KLM Airport Seats Translate Languages So Travelers Can Talk To Each Other

by Chuck Martin , December 29, 2017

One airline figured a way to connect global travelers who speak different languages.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines created seats that translate any language in real time, allowing travelers with different languages to understand each other.

The KLM Connecting Seats, created with DDB & Tribal Amsterdam, were installed at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.

Each seat was designed for travelers to rest their head in the center with speakers on each side. A directional microphone facilitated the audio connection and the seats faced each other so that the people speaking could see each other and have a conversation, with each language spoken being translated.

KLM and its agency used Google’s Cloud Speech, Cloud Translation and Web Speech so that the seats automatically translated every language, including all dialects.

Travelers from more than 30 different nationalities used the seats to speak with strangers from different lands.

Seated consumers exchanged views on the world and offered each other holiday greetings.