Metaglossia: The Translation World

As Google continues to develop its augmented reality glasses, the company's co-founder Sergey Brin appears to be trying to acclimate the public to cyborg-like technology.

Google co-founder Sergey recently tested out the new Google Glass project in one of the most crowded-places on earth.

Implants multifocaux, laser femtoseconde, cellules souches... Dans son dernier numéro, Sciences et Avenir explore les progrès médicaux et technologiques innovants réalisés.

Learning to speak and write in a foreign language is still a big part of schooling today. But in the future it might actually come into question the benefits of continuing to teach other languages. The reason? One of the future technologies promised by Star Trek is taking its first steps to becoming a reality.

Japanese mobile company NTT Docomo will next week introduce a new service to its mobile network that offers to translate call conversations. The service was first announced back in February and is called Hanashite Hon’yaku, which basically means “speaker translation.”

Hanashite Hon’yaku is capable of translating Japanese to English, Chinese, or Korean. It does this by processing the voice audio in the cloud and then transmitting the translated audio (or text) to the other person after a slight delay. It’s by no means perfect and will struggle with anything other than basic conversation, but this is just the first iteration of the service and it is bound to improve with use and further development. It’s also not limited to calls and can be used for an in-person chat, too.

To compliment Hanashite Hon’yaku, NTT Docomo has also launched Utsushite Hon’yaku, which is a service that translates text using the camera on your phone. Using augmented reality it is possible to point your phone camera at a piece of text (e.g. a menu or road sign) and have it appear on screen in your chosen language.

In order for both services to work you need to be using a phone running Android 2.2 or higher and have the relevant free apps installed. It’s also limited to phones hooked up to the Docomo network as it requires both a voice and data connection to function. This also means using either service incurs a data charge as well as a voice call charge if using Hanashite Hon’yaku on a call.

NTT Docomo isn’t the only company working on a universal translator. Google has been developing an instant speech translation system for phones since 2010, Samsung Mobile has its own system in the works, and I’d be surprised if Apple’s Siri didn’t eventually start doing translations.

El principal operador de telefonía móvil japonés anunció el lunes el lanzamiento de un servicio telefónico de traducción volcal simultáneo para hablar con alguien cuyo idioma no entendemos.

NTT Docomo prevé proponer esta aplicación gratuita para los smartphones y tabletas informáticas que comercializará a partir del 1 de noviembre y que estén equipadas con el sistema de explotación Android del grupo estadounidense Google.

Gracias a este sistema, un japonés podrá hablar en japonés y su conversación será traducida automáticamente al inglés, al chino o al coreano para su interlocutor al otro lado del hilo.

Las respuestas de éste serán traducidas a su vez al japonés.

Una portavoz del operador aseguró que el lapso entre la voz y la traducción informática será de menos de un segundo, aunque admitió que el servicio no ofrece todavía una traducción "perfecta".

El propietario de un teléfono móvil inteligente o de una tableta informática puede llamar también al usuario de una línea fija clásica y traducir su conversación en ambos sentidos, agregó la portavoz.

La aplicación pude traducir también por escrito el sentido de las palabras.

NTT Docomo precisó que este servicio de traducción de voz a texto estará disponible pronto entre el japonés y el francés, alemán, español, indonesio, italiano, portugués y tailandés.

TECNOLOGÍAEl principal operador de telefonía móvil japonés anunció el lunes el lanzamiento de un servicio telefónico de traducción volcal simultáneo para hablar con alguien cuyo idioma no entendemos.
Lunes 22 Octubre 2012
NTT Docomo prevé proponer esta aplicación gratuita para los smartphones y tabletas informáticas que comercializará a partir del 1 de noviembre y que estén equipadas con el sistema de explotación Android del grupo estadounidense Google.

Gracias a este sistema, un japonés podrá hablar en japonés y su conversación será traducida automáticamente al inglés, al chino o al coreano para su interlocutor al otro lado del hilo.

Las respuestas de éste serán traducidas a su vez al japonés.

Una portavoz del operador aseguró que el lapso entre la voz y la traducción informática será de menos de un segundo, aunque admitió que el servicio no ofrece todavía una traducción "perfecta".

El propietario de un teléfono móvil inteligente o de una tableta informática puede llamar también al usuario de una línea fija clásica y traducir su conversación en ambos sentidos, agregó la portavoz.

La aplicación pude traducir también por escrito el sentido de las palabras.

NTT Docomo precisó que este servicio de traducción de voz a texto estará disponible pronto entre el japonés y el francés, alemán, español, indonesio, italiano, portugués y tailandés.

