DeepL, a leading force in artificial intelligence language technology, conducted a comprehensive survey involving over 400 global marketers.
The aim was to gain insights directly from customers and deepen their understanding of the market landscape. The survey covered various aspects of machine translation (MT), including its adoption, initiatives, and pain points such as SEO.
During SlatorCon Remote March 2024, Lynn Nguyen, Director of Customer Success Operations at DeepL, presented the survey findings, with Dierk Runne, Senior Manager of Localization and Systems at HubSpot, whose company served as one of the two case studies in the survey (the other being Phrase).
Nguyen revealed that 98% of respondents reported integrating MT into their localization workflows, with 96% attributing a positive return on investment to localization projects. This emphasizes the significance of localization and translation in driving revenue for marketing departments.
Beyond marketing, Nguyen highlighted the potential for PR and corporate communications to leverage similar localization strategies.
Moreover, she highlited the untapped potential in customer support, where websites predominantly use English as the default language despite user preferences for submitting inqueries and reports in their native languages.
While marketers prioritize customer-centric initiatives, Nguyen underscored the internal applications of machine translation. She noted its suitability for translating content in real-time, facilitating various internal processes.
Nevertheless, certain industries with stringent regulations, such as law and pharmaceuticals, demand human involvement. In such cases, MT serves to complement human translators rather than replace them, aiming to streamline their work processes.