gave her take on using the system, saying the subway worker provided direct and helpful guidance and that she wished to recommend it to other foreign tourists. As for drawbacks, she said Malay speakers must use complete sentences for the device to recognize the speech and that it seems only standard versions of a language without dialect can be interpreted.

"From February, the service will be expanded to 10 stations including those of Seoul, Hongik University, Gwanghwamun and Itaewon to give more information to foreign nationals," a Seoul Metro source said. "For the recognition of proper nouns like station names, upgrades will come through AI-based data collection and storage."

paramt@korea.kr