The challenge: How do you keep teams connected as overseas operations expand?

Guided by its corporate mission, "Move the Heart and Touch the Soul ", Pioneer is evolving into a solutions company that tackles mobility challenges through integrated products and services. Building on decades of sound technologies since its founding in 1938, the company is combining its traditional strengths with new digital offerings, accelerating its transformation from a manufacturing company into a fully-fledged solutions provider.

As the company evolves, so does the way its teams communicate. New R&D bases in India and Germany, along with an expanding OEM business in Europe and India, have created more opportunities for collaboration across borders. And with overseas operations growing, effective communication has become a central challenge.

Language barriers, in particular, were a key hurdle standing in the way. As Yoichi Okuyama, Head of DX System Department, explained:

"At Pioneer, meetings involving both domestic and international participants had traditionally been conducted in English. However, these were not particularly frequent, and because they relied on interpreters or attendees being proficient in English, it meant communication was not significantly hindered. Yet, with the expansion of our overseas operations, joint projects increased substantially.

Opportunities for English-language meetings surged dramatically, making communication challenges abundantly clear. While we encourage our employees to learn English, not all are proficient. Relying solely on a few employees to interpret, as we had done previously, was insufficient to cope with the increased number of meetings. Consequently, a new mechanism to support communication between domestic and international parties became necessary."

 ▲ Mr Yoichi Okuyama, Department Manager, DX System Department, Information Strategy & Management Group

Facing challenges from its expanding overseas operations, the DX System Department was tasked by the CIO to introduce voice translation tools. Miscommunication and limited coordination between locations had become pressing concerns for management. In response, Pioneer launched a new initiative aimed at strengthening global collaboration.

The solution: Usability that wins

DeepL Voice for Meetings stood out as the best solution capable of displaying real-time translations directly within Microsoft Teams, eliminating the need to switch between different applications and screens, and offering superior operational efficiency.

Mr. Okuyama noted:

"It was not easy to follow subtitles scrolling on a different tool while conversing with the person on the other side of the screen. We tried trial versions of competing products, but it was difficult to keep up visually. In this regard, DeepL Voice for Meetings displays translations within the familiar Teams UI, making it much easier to follow the subtitles."

The trial also reaffirmed the high translation accuracy of DeepL products. Mr. Okuyama and his team recognized that similar challenges existed not only in spoken meetings but also in text translation. Different departments were using various translation tools, resulting in inconsistent quality and uneven information-sharing. To address this, the DX System Department established DeepL as the company-wide recommended tool for text translation, ensuring consistent accuracy and tone while enabling smoother, more reliable communication. Today, DeepL Pro is widely used across departments, with users praising its improved translation accuracy and more natural-sounding translations.

Building on these successes, Pioneer rolled out DeepL Voice for Meetings across domestic and international locations. Any initial questions around usage and configuration were quickly addressed through DeepL’s manuals and guidelines shared on the internal portal, helping employees quickly understand and embrace the tool. 

Highlighting the value of DeepL’s support, Mr. Okuyama said: 

"We’re always grateful for the customer support. For instance, when DeepL Voice failed to operate due to another company's groupware not being updated, DeepL's customer support team swiftly grasped the situation and provided an appropriate solution.

The fact that they offer advice that takes into consideration the user's entire environment, not just the scope of their own product, is extremely reassuring from an operational standpoint."

The results: Confidently speaking up, no matter the language

Pioneer now uses DeepL Voice for Meetings in settings ranging from executive boardrooms to everyday team discussions. According to Mr. Okuyama, this has created an environment where employees can communicate freely and focus on the discussion without worrying about the differences in language.

"The greatest benefit to introducing DeepL Voice for Meetings is that employees can now focus on 'substantive communication'. Previously, employees less confident in English might worry whether their comments were understood or struggle to follow other speakers, often neglecting agenda discussions or information sharing. In some cases, the hassle of such interactions caused them to hesitate in speaking up or asking questions, undermining the purpose of meetings.

Now, all employees, regardless of English proficiency, can concentrate on meaningful discussions and sharing information. This improved environment has facilitated smoother communication both domestically and internationally, reduced design and development rework, and accelerated our business cycle, boosting productivity."

Yoichi Okuyama, Head of DX System Department

Meetings with European teams often stalled due to language difficulties, creating stress for Japanese participants. But with DeepL Voice for Meetings, employees can convey their thoughts more easily, creating a safe space where everyone can speak up and discuss agenda items openly.

In addition, Mr. Okuyama explains that DeepL Pro and DeepL Voice for Meetings have greatly reduced the preparation previously required for English meetings. Employees no longer need to spend hours translating materials or preparing speaking points in advance. With DeepL Pro’s file translation feature and real-time support from DeepL Voice for Meetings, meeting preparation has become much more efficient, substantially reducing employee workloads.

Looking ahead: Stronger bonds, faster global collaboration

Pioneer is now exploring DeepL Voice for Conversations, a real-time speech translation tool for face-to-face interactions. The company aims to eliminate language barriers not just for online meetings, but in-person conversations too, further improving internal communication.

Mr. Daisuke Matsumoto, Cloud Infrastructure Section, DX System Department, outlined his expectations for DeepL products:

"While primarily supporting verbal communication, using DeepL Voice for Meetings demonstrated an impact on the non-verbal aspects too, like understanding feelings and nuances. Personally, I’m not particularly proficient in English, so interactions with overseas IT teams used to be challenging.

Since introducing DeepL Voice for Meetings, I can naturally discuss complex topics or concerns that I previously struggled to approach. When verbal exchanges flow more smoothly, people also become more attuned to non-verbal cues, like facial expressions and emotions, enabling deeper communication.

DeepL Voice for Meetings has undoubtedly brought employees worldwide closer together on an emotional level. We expect DeepL Voice for Conversations to foster even greater unity across our global organization."

 ▲ Mr Daisuke Matsumoto, Cloud Infrastructure Section, DX System Department, Information Strategy & Management Group

Mr. Okuyama had a similar experience. He noted that DeepL Voice for Meetings’ real-time, high-accuracy translation fostered camaraderie among employees and enabled deeper, more meaningful communication. Looking ahead, he hopes that DeepL Voice for Conversations will create an environment where people “feel like they want to meet face-to-face,” further strengthening bonds through more personal, emotionally engaging interactions.

Since adopting DeepL, global collaboration has accelerated, enabling employees to work across languages more efficiently and driving significant productivity gains. Decision-making has also become faster, making these tools indispensable for Pioneer employees.

As Pioneer evolves from a manufacturing company to a solutions company, it continues to expand its overseas operations. Supporting this global structure requires a strong organizational culture—one that connects employees worldwide and fosters collaboration. 

At the heart of this transformation? Communication that transcends language barriers, strengthens bonds across teams, and builds a collaborative global culture.