How to Overcome the Language Barrier with Foreign Guests: A Guide to Multilingual Guest Portals

The language barrier is felt most in small moments: a guest who orders nothing rather than calling room service, an allergen question misunderstood, a trip down to reception just to ask about spa times. When guests cannot find clear information in their own language, they either give up or add to reception’s workload.

• Printed menus carry only one or two languages.
• Product names and notes get misunderstood when ordering by phone.
• Descriptions of extra services stay in a language the guest does not understand.
• Reception hears the same questions again and again, in different languages.

A multilingual portal has two layers. The interface language covers the texts that come with the system, such as buttons, menu headings and ordering steps. The content language covers what you write: product names, descriptions, services and hotel information.

• Interface: the Oquto guest interface comes in five languages and opens in the language of the guest’s phone. On first opening, the guest is asked for a language and a day or night look.
• Content: you publish menus and content in the languages active at your hotel.
• Missing translations: content without a translation appears in the hotel’s default language, and the panel shows you what is missing.

• Rather than translating dish names word for word, keep the original name and add a short description.
• Write allergen and dietary information completely in every language; it is the most critical information for the guest.
• Use photos; a good photo says the same thing in every language.
• Keep service descriptions short: what it is, when, how long it takes and whether it is charged.
• Before publishing, have a native speaker check the translations.

For Arabic-speaking guests, translating the text is not enough; the layout has to flow right to left as well. When Arabic is chosen in the Oquto guest portal, the interface is shown right to left, so menus, buttons and steps read in the direction the guest is used to.

Decide which languages to switch on by looking at your guest profile. Your booking data shows which countries your guests come from. If a language you need is not in the interface, we can add new languages to suit your guests.