Lost in translation no more: Gangnam upgrades administrative counters with AI

Gangnam District has installed AI-powered transparent OLED communication windows at its administrative counters in southern Seoul to help foreign nationals and hearing-impaired residents. The system provides real-time subtitles in 130 languages and also displays civic updates when not in use. Pilot units are operating at the Civil Affairs and Passport Division and the Public Health Administration Division. Officials will assess translation accuracy, user satisfaction and staff workflow before any wider rollout.

The Gangnam District Office said the system was developed with private tech partners through an open innovation initiative.

The displays combine transparent OLED screens with speech-to-text and machine translation engines.

Pilot units were installed at two high-traffic public service hubs: the Civil Affairs and Passport Division and the Public Health Administration Division.

Published Sep 20, 2026 7:00 am KST

A foreign resident reads real-time translation subtitles on a transparent OLED counter screen at the Gangnam District Office in Seoul. Courtesy of Gangnam District Office

In the bustling administrative offices of Gangnam District, the sleek area of southern Seoul famous for its glamour and wealth, public service counters are undergoing a futuristic transformation.

Where transparent acrylic panels once merely served as physical barriers between residents and city officials, new artificial intelligence-powered displays are now translating spoken words with real-time subtitles across 130 languages.

The Gangnam District Office said that it has deployed a state-of-the-art "Real-Time Transparent OLED Communication Window" as part of its drive to eliminate communication hurdles for foreign nationals and hearing-impaired residents. Developed in collaboration with private tech partners through an open innovation initiative, the system merges transparent organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screens with advanced speech-to-text and machine translation engines.

For Gangnam's international and hearing-impaired residents, the technology eliminates the tedious routine of writing notes back and forth or waiting for on-call interpreters.

The interface is relatively seamless — as a city employee or visitor speaks into a desk microphone, algorithms process the audio to display transcriptions and translations onto the clear display separating them from visitors. Because the screens remain completely transparent, users can maintain direct eye contact and natural body language throughout their consultation — a human touch often lost when using handheld translation apps or translation booths.

Beyond active consultations, the dual-purpose displays automatically pivot into digital information boards, displaying real-time updates on civic services, public health protocols and municipal news.

The district has initially installed pilot units at two of its highest-traffic public service hubs: the Civil Affairs and Passport Division and the Public Health Administration Division. Officials said they plan to evaluate translation accuracy, user satisfaction and staff workflow before considering a broader rollout across all local community centers.

"By integrating AI technology into front-line public service counters, our goal is to eliminate communication barriers rooted in language or disability," said Kim Hyun-ki, head of Gangnam District. "We will continue to actively harness AI and digital technology across municipal administrations to deliver smart public services that residents can truly feel in their daily lives."

The project reflects a growing effort among Korean municipalities to deploy commercial technology in public administration. By transforming routine service counters into digital translation hubs, Gangnam is aiming to make local government more accessible to an increasingly international public.

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.

首尔江南区在其行政服务窗口安装了人工智能驱动的透明OLED互动窗口，旨在为外国公民和听障居民提供便利。该系统提供130种语言的实时字幕，并在不使用时显示市政信息。目前，民政护照科和公共卫生管理科已率先启用试点系统。在全面推广之前，相关部门将对翻译准确率、用户满意度和工作人员工作流程进行评估。

江南区政府表示，该系统是通过开放式创新计划与私营技术合作伙伴共同开发的。

该显示器将透明 OLED 屏幕与语音转文本和机器翻译引擎相结合。

试点单元安装在两个客流量大的公共服务中心：民政和护照部门以及公共卫生管理部门。

发布于2026年9月20日 上午7:00（韩国标准时间）

一位外国居民正在首尔江南区政府的透明OLED柜台屏幕上阅读实时翻译字幕。图片由江南区政府提供。

在首尔南部繁华的江南区，这个以其魅力和财富而闻名的时尚区域，熙熙攘攘的行政办公楼里的公共服务柜台正在经历一场未来主义的改造。

过去，透明亚克力板仅仅是居民和市政官员之间的物理屏障；而如今，人工智能驱动的新型显示屏能够将语音翻译成 130 种语言的实时字幕。

江南区政府表示，为消除外国公民和听障居民的沟通障碍，已部署了最先进的“实时透明OLED通信窗口”。该系统由区政府与私营科技合作伙伴通过开放式创新计划共同开发，将透明有机发光二极管（OLED）屏幕与先进的语音转文本和机器翻译引擎相结合。

对于江南区的国际居民和听障人士来说，这项技术消除了来回写纸条或等待随叫随到的翻译人员的繁琐程序。

这套界面相对流畅——当市政员工或访客对着桌面麦克风讲话时，算法会处理音频，并将转录和翻译显示在透明显示屏上，将他们与访客隔开。由于屏幕完全透明，用户在整个咨询过程中可以保持直接的眼神交流和自然的肢体语言——这种人性化的体验在使用手持翻译应用或翻译亭时往往会缺失。

除了进行积极咨询外，双用途显示屏还会自动旋转成数字信息板，显示有关市政服务、公共卫生规程和市政新闻的实时更新。

该地区已率先在两个客流量最大的公共服务中心——民政事务和护照处以及公共卫生管理处——安装了试点设备。官员表示，他们计划在考虑将试点设备推广到所有社区中心之前，先评估翻译准确率、用户满意度和员工工作流程。

“通过将人工智能技术融入一线公共服务窗口，我们的目标是消除因语言或残疾造成的沟通障碍，”江南区区长金贤基表示。“我们将继续积极在市政管理中运用人工智能和数字技术，提供居民在日常生活中真正能感受到的智能公共服务。”

该项目反映了韩国各地方政府日益重视在公共管理中应用商业技术。江南区政府通过将常规服务窗口改造为数字化翻译中心，旨在让地方政府更好地服务于日益国际化的公众。

本文由生成式人工智能协助发布，并由《韩国时报》编辑。