From military to marketing: That sums up the potential of the LinguaSys multilingual chat app, called TransGen Mobile, released today for Android phones.
Originally developed as a translation tool for the military, TransGen Mobile allows for the creation of private mobile chat rooms in which up to 500 individuals can participate; users can create multiple chat rooms and moderate multiple multilingual chats at the same time. TransGen Mobile offers personal translation when not in chat mode, and private multilingual chat when in chat mode. The app is available at the Android Marketplace; an enterprise version, which allows for in-house control of data and content, is available directly from LinguaSys.
The marketing potential for TransGen Mobile is clear: It will be possible to connect with consumers or customers in real time, no matter when or where, across language barriers.
I see international-class brands wanting to use this feature, since their consumers hail from around the world and speak numerous languages. Or perhaps a business in a city where there are speakers of many different languages–such as expat-heavy metropolises like Prague or Tokyo–can use TransGen Mobile to promote everything from dance parties to business conventions.
I can imagine how a company could have its own branded chat room, and set a time for a discussion for which consumers–limited to the first 500–can sign up. The discussion can be about a new product, or some other fun campaign, and maybe even offer a coupon or discount code as a reward for participating.
TransGen Mobile might also a good way for a company such as a solutions provider to interact with a multilingual client base–stepping up customer relations and finally giving the term “world-class service” a tangible meaning.