Babeltext expands translation platform to 249 languages
Tue, 28th Jul 2026
SEAN MITCHELL Publisher
Babeltext has expanded its digital translation platform to support 249 languages and is using the milestone to challenge government policy on automated multilingual services.
The Sydney-based company argues that official thinking still treats all machine translation as if it were an uncontrolled public tool, rather than a supervised service system with human oversight. It says the distinction matters more as public agencies handle rising volumes of routine enquiries across digital channels.
Babeltext's platform is designed to let organisations keep their existing service teams while adding multilingual support across SMS, WhatsApp, web chat, WeChat, Messenger, Telegram, Instagram and Discord. Customers can send messages in their preferred language, with the system translating the exchange, routing the enquiry and passing routine questions to an approved AI agent before escalating more sensitive or complex matters to a human operator.
Staff continue to work in English while responses are translated back to customers in their chosen language, according to the company. Conversation history, reporting and audit logs remain available throughout the exchange within an AWS-hosted workplace.
David Hayes, founder of Babeltext, said public sector policy had not kept pace with technical change. "Too much of government still treats every use of computer-driven translation as though it were an uncontrolled public translation website," he said.
He drew a distinction between broad online translation tools and systems built with defined boundaries and oversight. "That is not what Babeltext is. Babeltext is a governed customer-service platform that keeps people in control. The AI deals with approved routine enquiries, while the existing service team takes over whenever human judgement is required. That is the blind spot: Babeltext does not replace the ser
📌 Babeltext expands translation platform to 249 languages (Phuloni Terang)
🏢 TechDay Ireland
📍 Phuloni Terang
Reply to this offer
Impress this employer describing Your skills and abilities, fill out the form below and leave Your personal touch in the presentation letter.