Waverly Labs Helps Hotels, Restaurants Overcome Language Barriers with Customers
Waverly Labs, pioneers of smart earpiece translators, introduced Ambassador, its most sophisticated interpretation device to date. A powerful, shareable tool that is compatible with 20 languages and 42 dialects, Ambassador provides accurate translations that can be delivered via over-the-ear audio, text on a smart app, and for the first time, can be broadcasted live in a conference environment.
This technology has some positive implications for the hospitality – hotel and restaurant – industry where staff members often come into contact with customers who speak a different language. Providing exceptional customer service to these customers is very difficult when language barriers are involved, the company notes. While some hotels and restaurants have made the effort to find and hire employees that are multi-lingual, this solution presents its own challenges as well. With Ambassador, all employees become "multi-lingual" and can have fluid, continual conversations with guests and diners.
Ambassador is a sleek device worn over-the-ear that offers prosumers a highly accurate and natural interpretation experience. It follows the introduction of Pilot, Waverly Labs’ first consumer device that created the hearable translator category, which generated over $5 million during pre-sales and has now shipped almost 40,000 units worldwide.
Fast, Fluid and Fluent
While translation apps and handheld devices are able to handle short, occasional translations, they are not ideal for ongoing fluid conversations with people conversing in a natural and unimpaired way. Ambassador is a sophisticated high-grade translation tool that addresses this unmet need.
It uses an advanced far-field microphone array combined with speech recognition neural networks to capture speech with astounding levels of clarity. It then seamlessly processes speech with cloud-based machine translation engines to deliver, fast, fluid and highly accurate translations. Its three modes offer personal, group and one-on-one translations:
1. Listen mode: In this mode, Ambassador provides seamless personal translations. It actively listens for someone speaking in the selected language taking place around it (within 2.5 meters/8 feet) and will automatically translate to the user in their native language. Translations are delivered audibly within the device and/or as text with the accompanying app.
2. Lecture mode: In this mode, Ambassador will broadcast the words of a speaker wearing the device to multiple people in a lecture, conference or group setting. Once selected, Ambassador will capture the speech of the user and stream audio translations to their smartphone, which can be played over its loudspeaker or paired to any audio system.
3. Converse mode: This mode allows users to engage in two way communications while each is wearing an Ambassador device (sold in pairs). Each user sets the languages they want to detect and receive, and they can configure their Ambassador experience using their own smartphone or share a device in guest mode. In this configuration, people can partake in fluid natural conversations with up to four participants, as multiple Ambassador units can be paired with a single smartphone.
A Shareable Versatile Tool
Ambassador is extremely easy-to-use and can be set up in moments. To begin, users pair their Ambassador devices to their smartphone using its iOS and Android app. The intuitive app also allows users to select and switch between the languages they wish to detect and interpret, which can be changed in seconds.
The speed of control and hygienic, over-the-ear-design of Ambassador combined with the fact that multiple Ambassador units can be paired with one smartphone, makes it easily shareable and adaptable to a wide range of uses and industry sectors:
Professional/Industrial: As Ambassador is designed for fluid, long conversations between multiple people, it is a powerful business tool that can be used across a range of functions such as training/teaching, lectures/conferences and international team meetings, as well as a multitude of sectors including, hospitality, tourism, legal, healthcare, law enforcement, security and emergency/rescue services.
Friends and Family: As the world becomes more multicultural, generations within a family can have different levels of language fluency. Ambassador bridges any such language barriers at family gatherings, holidays or visits from the in-laws.
Traveling: Whether asking for directions or a restaurant recommendation, Ambassador makes shorter interactions while traveling for work or pleasure an easy conversational experience.
Availability and Technical Specifications
Sold in packs of two, Ambassador boasts the following features and capabilities:
Audio and text translations offered for over 20 languages and 42 dialects: English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Arabic, Greek, Russian, Hindi, Turkish, Polish, Chinese Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, Cantonese, Hebrew, Thai, Vietnamese and Dutch
Three translations modes: Listen/Lecture/Converse
Design: Large over-the-ear shell form-factor allows units to be easily and hygienically shared between users
Large microphone array: Two mics work in tandem to capture speech up to 2.5 meters away
Multiple sync options: Up to four Ambassador units may be paired with one smartphone
Battery life: Up to six hours
Colors: Black & Wine Red
Continuous listening, as well as push-to-talk/listen settings
Compatible with free iOS and Android app