More Languages at the ATM

March 12, 2005

When getting cash this week, I noticed that the ATM had learned two new languages: Korean and Vietnamese. That’s in addition to the four it had already mastered earlier – English, Spanish, traditional Chinese, and Hmong. Wells Fargo is one of a growing number of American companies that have realized that multilingual software isn’t just required for their global success, but that it’s also good for business at home. Their press release provides some background; the US Census Bureau report “Language Use and English-Speaking Ability: 2000” has more.