Research from global multilingual event technology company Interprefy has revealed the biggest barriers preventing Middle East event organisers from adopting multilingual live translation services, with concerns over AI accuracy emerging as the most significant obstacle.
The study, Accelerating Global Communication, surveyed more than 380 event, marketing, project management and learning & development leaders across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain.
It found that over half (55%) of business event organisers are hesitant about adopting real-time multilingual technologies due to perceived concerns around the accuracy of AI-generated captions and their ability to consistently convey the intended meaning in live business discussions.
Alongside accuracy concerns, respondents highlighted two further barriers restraining adoption:
- 51% pointed to gaps in language support, particularly for regional and less widely digitised languages,
- 49% expressed data privacy fears, especially when discussing sensitive corporate or government matters.
Although demand for multilingual event support is rising sharply across the Middle East, organisers report that trust in the technology has not yet caught up, creating a critical gap between regional ambition and practical implementation.
Oddmund Braaten, CEO at Interprefy, said, “The Middle East is hosting more international events than ever and audiences increasingly expect seamless participation in their own language. This makes it understandable that organisers want to feel confident in the tools they use.
Concerns around AI accuracy remain common, but they also highlight a growing need for clearer guidance and more transparent options that help organisers match the right mix of human and AI support to each event.”
The report indicates that many Middle Eastern teams are still navigating the complexity of multilingual delivery, with varying levels of understanding around the differences between remote simultaneous interpretation (RSI), AI-powered live captions and speech translation technologies.
As events become more global and as international accessibility frameworks, such as the European Accessibility Act (EAA), influence expectations across regions, organisers are under mounting pressure to deliver inclusive, multilingual experiences that meet global standards.
To overcome existing barriers, Interprefy emphasises the importance of building greater confidence in accuracy, expanding early planning for language support, addressing privacy concerns through compliant translation environments and ensuring internal teams receive clear guidance on when to use AI, human interpreters or a mixed event setup.
By strengthening understanding and trust in these solutions, Middle East organisers can unlock the full potential of multilingual communication and ensure every participant, regardless of language, can engage meaningfully.
“There is enormous potential for event organisers in the Middle East to set a new benchmark in multilingual event excellence. Audience demand is already strong; the opportunity now lies in equipping teams with the confidence and knowledge to choose the right language-support solutions. By addressing accuracy and privacy concerns early, organisers can move from hesitation to leadership and create events where every participant feels heard,” concluded Braaten.
