Analyst insights: how Language AI is transforming manufacturing
According to a recent Forrester study, 85% of manufacturers have AI-enabled and generative AI tools for business applications on their priority list for implementation in the next 12 months. (1) But the real question is, how are you planning to take action?
To help shape your AI adoption plans, we partnered with Forrester for our latest webinar, “How Language AI will shape manufacturing in 2025”. In that webinar, Forrester analysts Martha Bennett and Kathleen Pierce, together with Joy Uzuegbu, Lead Product Marketing Manager at DeepL, delved into the latest insights manufacturers need to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to AI adoption. Topics included:
- Communication challenges manufacturers face—and their impact on bottom lines
- The latest insights from DeepL and Forrester on global AI adoption trends
- Real-life examples of manufacturers using Language AI to bridge communication gaps and deliver ROI
Read on for the highlights, or watch the full webinar here.
Language barriers in 2025: the challenge is real
Did you know that just 20% of the world speaks English at a useful level? (2) It's not surprising, then, that language barriers come up all the time when you’re a global manufacturer, often in ways you're not even aware of. And the consequences of miscommunication can be costly, leading to misalignments from the factory floor to your supply chain and beyond. (3)
This makes global operations significantly more challenging, particularly when there’s complex, highly technical documentation involved. And it can hinder scalability too, because global expansion requires a clear understanding of local regulations and operating procedures.
Add to this a recent Forbes study highlighting the toll that poor communication takes on employees internally, and it’s clear that, when it comes to manufacturing operations, language barriers continue to have a far-reaching impact. (4)
AI: is it all just hype?
“AI has an increasingly important role to play in all business areas and functions of manufacturers.” Martha Bennett, VP, Principal Analyst, Forrester
AI spans a broad portfolio of technologies, of which generative AI is just one part. And whilst some are emerging, our experts agree that, as a whole, AI is here to stay.
According to Martha, the manufacturing industry is not behind when it comes to AI, with 85% of participants from a recent Forrester survey calling it a “priority”. (5) In fact, AI is already well-established in many manufacturing organizations, particularly in the field of predictive analytics and translation, where it’s been transformative.
Language AI represents a new era
In the webinar, Kathleen explains how in the pre-AI era, manufacturing companies previously only translated the bare minimum needed to get by (it was a costly, time-consuming process). But by using Language AI, the volume of translated content has scaled enormously. The implications of this–seamless communication for manufacturers, both within and beyond the business–have been transformational. When every relevant technical document and customer conversation can be translated instantly, and to a higher quality, everyone from production to compliance is more aligned, more productive, and more efficient.
“I've been in localization for a long time. Traditionally, in business, it's always been very asset- and project-based. But it’s completely different now. We're entering an era of ubiquitous localization.” Kathleen Pierce, Principal Analyst, Forrester
Think about all the potential touch points: from marketing to technical documentation, customer support to global supply chains. AI translation enables manufacturers to translate everything they need, whenever they need it. As Kathleen says, "It’s a new game!"
Don’t underestimate the risk of the status quo
When questioning whether to adopt AI translation tools, an important point to consider is whether you can afford to keep things the way they are. Think about all the different languages you encounter as a manufacturing business. Think about your various stakeholders (from customers to trade compliance to the partner ecosystem to your own employees). And think about the many touch points requiring translation, from technical documents and supply chain materials to internal applications, partner portals, and websites. Then ask yourself three important questions:
- What’s the risk of miscommunication at each of these steps?
- How confident are you that your audience will be able to understand everything in the source languages?
- What are some of the consequences of poor communication for these audiences and touch points?
The most complex, nuanced translations will always require human input, but with human-trained AI translations, you can do all the heavy lifting at scale—something that was previously not possible.
Kathleen also notes that specialized language models like DeepL’s LLM are a world apart from the raft of free, untrained tools available online, because they’re secure and trained by hand-picked language experts on proprietary data. This makes them more reliable for business use.
Watch the webinar to learn more
Our latest webinar, “How Language AI will shape manufacturing in 2025”, offers expert insight into how we can embrace AI to supercharge manufacturing workflows and growth. Watch it on demand now for a deeper dive into how Language AI will shape manufacturing. You'll also see how manufacturers like Beiersdorf, JAE, and Panasonic Connect are already leveraging DeepL to improve communication and efficiency.
Knowledge is power, so kick-start your own journey to implementing AI by learning from some of the best analysts in the industry.
Watch the webinar in full here.
(1) Forrester’s Priorities Survey 2024
(2) Pearson “How English empowers your tomorrow” March 2024
(3) Axios HQ “2024 State of Internal Communications” Accessed September 24, 2024
(4) Forbes Media. “The State of Workplace Communication in 2024,” March 8, 2023
(5) Forrester’s Priorities Survey 2024