One of the unquestionable strengths of the United States of America is the diverse nature of its populace. As a nation, the US has consistently relied on immigrants from all over the globe to bring their talents to our shores. Some of America’s best and brightest minds were born overseas—Sundar Pichai, Sergey Brin, and Jensen Huang are just a few names amongst the many business and tech leaders who immigrated to the US. One result of being a beacon for immigrants all over the globe? Over 430 languages are spoken in the United States, with conservative estimates indicating that over 67 million people (1 in 5 Americans) speak a language other than English at home. That number is up from only 23 million (1 in 10 Americans) in 1980, marking a nearly 300% increase over the last 45 years.
So, what does a continually diversifying country mean for the multifamily industry? For one, new immigrants to the country are going to need housing. And while many of them may speak English in addition to another language, a fair amount of them won’t. That could pose a problem for multifamily operators who can’t find the right translators in certain areas. The Fair Housing Act explicitly prevents the discrimination of renters based on their inability to speak English, and not having the right resources in place to provide fair access to housing regardless of spoken language could be perceived as unethical or unfair.
Fortunately, AI offers operators a new, cost-effective solution to help serve prospects in the languages they speak at home. EliseAI’s LeasingAI and ResidentAI products leverage real-time translation capabilities to instantly translate messages back and forth in 51 languages across SMS, email, and webchat. EliseAI’s products are also capable of inbound and outbound calling in 7 languages, including French, Portuguese, and Spanish. Let’s dive into how the technology works before showcasing real examples of happy resident interactions, as well as other ways AI-powered translation is reshaping the property management industry.
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How AI-Powered Real-Time Translation Works
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AI-powered translation breaks down language barriers by instantly converting messages between languages. At its core, AI translation leverages advanced technology called Neural Machine Translation (NMT), a method that mirrors the way the human brain processes languages. When a prospective resident types a message, the AI first breaks down the sentence, capturing its meaning and context, and turns words into numeric representations that it can then process. From there, the AI uses neural networks—a form of artificial intelligence trained on millions of multilingual examples—to reconstruct that message accurately in the target language.
One key to the effectiveness of NMT is the attention mechanism, a technology that helps the AI determine the most relevant parts of a sentence when translating. This approach ensures that phrases retain their original intent and nuance, avoiding the common pitfalls of older translation methods like unnatural phrasing or incorrect meanings. While AI translation isn’t always 100% perfect (just as a translator might make an error), the ability to naturally translate idioms and unique expressions makes AI a significant step forward over older real-time translation technology.
Because AI learns continuously from interactions, its translation quality steadily improves over time. This ongoing training means translations become more natural, culturally sensitive, and reliable. Property management teams benefit directly from these improvements, as real-time translation provides smoother conversations with prospective renters who speak diverse languages. Instead of struggling through misunderstandings, teams and prospective residents communicate fluidly, leading to higher engagement, fewer barriers in the leasing process, and ultimately, a better rental experience.
Delivering Differentiated Resident Experiences with AI Translation
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For multifamily operators trying to stand out in a crowded and competitive market, being able to serve prospects and residents in the languages they speak is a huge differentiating factor. When coupled with the fact that EliseAI’s products get back to prospects and residents in 5 minutes or less, 24 hours a day, operators using EliseAI bring an unparalleled level of attention to detail and responsiveness that other communities in their markets will struggle to compete with. In an environment where renters have come to prioritize quick reply times over everything else, not having to wait hours for a translator to review a message is a huge difference maker.
Here’s what the translation workflow looks like in practice as you communicate with prospects who don’t speak English:
- The lead messages your AI Assistant in a supported non-English language
- EliseAI translates the message into English
- EliseAI runs comprehension models to parse out what the prospect/resident is saying
- EliseAI generates a response, including client specific language
- EliseAI translates back to the language being used and responds to the lead
All of this happens almost instantaneously, allowing Elise’s AI assistants to handle prospect and resident inquiries in under 5 minutes on average. Compare that to the hours that an agent might spend waiting for a translator to help them respond to a message and you can understand why leading operators use EliseAI to help them manage their resident and prospect communications.
The power of real-time translation to improve housing access doesn’t stop there—it can also have an impact on the efficiency of your onsite operations.
Improved Maintenance Operations with AI Translation
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The application of AI-powered real-time translation doesn’t stop at managing prospect and resident communications. AI also enables maintenance teams to more efficiently deploy technicians who are more comfortable communicating in languages other than English. EliseAI’s Maintenance product is capable of translating work orders to and from other languages, most frequently Spanish, to make it easier for maintenance technicians to understand and solve issues as they arise. EliseAI’s new Maintenance App is also entirely localized in Spanish for Spanish speaking maintenance technicians.
AI Speaks the Language Your Residents Speak
As people from around the world continue to immigrate to the United States, the ratio of people who don’t speak English at home to those that do will continue to increase. For multifamily operators, continuing to invest in technology to equitably serve the needs of the non-English speaking population will be a key component of ensuring continued compliance and fairness. And AI is only going to continue improving, meaning that the 51 languages EliseAI can translate into today might swell to 75 or 100 in a year’s time.
Interested in the real-time translation capabilities of EliseAI’s full suite of leasing and resident products? Get in touch with us today to learn more.