Cisco has boosted Webex’s multi-language capabilities with the addition of real-time translation from English into 100 languages.
The vendor first announced the service in December, with it set to launch with 10 languages in February – but upped the number of languages available to make the service more inclusive.
Jeetu Patel, SVP of Security and Applications at Cisco, said: "The inclusive features of Webex help create a level playing field for users regardless of factors like language or geography.
“Enabling global real-time translations is another step toward powering an Inclusive Future, and an important component of driving better communication and collaboration across teams."
“AI technologies play an integral role in delivering the seamless collaboration, smart hybrid work and intelligent customer experiences that Cisco is known to deliver”
Cisco said that, over time, it will be bringing in the ability to translate from other languages. The current library (which can only be converted from English) covers languages from Armenian to Zulu.
Language barriers are "one of the major services in global business", Cisco claimed, citing research from Metrigy that 24 per cent of meetings contain non-English participants. Around half have been using third-party platforms for translation, at an average cost of $172 per meeting.
