How Translation Impacts the Travel and Hospitality Industry

The travel and hospitality industries have a significant impact on the global economy. Before the pandemic, travel and tourism accounted for 10.6% of all jobs and 10.4% of global GDP. As travelers return to the world, international travel will rebound to or go beyond pre-pandemic levels. Closing out 2022, nearly 90% of insured travel was for international destinations, marking the first time global travel matched pre-pandemic levels. As Baby Boomers and Gen X travelers return to prior travel levels and Millennial and Gen Z travelers enter the market, international travel could surge beyond what we've seen in the past. 

In order to cater to enthusiastic travelers, businesses in the hospitality and travel sectors must be prepared to attend to customers from all over the world. While it's not feasible to learn every language spoken globally, having multilingual personnel and translators is crucial to ensuring the comfort of international travelers.How Language Barriers Affect Guests

Miscommunication in any industry can lead to frustration and disappointment for customers. A misunderstanding can result in the wrong location, on the wrong flight, or even in the wrong country. Attempting to communicate in a non-native language is frustrating and isolating. 

In the travel industry, customers need accurate communication to share directions and intentions. Poor translation during flight booking or travel can create uncomfortable conditions or delays. Imagine telling a cab or Uber driver where to take you without the power of speech. The barriers for individuals speaking a non-native language are similar. 

Professionals in the hospitality industry are tasked with making guests comfortable and providing an enjoyable visit to an unfamiliar location. Fluent communication enhances every interaction through pleasant conversation and the ability to accommodate the needs of each guest. When customers engage with a business to reserve a room, get a meal, or find transportation, they must be able to communicate their needs. Attempting these requests when staff members need help understanding the language is incredibly frustrating. Even worse, a poor translation can lead to misinterpretation and wrong results.

Hospitality Also Relies on Translation Considerations

Upon arrival at a hotel, limited translation decreases communication between customers and staff members. As a result, customer service throughout the visit will seem impersonal and detached. Overall, the entire experience is likely to be less enjoyable. 

Emergencies in Travel and Hospitality Environments

These occasions highlight why individuals might choose not to travel or interact with specific businesses. However, language barriers can represent a life-or-death complication if an emergency arises during travel. Communication is more than a convenience. It's a necessity. Individuals must be able to share information about critical necessities like the medicine they take and the food they eat (or cannot eat). With accurate translation, such interactions are possible for international travelers.

Consider everything you look forward to about visiting an unfamiliar destination. Imagine having no way to communicate those desires to anyone when you arrive. Your ability to enjoy your trip would be reduced. Without effective translation capabilities, a guest's interactions in a new country will feel watered down. 

How Language Barriers Affect Businesses

Consumers prefer to speak with brands in their native language and say the ability to obtain information in their language is more important than price. These preferences span across industries. When you consider the crucial information exchanged in the hospitality and travel industries, it's safe to assume that accurate information is even more critical. 

Professionals in the travel and hospitality industry are responsible for securing reservations, conducting financial transactions, and accurately communicating with customers to provide safe and enjoyable services. Language barriers have the potential to interrupt every point in the process. As a result, customer service is subpar, and businesses lose customers. 

Consider what happens when a customer tries to book a hotel room with a staff member who can't interpret their language. Without translation, no one can resolve the issue, and the reservation will go to a competitor. 

Employees in the travel and hospitality industries are experts at going the extra mile to provide a pleasant experience for customers. But even the most patient employee can become overwhelmed when they can't understand the native language of their customers. Unfortunately, this frustration is typically expressed as anger toward the customer. Such behavior leads to a poor experience for both parties and likely translates into bad reviews for your business. 

Extra perks are part of the appeal of staying in a quality hotel. However, these perks may never be recognized by customers who need help understanding the local language. Room service, concierge services, and other luxuries will likely go unused if they're not adequately communicated. This lack of use can mean a significant loss in profits for the business. 

Finding Solutions for Improved Translation in Travel & Hospitality

In today's connected world, accurate translation is essential to provide quality customer service in the travel and hospitality industries. Modern technology makes it possible for individuals to communicate, make purchases, and travel between countries with more ease than ever before. To adequately serve all customers, businesses must address language barriers and how to overcome them. 

Training Employees

Active communication is vital to quality customer service during travel. Employing multilingual employees and translators can help businesses meet this need. However, a labor shortage in both industries makes it difficult to achieve these objectives. Company leaders can strengthen their workforce and improve customer service by providing educational opportunities for current employees. 

Updating Online Communications

Forty percent of customers prefer self-service over human contact. Also, 70% of customers expect a business website to have a self-service application. Providing customers with these resources streamlines business processes and meets customer demands. Airlines, hotels, and other businesses use translation and localization to update their websites, making transactions easier for international customers. Customers can easily book flights, reserve rooms, and order from restaurants without requiring a phone call or interactive customer service. 

Using Print Communications

Brochures, advertisements, informational booklets, and other print materials can be used to share essential information with customers. When these materials are accurately translated into your customers' native language, you can share information without real-time translation. By providing as much information as possible, you can avoid misunderstandings. 

Introducing Technology to Services

AI and machine translation innovations can provide different nuances than human translators. But these technologies can assist communication. There are a variety of tools that employees and guests can use to eliminate the most frequently encountered language barriers during travel. Employees can be provided with translation devices for real-time communications. Hotels can also benefit by giving self-help options to guests. For example, kiosks in the lobby and smart devices in hotel rooms can provide guests with multilingual self-help options. 

As globalization becomes more widespread across all industries, businesses must find ways to keep up with customer demands. Translation enables businesses to meet all their customers' needs and ensure they have the best possible experience.