DeepL unveils live voice-to-voice AI translation, marking what an interpreter argues may diminish cultural understanding despite eliminating language barriers

DeepL, a Cologne-based AI translation company, unveiled live voice-to-voice interpretation earlier this month.

The technology will eliminate the need for individuals to study languages, as they can use their phones to understand speakers in any language and translate their own speech; however, the author argues this removes the cultural knowledge and passion that comes from learning a language directly.

The author contends that without people studying other languages and cultures, they will lack understanding of the people they communicate with, and that AI systems may lack the capacity to judge situational context where translation becomes necessary—losing what the author calls the 'poetry' and 'courtesy' of attempting to speak another language imperfectly.