You’re off to travel foreign lands with reservations made and guide book in hand, but how will you converse with the locals when you don’t speak their language? Don’t leave home without “My Translator” your bridge builder to new relationships around the world. “My Translator” is a handheld device that instantaneously transforms your speech into the language of your host country.
Using language recognition software, users speak into the pocket-sized device like they would with a tape recorder. With the press of a button listeners hear the speaker’s words converted into their own language, making otherwise unintelligible words comprehensible. The proverbially “Which way to the train station?” was never easier when you’ve got “My Translator” in tow.
Of course “My Translator” is not limited to traveling out-of-town since it has plenty of applications at home. Living and working in cities with diverse populations of native and non-native speakers provides many opportunities for “My Translator”. Transactions such as those between pharmacists and customers, emergency room staff and patients, parents and household help, merchants and buyers are all conversations where “My Translator” can be an aid to clear communications.
“My Translator” is versatile in yet one more way. As an alternative to “My Translator’s” voice recognition feature, users have the option of entering their message via the keyboard and visual display. In this way information can be translated from the sender to the appropriate language and text and read by the receiver off the “My Translator” screen.
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Great idea, saw it on Star Trek and have wanted one ever since... how in the world would you ever build such a device? Speech recognition software is still "trying" to work on the english to english level (see Dragon Systems). I think it would be a stretch, with present technology, to have the software be able to work with all the different dialects present in today's world of different languages. BUT some one has to start somewhere so here's to you! Good luck and God's speed in making it work!
Great idea, now go and build one!
Versions with keyboards for typing in words and displays already exist and are available in most electronics shops, search for "pocket translator". But they do single words only and are have a limited number languages.
First you need voice recognition software that can understand anyone without prior training on the specific voice; and can recognise the language they are speaking.
Event the best text-to-text translation software currently available only works with simple and error-free sentences.
Finally it needs a speech unit which will give a proper voice in the person's own language and dialect. Many people find Stephen Hawking's computer voice difficult to understand at first, it has a strange computer twang and an american accent which make it difficult for English-speakers to understand; and he has had years to adjust it!
And all the above has to be done in real-time in a unit that is small and light enough to carry, and has a reasonable battery life.
When you market it, you can call it the Babel fish.
Good luck - you'll need it!.
The technology limitations are very high. Here is a joke that circulates in the AI forums.To test the latest translation device the engineer spoke into the microphone: "The flesh decays but Spirit is enernal". It was translated into Russian and back to English. The result was: "The food is spoiled but the Vodka is still good".However, there are devices that have limited number of common phrases available. Check Nuvi GPS from Garmin.
Very nice merging of two existing ideas, electronic translators and voice-recognition software. I've used both with limited success, but both are improving over time.
This could also be a great way to learn a new language.
I would definitely buy one of these. But as bkeene says, good luck building one.
Take a look at ectaco speech-to-speech translators, pretty much what you're looking for www.ectaco.co.uk. The military have been using them for years but I have no idea how good they are. You would probably end up insulting people by accident !!!
Great idea!While it probably is difficult to translate complex sentences, it should work ok for simple phrases. Also, listening to the pronunciation might also help students who are learning a foreign language.