On 10 December 2021, the first phase of the Translate4Rail project pilot – the automatic translation tool prototype to overcome language barriers in the railway communication – was successfully concluded.

RFI experts participated with ÖBB (the Austrian infrastructure manager) and the involved railway undertakings to the final event, organised by Union Internationale des Chemins de Fer (UIC) & Rail Net Europe (RNE).

The meeting aimed at reporting the whole program leading to the conception, development and implementation of the prototype of the automatic translation tool.

Our company was a protagonist throughout all phases of the project, thanks to the enthusiasm and commitment demonstrated by the people involved.

The Organisational Unit “Progetti Internazionali e Corridoi Europei” of the “Direzione Strategie, Pianificazione e Sostenibilità” coordinated the project team composed of experts from Direzioni Circolazione (Roma, Area Venezia-Trieste e Verona), Tecnica, Commerciale, Direzione Operativa Infrastrutture Territoriale Trieste e Nucleo Operativo Centrale di Roma Tuscolana. A task force that approached the research for an alternative solution to overcoming the language barrier in interoperability with a great curiosity and commitment.

RFI experts considered this activity as a transversal theme that helped everyone to look outside the box discovering new interesting aspects related to the rail traffic, being part of the international context and participating in the achievement of the European policy objectives.

The European institutions recognized the key role of the railway transport to achieve the climate neutrality by 2050. This means to implement all the needed actions in promoting the modal shift for the international traffic, including initiatives aimed at facilitating the compliance of the railway companies with the language skills required by European law.

The international cooperation plays a key role in developing innovative and shared solutions with success.

The representatives of the railway sector invited to the event welcomed with great interest the project’s development and the results achieved in this first phase. 

 Looking forward for the second phase of the project, click here for more details!