MWCapital and Vueling bring together 180 developers on board the Digital Talent Flight from Paris to Barcelona to solve the “We Speak Your Language” hackathon

• MWCapital and Vueling have launched the Digital Talent Flight initiative, in which developers from the EPITECH technology university participated in a hackathon that started in Paris and concluded in Barcelona. The goal was to develop a simultaneous translation solution that enables communication during a flight without an Internet connection.
• The winning proposal was La Joconde, a holistic offline solution integrating lightweight language models for both synthesis and translation.
• After presenting their proposals during the flight from Paris to Barcelona, the developers participated in the second day of the Talent Arena.

04/March/2025

Around 180 international developers landed in Barcelona this morning aboard the Digital Talent Flight, an initiative organized by Mobile World Capital Barcelona (MWCapital) and Vueling, marking the conclusion of the “We Speak Your Language” hackathon. The flight, departing from Paris, was the culmination of a challenge in which participants competed to create technological solutions for simultaneous translation to improve communication between passengers and crew on board without requiring an Internet connection.

Upon landing in Barcelona, the developers and finalists arrived at the Talent Arena, Europe’s leading digital talent event, where the awards were officially announced throughout the day. Participants also had the opportunity to attend workshops, conferences, and presentations by international technology experts during the second day of the event.

Upon arrival at the event, GSMSA’s CEO, John Hoffman, and MWCapital’s CEO, Francesc Fajula, welcomed the 180 developers participating in the initiative and had the opportunity to learn firsthand about the finalist proposals of the hackathon.

A journey full of innovation

The “We Speak Your Language” hackathon, launched in Paris, challenged EPITECH university students to create a real-time voice translation system capable of facilitating communication between crew and passengers in their native languages, without requiring an Internet connection. The solutions needed to be viable in an in-flight context, considering the limitations and specific conditions of the aviation environment.

During the flight to Barcelona, the five finalist teams had the opportunity to present their solutions to a panel of industry technology experts and sector developers. Each team defended their proposal, evaluated based on criteria such as technical feasibility, applicability in an in-flight environment, and user experience.

The five proposals presented on board during the Paris-Barcelona journey stood out for their innovative approaches to overcoming language barriers. The first finalist developed an offline solution compatible with laptops and smartphones, enabling real-time translations during crew demonstrations. The second introduced three different methods for establishing server communication, enhancing system flexibility. The third team incorporated a “Quick Announcements” function within their QR-accessible app, designed for specific situations and routes. The fourth finalist impressed with a demonstration of transmission in five languages simultaneously. Finally, the fifth team developed an application with an optimised interface and a robust role-separation mode to improve user experience.

The winning proposal was La Joconde, a holistic offline solution integrating lightweight language models for both synthesis and translation. This instant translation system stood out for its approach, which combines a solid backend, a well-designed interface, and an innovative perspective on customer experience, making it the winner of this challenge. This project not only enables efficient communication in multiple languages but also enhances the user experience, adapted to the space and connectivity constraints on board.

The winning team will have the opportunity to work directly with Vueling to explore the implementation of their solution on the airline’s aircraft.

Boosting digital talent in Barcelona

With the Digital Talent Flight, MWCapital and Vueling reinforce Barcelona’s positioning as a leading technological hub, driving innovation and attracting international digital talent.

The Digital Talent Flight is a clear example of MWCapital and Vueling’s commitment to positioning Barcelona as a reference technological hub, fostering innovation, and attracting international digital talent. This challenge was not only a platform for finding innovative technological solutions but also an opportunity to connect digital talent with industry experts and generate new ideas that could transform the passenger experience in the future.