TOKYO — Le principal opérateur mobile japonais a annoncé lundi le lancement d'un service téléphonique de traduction vocale simultanée pour parler avec quelqu'un dont on ne comprend pas la langue.
NTT Docomo prévoit de proposer cette application gratuite sur les smartphones et tablettes informatiques qu'il commercialisera à partir du 1er novembre, équipées du système d'exploitation Android du groupe américain Google.
Grâce à ce système, un Japonais pourra parler en japonais et sa conversation sera automatiquement traduite par informatique en anglais, chinois ou coréen pour son interlocuteur à l'autre bout du fil. Les réponses de ce dernier seront à leur tour traduites en japonais.
Une porte-parole de l'opérateur a assuré que le délai entre la voix d'origine et la traduction informatique serait de moins d'une seconde, toute en concédant que le service n'offrait pas encore une traduction "parfaite".
Le propriétaire d'un téléphone portable intelligent ou d'une tablette informatique peut aussi appeler l'utilisateur d'une ligne fixe classique et voir leur conversation traduite dans les deux sens, a ajouté la porte-parole.
L'application peut aussi traduire par écrit le sens des paroles.
NTT Docomo a précisé que ce service de traduction de la voix vers le texte serait aussi bientôt disponible entre le japonais et le français, l'allemand, l'espagnol, l'indonésien, l'italien, le portugais et le thaï.

L'opérateur nippon NTT Docomo a annoncé le lancement prochain d'une application capable de traduire des conversations téléphoniques en temps réel. Microsoft et Alcatel-Lucent planchent sur leurs propres services.

NTT Docomo, le principal opérateur mobile japonais a annoncé lundi le lancement d'un service téléphonique de traduction vocale simultanée pour parler avec quelqu'un dont on ne comprend pas la langue. L'application devrait être proposée gratuitement sur les smartphones et tablettes informatiques qu'il commercialisera à partir du 1er novembre, équipées du système d'exploitation Android du groupe américain Google.

Comment ça marche ?
L'application de NTT Docomo sera la première du genre. Google avait bien lancé une application Translate pour les smartphones mais elle ne permettait pas de téléphoner. Elle se contentait en effet de traduire à son utilisateur ses propos dans la langue désirée (17 au total).

Grâce à ce système, un Japonais pourra parler en japonais et sa conversation sera automatiquement traduite par informatique en anglais, chinois ou coréen pour son interlocuteur à l'autre bout du fil. Les réponses de ce dernier seront à leur tour traduites en japonais. Le propriétaire d'un smartphone ou d'une tablette peut aussi appeler l'utilisateur d'une ligne fixe classique et voir leur conversation traduite dans les deux sens, a ajouté un porte-parole de l'opérateur. L'application peut aussi traduire par écrit le sens des paroles.

NTT Docomo a précisé que ce service de traduction de la voix vers le texte serait aussi bientôt disponible entre le japonais et le français, l'allemand, l'espagnol, l'indonésien, l'italien, le portugais et le thaï. L'application sera basée sur le cloud, ce qui lui permettra d'être compatible avec n'importe quel smartphone.

Comme le relève la BBC, une telle application pourrait être utile dans le cadre professionnel, ou encore pour le tourisme. Reste que l'opérateur a lui même reconnu qu'elle n'offrait pas encore une traduction parfaite, ce qui pourrait en limiter les usages.

Microsoft et Alcatel-Lucent en concurrents
Microsoft et Alcatel-Lucent travailleraient chacun sur des produits concurrents, indique la BBC. L'application WeTalk du franco-américain serait elle aussi capable de traduire plus de douze langues différentes. Alcatel s'appuie sur une technologie brevetée pour capturer la voix de l'utilisateur, la traiter avant de lui appliquer la reconnaissance vocale. Arrive ensuite la phase de la traduction et de l'exécutio

Japan gets phone call translator
An app offering real-time translations is to allow people in Japan to speak to foreigners over the phone with both parties using their native tongue.

NTT Docomo – the country’s biggest mobile network – will initially convert Japanese to English, Mandarin and Korean, with other languages to follow.

It is the latest in a series of telephone conversation translators to launch in recent months.

Lexifone and Vocre have developed other products.

Alacatel-Lucent and Microsoft are among those working on other solutions.

The products have the potential to let companies avoid having to use specially trained multilingual staff, helping them cut costs. They could also aid tourism.

However, the software involved cannot offer perfect translations, limiting its use in some situations.

Cloud technology

NTT Docomo unveiled its Hanashite Hon’yaku app for Android devices at the Combined Exhibition of Advanced Technologies (Ceatec) show in Japan earlier this month, and plans to launch it on 1 November.

It provides users with voice translations of the other speaker’s conversation after a slight pause, as well as providing a text readout.

“French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Thai will be added for this application in late November, raising the number of non-Japanese languages to 10,” the firm said in a statement.

“Fast and accurate translations are possible with any smartphone, regardless of device specifications, because Hanashite Hon’yaku utilises Docomo’s cloud [remote computer servers] for processing.”

The caller must subscribe to one of Docomo’s packages to be able to use it.

Landline translations

NTT Docomo will soon face competition from France’s Alcatel-Lucent which is developing a rival product, WeTalk. It can handle Japanese and about a dozen other languages including English, French and Arabic.

