Builders deploy AI translators to deliver real-time instructions as foreign nationals make up growing share of construction workforce
Yun Seung-uk, a safety team leader at Lotte E&C, stood at the podium as approximately 600 workers prepared for their morning briefing at a bustling construction site in Seoul on Thursday.
As he outlined the day’s workload, large screens positioned to his right and left, alongside 16 supplementary monitors, showcased crucial images, action plans, and a dedicated “AI translator” window, revolutionizing communication on site.
Upon his speech, the “AI translator” window instantly displayed translations in Korean, Chinese, and Vietnamese, ensuring real-time comprehension for the diverse workforce. Notably, foreign nationals constituted 40 percent of the workers present at this particular construction site.
“Previously, there were no Korean subtitles,” explained Yun, who brings over 30 years of experience to construction site management. “Now, with Korean subtitles available, we can accurately verify the translations, enhancing communication clarity for everyone.”
With an increasing reliance on overseas workers within the South Korean construction industry, local builders are strategically adopting artificial intelligence to foster more effective communication and ensure site safety.
Data from the Construction Workers Mutual Aid Association reveals a consistent upward trend in the proportion of foreign workers at construction sites: 11.8 percent in 2020, 12.7 percent in 2022, and reaching 14.7 percent in 2024. This growth underscores the urgent need for advanced communication solutions.
Lotte Innovate, Lotte Group’s digital transformation and IT services division, collaborated with Lotte E&C to develop the nation’s pioneering construction-specific AI translator in July. This innovative system leverages speech-to-text translation technology, accurately recognizing spoken Korean and translating it into multiple languages via text, directly addressing the complexities of construction site communication.
Distinguishing itself from general translation services like Google or Naver, Lotte’s advanced AI translator provides support in 20 languages and possesses the unique capability to understand and accurately interpret specialized construction jargon. The technology has been rigorously refined with over 300 hours of real-world audio data, including typical construction site background noise, ensuring unparalleled accuracy and practical utility for multilingual communication in construction.
Currently, Lotte E&C has deployed this innovative AI translator across approximately 40 construction sites nationwide, significantly enhancing operational efficiency and safety protocols.
Jin Tian Goang and Yuan Guo Feng, Chinese workers from Lotte’s partner firm IL E&C, both possess Korean language skills. However, they emphasized that their daily ‘toolbox meetings’—smaller, critical gatherings held after the main morning briefing—are now remarkably more efficient, concluding in just 10 to 20 minutes thanks to the AI translator.
“Previously, we had to interpret every single detail, but now we only need to translate specific parts. This saves a significant amount of time,” explained Yuan. Jin further elaborated that before the AI tool, they would frequently “spend around 40 minutes translating the daily morning briefing after the main session, which was a considerable time drain.”
Lotte E&C is continuously enhancing its AI translator, with plans to officially roll out a QR code-based service in July. This upcoming feature will empower construction workers to access live, real-time translations directly on their smartphones, further boosting accessibility and communication effectiveness on site.
Similarly, Daewoo Engineering & Construction has recently integrated an AI translator across its construction sites, aiming to significantly enhance safety protocols and optimize workflow efficiency, particularly among its growing contingent of foreign workers.
“Newcomers from Vietnam often require explanations in Vietnamese initially, as they may not understand Korean,” stated Pham Van Tuan, a worker at Daewoo E&C’s partner firm, Seoyong Construction. This highlights a common communication challenge faced in diverse construction environments.
“Now that we have the AI translator, it has remarkably improved overall communication and understanding on site,” he added, underscoring the technology’s positive impact.
Daewoo E&C has strategically adopted Lotte Innovate’s AI translator program, adapting it for seamless integration into its proprietary mobile-based safety and health management application, Smarty. The company is actively gathering valuable data through interviews with foreign workers and continuously collaborating with Lotte Innovate to further refine and advance the program, ensuring it meets the specific needs of diverse construction teams.
Lee Jae-hwan, an official from Daewoo E&C’s safety and health team, emphasized that the primary motivation behind introducing the AI translator was to bolster safety protocols among foreign workers through exceptionally clear and precise communication. This focus on clear communication is paramount for construction site safety.
“The program is engineered to process and deliver translations sentence by sentence, intelligently recognizing natural pauses in speech,” explained Lee. “We have prioritized 15 key languages based on the demographics of our foreign workforce across various sites. However, should an additional language beyond these 15 be required, it can readily be accessed and utilized through the AI translator, offering comprehensive multilingual support.”
Thanks to Daewoo E&C’s implementation of QR code-based access, every foreign worker can effortlessly access the AI translator service directly on their personal smartphones, choosing their preferred language for real-time instructions and information. This mobile accessibility significantly enhances user convenience on construction sites.
Kim Seung-eun, Daewoo E&C’s safety manager, highlighted that the AI translator empowers supervisors to deliver exceptionally specific and detailed directions and guidelines to foreign workers, eradicating ambiguity and significantly improving safety communication.
“Leaders from our partner firms are now able to convey the maximum amount of critical information to their foreign employees with unprecedented clarity,” stated Kim.
“Without the AI translator, instructions might be generalized, such as ‘Work on this and that’ or ‘Be careful.’ However, with the AI translator, supervisors can provide highly specific directives, like ‘Today, as you are installing aluminum formwork pins, ensure they are consistently facing inward.’ This level of detail is crucial for precision and safety in complex construction tasks.”
Currently deployed at two Daewoo E&C construction sites, the company has ambitious plans to further upgrade the AI translator program and significantly expand its implementation across many more workplaces, solidifying its commitment to advanced, inclusive communication on all projects.
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