Age: 31
Occupation: Marketing Specialist at an international firm
Location: Mexico City, Mexico
Languages: Native Spanish speaker, fluent German speaker, intermediate English learner
Technical Comfort: Tech-savvy, uses translation tools regularly
“I need my work messages to be perfectly clear and professional, not blunt. And if I learn English while doing it, this will be even better!
Age: 19
Occupation: Out-of-State College Student
Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL
Languages: Native English speaker, intermediate in Spanish and curious to explore other languages
Technical Comfort: Somewhat tech-savvy, uses language exchanging applications to practice learning
“Slang is tough to understand without context. I need translations that actually make sense during conversation, rather than literal translations, so that I can learn while connecting with the friends I’ve made.”
Javier, a marketing specialist in Mexico City, needs to send work messages to his international colleagues. He's fluent in German, so the app doesn't make any suggestions when he contacts his German coworkers, but he does use it to send a message in English to his American colleague, Sarah. He worries that his translation could come across as blunt or too informal, risking miscommunication. Using the translation tool, Javier carefully drafts the message to ensure it’s both respectful and clear. He selects a professional, polite tone, verifies the meaning with the “True Meaning” box, and previews the translation to avoid misinterpretations. He also listens to the audio playback to practice pronunciation, so he can build his language skills while making sure Sarah receives the intended tone.
For the summer, Marie is currently residing in the beautiful city of Santiago de los Caballeros in the Dominican Republic. She is eager to finally put her years of learning to the test beyond an academic setting. As she explores the island, from city to city, she acquires many friends that she wants to keep in contact with. When chatting with one, she realizes she is not as knowledgeable with slang as she thought. Her friend sends a long paragraph full of slang and text abbreviations, in which Marie is trying to decipher. Google Translator literally translated "qué lo qué" to "that what", leaving her clueless how to answer. With features such as "True Meaning", message revision suggestions and tone selection, the application was able to help her both understand and properly respond to the text message. Reviewing the list of common phrases encountered helps her be better prepared for similar situations in the future