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If there's one thing the events industry has learned over the past few years, it's that the rules have changed. Conferences, theaters, and cultural events are facing tighter budgets, smaller audiences, and more uncertainty than ever. Travel is expensive, tourism patterns are shifting, and attendees expect experiences that are engaging and more inclusive. For many organizations, attracting a broader audience is the difference between staying open and closing their doors.
Enter real-time AI translation and captions. What used to be a niche accessibility feature is now one of the most powerful tools for reaching new audiences, boosting engagement, and even generating new revenue. Organizations like IMEX America (which serves attendees from over 150 countries) and The Theater Center in Manhattan (home of the long-running Off-Broadway hit The Perfect Crime) are using AI translation to connect with people who might never have had the chance to participate before. This post covers how AI translation is opening new audiences for live entertainment, turning conference attendees from passive spectators to engaged participants, and building a borderless future for global events.
Take The Theater Center in Manhattan. They host the long-running Off-Broadway hit The Perfect Crime, and like many theaters in New York City, they rely heavily on international tourists. But travel has changed, and audiences are more global than ever. By offering real-time captions and translation in dozens of languages, The Theater Center has made it possible for visitors from around the world to attend an Off-Broadway show and follow along in their own language. Suddenly, the show is now accessible to people from Tokyo, São Paulo, Berlin, anywhere. For the theater, that means more ticket sales, fuller houses, and a more vibrant, diverse audience. And in an industry where even small changes in attendance can determine whether a show continues, AI translation can create a lifeline.
Now imagine scaling that across Broadway. Entire productions could be accessible to a global audience without hiring dozens of interpreters or adding complex equipment. It’s about survival, growth, and giving theaters a real chance to thrive in a challenging economic climate.
The conference world is seeing the same kind of transformation. Events are designed to connect people, share ideas, and spark innovation. But when language is a barrier, those conversations can stall. That’s why IMEX America, one of the largest gatherings for the meetings industry, turned to AI translation and captions. This enabled attendees from over 150 countries to access sessions in the language they preferred, ask questions, participate in discussions, and share ideas with peers from cultures and regions they might never have reached otherwise.
The addition of AI translation and captions not only open the door for more attendees, but also creates richer, more meaningful experiences. AI translation makes conferences and theaters more inclusive and engaging. Language access takes attendees from passive spectators to engaged participants. They can ask questions, interact with speakers, and experience performances as if language wasn’t a barrier at all.
Modern AI translation supports dozens of languages, with new languages added regularly. Wordly supports the most-requested languages across international events, including Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Russian, Italian, Turkish, and many more, with custom glossary support for industry-specific vocabulary, event branding, and speaker terminology.
Attendees scan a QR code displayed at the event or click a shared link, select their preferred language, and follow along on their own phone, tablet, or laptop. No app download is required, no account creation is needed, and attendees can switch languages at any time during the session. This eliminates the traditional friction of interpreter booths, distribution receivers, and specialized headphone rentals.
Yes. AI translation supports in-person attendees (via QR code), virtual attendees (via shared link or direct integration with Zoom, Teams, Webex, and other meeting platforms), and hybrid audiences where some attendees are on-site and others join remotely. The same session translates identically for all attendees regardless of format.
AI translation works effectively for events of any size, from small workshops with 20 attendees to global congresses with thousands. Wordly has supported events ranging from small corporate meetings to major international gatherings like IMEX America (10,000+ event planners from over 150 countries) and the World Congress of Nephrology (4,500+ attendees from 130 nations).
Yes. Wordly's Boost, Block, and Replace glossary technology lets event organizers preload industry-specific terms, brand names, speaker names, acronyms, and technical vocabulary before an event. This significantly improves translation quality for specialized content across medical, legal, technical, financial, and other domain-specific conferences.
Leading organizations using AI translation for their global events include IMEX America, Cvent, MPI, ICMA, PCMA, the European Association for Osseointegration (EAO), the International Society of Nephrology (ISN), the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC), the American Nurses Association (ANA), and hundreds of other conference organizers, associations, and cultural institutions.
AI translation scales across dozens of languages simultaneously, reduces costs, and eliminates equipment needs. Where a single human interpreter can only translate one language at a time and typically costs hundreds to thousands of dollars per day, AI translates the same content into many languages at once from a single source. According to the 2026 State of AI Translation Report, 66% of enterprise event planners now say AI translation outperforms human interpreters on the outcomes that matter for their events.
Yes. AI translation is increasingly used in theater, opera, concerts, comedy, and other live performances to make performances accessible to international audiences. The Theater Center in Manhattan uses Wordly to deliver real-time captions and translations for its Off-Broadway productions, letting visitors from Tokyo, São Paulo, Berlin, and elsewhere follow along in their own language. This expands ticket sales, fills more seats, and opens performances to audiences who would otherwise be excluded by language.
From a business perspective, the benefits are clear. Traditional interpretation can be expensive, limited in scope, and logistically challenging. AI translation offers dozens of languages at once, across both live and virtual settings, at a fraction of the cost. It’s a tool that saves money, drives revenue, and opens new possibilities for growth. For theaters and conferences operating on tight budgets, that combination of impact and affordability is a game-changer.
Looking ahead, the possibilities are exciting. AI translation is only going to get better, more seamless, and more integrated into experiences that audiences already love. Imagine Broadway shows where every tourist can follow along perfectly, or conferences where ideas flow freely across cultures without a single language barrier. The technology has the ability to make events accessible and more resilient.
At a time when budgets are tight and audiences are more global than ever, real-time AI translation can be a lifeline. For theaters, it can mean reaching the international tourist who might otherwise skip the show. For conferences, it can mean a more diverse, engaged, and innovative audience. And for audiences themselves, it means no one has to miss out on the experience simply because of the language they speak.
Ready to make your next event truly borderless? Request a personalized demo today.
About the Author: Dave Deasy is the CMO of Wordly, the leader in live AI translation, captions, and summaries. Wordly translates dozens of languages in real-time, making in-person, virtual, and hybrid meetings and events more inclusive, accessible, and engaging.
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