AN EVALUATION OF A MULTILINGUAL CHATBOT

Abstract

Chatbots are computer programs that seek to emulate human dialogue, and thus, provide a more natural user interface. Although some support other languages, most converse only in English, and only a few can communicate in multiple languages. Here, we describe a new computer application that links the Rose English-speaking chatbot with Google Translate, thus providing conversational capability in 103 languages. To evaluate this new system, a group of undergraduate students reviewed responses from either it or a human, without knowing which was which in a modified version of the Turing Test. Input text to the application was automatically translated from German to English for the Web-based Rose chatbot to process. Results show that the students often were able to ascertain which responses came from the chatbot, showing that it has not quite reached human quality. Regardless, people can communicate with a chatbot effectively in a different language with this hybrid application.