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Navy Unveils Polyglot Chat For Iraq

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the asl? dept.

An anonymous reader writes "According to ScienceBlog, the U.S. Office of Naval Research, trying to keep friendly armies in Iraq from accidentally blowing each other to smithereens, is helping create software that connects instant messaging (IM) with machine translation (MT). The result: Chat software to be used in Iraq that automatically translates your messages into the correct language of the reader, called the the Coalition Chat Line - it's 'getting rave reviews from U.S. and allied-coalition personnel.'"

13 of 306 comments (clear)

  1. Machine translation? by robslimo · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Given the quirks of babelfish and similar, I hope poor, mangled machine translations don't cause more negative incidents than they prevent.

    1. Re:Machine translation? by Seehund · · Score: 5, Funny

      The Mil Spec version of this story, courtesy of Babelfish:

      An anonymous reader writes "in accordance with of ScienceBlog, the office of the research of the blue marine and the tests, of the roast meat in the United States the friendly armies in Iraq of the disturbance that to maintain those cause smithereens, to the application software locally those the communication (IM) immediately with a machine translation (M.Ue.), to attention. The result: One automatically translates of Plaudern in Iraq the software, those his publicity in the correct language of the reader, the city of Koalition-Schwaetzchen-Linie - ' it receives from Raveberichte of the United States and the coalition of the alliance of the personnel '

      Mmmmmmm.... Roast meat!

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  2. Language technology... by James+A.+J.+Joyce · · Score: 5, Interesting

    ...is better than you may think. Though it is as difficult as everyone says to translate a random text from one language to another, translating short texts in a specialised domain between well-linked languages isn't too hard. Heck, they might even be able to get away with using lookup tables.

  3. chat you say? by plams · · Score: 5, Funny
    ArmyGuy26: a/s/l? ^_^
    GunD00de: 28/m/over here!
    ArmyGuy26: LOL! almost blew ur head off!
  4. This is why the Iraqi citizens dislike Americans by cmburns69 · · Score: 5, Funny

    What we say: "We want to help you."

    What they hear: "All your base are belong to us!".

    --
    Online Starcraft RPG? At
    Dietary fiber is like asynchronous IO-- Non-blocking!
  5. Maybe now... by CamSauce · · Score: 5, Funny

    Maybe now the guy that works at the pizza place can finally understand my order. When does the public get this software?

  6. Re:Microsoft patent??? by javatips · · Score: 5, Informative

    Here I found the link to the slashdot story.

  7. Just teach everybody the Aggressor Language. by lifebouy · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Hey, like it or hate it, Esperanto can be taught in just a month or two, to a level allowing excellent communications. I think its great to have such software, but that doesn't help face to face, whereas everyone learning a neutral language will help in every situation. So if we are going to pour money down a funnel, lets pour it down the funnel that has long-term benifits for mankind.

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    1. Re:Just teach everybody the Aggressor Language. by Zathrus · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Esperanto can be taught in just a month or two

      Really? To anyone? I suspect that non-Western language speakers, like virtually anyone in Asia, might disagree. As well as those with rather esoteric languages like Hungarian.

      And as for those who speak languages that are similar to Esperanto (namely any Germanic or Romantic derived language) could learn any given langugage "in just a month or two, to a level allowing excellent communications".

      doesn't help face to face

      Which is why we have personal translators for that situation, which do exist and do work. You can even get them for civilian use.

      Esperanto was dead before it was even born. It doesn't evolve with any civilization and so lacks terminology that comes into usage over time. And, heck, if we want to pick a popular "neutral" language, then Klingon beats Esperanto for number of speakers. Yes. It is that silly.

  8. Ah, English by Faust7 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Two nations no longer divided by a common language

    Indeed. I can't tell you how many fights erupt when a Brit asks a Yank for a cigarette.

    --
    The coolest voice ever.
    1. Re:Ah, English by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      It's worse when a Brit offers a ciggarette.

      "Fancy a fag, mate?"

  9. Irony at it's finest... by b0z0mind · · Score: 5, Interesting

    ...since Iraq was originaly the Babylonian empire :-)

  10. Re:Finally! by YrWrstNtmr · · Score: 5, Informative

    someone a little more responsible and trained than 18 year old dropouts at the controls

    I know it's hip to denigrate the education levels of the US military, but you couldn't be more wrong.

    DoD has established a floor of 90% of recruits have HS diplomas.
    The Army and Navy meet that 90%, the Marines at 95%, and the Air Force at 99%.
    The military takes in very, very few Tier II (GED) or Tier III (non GED or non diploma) recruits. And those people must score at least in the top 1/2 (Army & Navy) or top 1/3 (USAF) on the ASVAB entrance exam.

    And the typical 18 year old (brand new E-1 or E-2) is not at the controls of that thing by himself, if at all.

    Two harriers and at least one helicopter

    Got any further info on that? Because no, there was no British helo shot down in OIF by a Patriot.

    March 23 - Tornado
    April 2 - Possible F-18 Hornet
    Patriot destroyed by F-16 after it locked on to the Viper