Breaking Language Barriers in Scientific Congresses

AI Translation and the Future of Multilingual Dialogue

Inspired by a presentation delivered by Fardad Zabetian, CEO of KUDO, during the Association Days Europe seminar.

Scientific congresses bring together researchers, physicians and professionals from a wide range of linguistic and cultural backgrounds. While English has become the dominant language of international scientific communication, language barriers continue to influence participation and the quality of dialogue in many meetings.

In recent years, new developments in artificial intelligence and speech recognition technologies have begun to open new possibilities for multilingual interaction within international scientific events.

During the Association Days Europe seminar dedicated to the future of scientific congresses, participants had the opportunity to explore how AI-supported simultaneous translation tools may contribute to facilitating real-time multilingual dialogue between speakers and audiences.

For decades, international congresses relied on traditional simultaneous interpretation systems based on specialised interpreters working in soundproof booths. While highly effective, this model involves significant logistical complexity and costs, which often limit the number of languages that can be supported.

As scientific collaboration becomes increasingly global, the need for more flexible and scalable solutions has become evident.

Recent advances in artificial intelligence have made it possible to combine speech recognition, machine translation and real-time audio delivery into integrated digital systems capable of supporting multilingual communication during conferences and meetings.

These technologies allow participants to follow presentations in different languages through personal devices such as smartphones, tablets or laptops, reducing the need for extensive physical infrastructure while expanding accessibility.

The potential implications for scientific congresses are significant.

First, AI-supported translation can make congress participation more inclusive, allowing delegates who may not feel fully comfortable presenting or interacting in English to engage more actively in discussions.

Second, multilingual dialogue may encourage broader participation from regions where language barriers traditionally limited international visibility within scientific meetings.

Finally, digital translation systems offer new flexibility for organisers, enabling multilingual interaction even in smaller sessions or workshops where traditional interpretation would not normally be available.

At the same time, these technologies should not be understood as replacing human interaction or professional interpreters in every context. Scientific dialogue often involves complex terminology, nuance and specialised vocabulary that still require careful interpretation.

However, the rapid evolution of AI-driven language technologies suggests that multilingual communication will become an increasingly important dimension of future scientific meetings.

Scientific congresses have always played a crucial role in connecting international research communities. As collaboration expands across continents and disciplines, technologies capable of facilitating dialogue across languages may help ensure that scientific exchange remains open, inclusive and effective.

In this perspective, digital translation tools represent not only a technological innovation but also a significant step toward a more accessible and globally connected scientific congress environment, where multilingual communication can become a natural dimension of international scientific dialogue.meetings.

This article is based on remarks delivered during the Association Days Europe seminar on the evolution of scientific congresses.

Insights from the Association Days Europe Seminar

This article is part of the Scientific Congress Insights editorial stream of the Congress Intelligence Journal, developed within the analytical framework of the Congress Intelligence Unit.

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Association Days Europe

Association Days Europe brings together presidents and delegates of scientific societies with destinations and organisers involved in international congresses.

The event offers a space for dialogue on the evolving role of scientific meetings within the global research ecosystem.

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