The service is designed to work over any landline telephone, meaning the company has had to find a way to do speech recognition using audio data sampled at a rate of 8kHz or 16kHz.

Sergey Brin's live demonstration of Google Glass at the Google I/O Conference in June clearly showed that wearable, always-on, Web-connected computing technology is here now—and that it works. While such augmented-reality (AR) eyewear is in its early stages of development, future versions of the technology, whether Google's or some other company's, could lead to dramatic changes in the way we work, play, travel, and communicate.

The best killer applications for wearable AR tech involve situations where it's important that users have free use of their hands or be able to walk while using the app. The coolest apps also display data and images in a way that interacts with the real-world imagery that users see. For example a basic AR app might place information bubbles over real-world landmarks within in the frame of the glasses (it might display the name of a movie theater along with the names of movies that are starting within the next hour).

Here are some of the more exciting applications that may be coming.

Will Powell has developed a way to translate real-time conversations and display the words for the wearer, breaking down the language barrier.

Inspired by Google’s Project Glass, Will Powell rigged Vuzix 1200 Star glasses to translate a foreign language and provide subtitles for the wearer. This technology is able to break down language barriers, enabling the wearer to have a real-time conversation with someone speaking a language they are unfamiliar with. Powell used two Raspberry Pi machines running debian squeeze, a Jawbone mic, headset mic, TV, iPhone, iPad, and transformer, to talk to his Spanish-speaking sister. Here’s how it works:

via PSFK: http://www.psfk.com/2012/09/glasses-translate-foreign-languages.html#ixzz27arVVcfP

Google today announced it has added its 65th language to Google translate: Lao. A quick check shows the new language (currently in alpha) is indeed available on the new service, although ...

The two tech reviewers who got to try Google Glass said they had "potential," which is one of those euphemistic words teachers use to describe C students, as to not hurt their parents' feelings. Both The Wall Street Journal's Spencer E. Ante and The New York Times's David Pogue used the p-word twice in their reviews of the not yet finished project, which isn't a bad thing, but didn't sound that good to us either. Since this reminded us of something an educator might say of his or her developing student, we asked a teacher source of ours about these terms, which she tells us are called "teacher code." In other words: A term educators use to soften the blow about struggling students. In fact, both Ante and Pogue peppered their reviews with hedged terms like these, which we didn't quite know what to make of. We had her translate that code.

13 de agosto de 2012 – Um dispositivo desenvolvido por pesquisadores do Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Ceará (IFCE), com apoio do Banco do Nordeste, permite a tradução de documentos em tempo real para o Braille, tradicional sistema de leitura com o tato, utilizado por deficientes visuais. O “Projeto PORTÁCTIL – Dispositivo portátil óptico-mecânico de tradução Braille” contou com R$ 180 mil não reembolsáveis, no âmbito do Fundo de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (Fundeci), cujos recursos são geridos pelo BNB.

Leia Mais: http://www.ultimoinstante.com.br/setores-da-economia/setor-bancos-financas-investimentos/78815-Dispositivo-traduz-documentos-para-Braille-tempo-real.html#ixzz23Xei09dx

Lexifone is a company based in Haifa that’s developed technology that translates real time phone conversations into other languages. It allows speakers of different languages to speak directly to each other by phone. Each speaker talks in their native language. The highly sophisticated voice recognition and translation programs that run on Lexifone’s system translate what the speaker is saying into the listener’s native language.

No special software or hardware is needed on the users’ phones. It can be used from any type of phone, land line, mobile, or voice over IP (VoIP). Users simply dial first into one of Lexifone’s access numbers to trigger the service. The service has pricing packages designed for both consumers and businesses.

Lexifone Partners with Global VoIP Network

Voxbone, operator of the world’s largest private VoIP network, is now combining the remarkable clarity of its voice services with Lexifone’s translation services. The partnership offers natural benefits for both companies.

The quality of the Voxbone VoIP connection helps maximize Lexifone’s potential. Lexifone CEO Dr. Ike Sagie explains, “The caller’s connection to our language-translation platform must be crystal-clear because sound quality is crucial for accurate voice recognition.”

Discussion among translators, entitled: Real-time Updating TM in SDL Trados Studio 2009.

Think that only the giant Google can make next generation augmented-reality glasses? Think again. A UK developer who has been hacking together his own Project Glass has now expanded its functionality to make a real-time speech translator. Will Powell, a 2010 graduate of the University of Oxford, has spent his spare time coupling Vuzix video eyewear with a few Raspberry Pis and an iPhone and iPad to allow for one person speaking one language to talk to someone speaking a different language with tolerable delays between translations. provided by Microsoft’s Bing.
The demonstration of his glasses from his website is pretty impressive, as you can see in the video posted to YouTube:...

Taking inspiration from Google's Project Glass, a computer programmer in the UK has developed a real time translation system capable of listening to speech and translating it into one of 37 languages before displaying the resulting text as...