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Can Your Mouth Become Multilingual?

Roland Piquepaille writes "During a videoconference last week between Karlsruhe, Germany, and Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), Pittsburgh, USA, the talk of Alex Waibel, from CMU, was automatically translated in German and Spanish. Both the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (PPG) and the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (PTR) attended the conference, took pictures and were impressed by this new 'open domain' speech-to-speech translation. This new computer technology is based on artificial intelligence (AI) and statistical methods. During the demonstration, the speaker had electrodes attached to his face and his neck, but the researchers think that these electrodes could be implanted into your mouth and your throat in a decade from now -- if you agree of course."

19 of 212 comments (clear)

  1. Absolutely! by DoraLives · · Score: 5, Funny
    the researchers think that these electrodes could be implanted into your mouth and your throat in a decade from now

    Oh yeah. Please. Right now. Insert the electrodes into me right now. I can't wait!

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    Is it fascism yet?
    1. Re:Absolutely! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny


            Make sure to throw in a couple of RFIDs in my anus while your at it.

    2. Re:Absolutely! by arose · · Score: 5, Funny

      Careful, sarcasm isn't translated by this system.

      --
      Analogies don't equal equalities, they are merely somewhat analogous.
  2. Re:HEY ROLAND by stinerman · · Score: 2, Funny

    Neither of the links are to his blog, so at least he's not using /. as his personal piggy-bank.

  3. Privacy issues by wertarbyte · · Score: 4, Funny

    So I won't even have to use a phone to get my speech intercepted, The Bad Guys [tm] now can directly wiretap my mouth. Perhaps this can be intercepted by chewing on my tinfoil hat?

    --
    Life is just nature's way of keeping meat fresh.
  4. Re:Nothing to see here... by FlopEJoe · · Score: 5, Funny

    Why does he keep saying "My hovercraft is full of eels??"

  5. Smash Mouth by Tablizer · · Score: 2, Funny

    When I smash my thumb accidentally with a hammer, for a few seconds I can swear I am multilingual.

  6. Finally! by Tablizer · · Score: 2, Funny

    Klingon for the masses!

    1. Re:Finally! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Pfffft... I think you mean't to say:

      N'gar'!! tlhIngan Hol vaD jat'f nugh!

      nuqDaq yuch Dapol?

  7. Re:Nifty but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...processing the logic of certain languages

    Yeah, i'll be impressed when somebody makes software that can process the logic of perl. oh wait...

  8. Re:Nifty but... by lintux · · Score: 4, Funny

    Indeed. It still centuries last for computers really the capacity to approach sense construction of the human languages also but slightly of course.

  9. Re:A new form of slander and hate crime violations by JaredOfEuropa · · Score: 5, Funny
    Would the CEO now be responsible for committing a hate crime, merely because this device mistranslated what he said, and output racist remarks?
    I will not repeat what Babelfish made of your post when it translated it into Dutch, but suffice to say you'll be hearing from my lawyer.
    --
    If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
  10. Re:At last, a babelfish by ScrewMaster · · Score: 3, Funny

    I hope they don't use it for diplomatic purposes, though:

    U.S. Official discussing a movie: "In that case, I'd have to say that it bombed royally."

    Foreign dignitary upon hearing translation: "Look out! He's got a bomb in his case and he's trying to kill the King!"

    --
    The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
  11. Re:HEY ROLAND by ZakuSage · · Score: 2, Funny

    Roland: the anagram lover's Ronald.

  12. yes. by artifex2004 · · Score: 3, Funny

    As soon as my girlfriend slips her tongue in my mouth, it becomes multi-tongued and French.

    And then I wake up.

  13. Re:How could it translate? by UberDork · · Score: 3, Funny

    I just did exactly this (translate from English to German to English).

    I now understand how several of my coworkers write their emails.

  14. oh.. Babblefish! by Pleb'a.nz · · Score: 2, Funny

    "During the demonstration, the speaker had electrodes attached to his face and his neck, but the researchers think that these electrodes could be implanted into your mouth and your throat in a decade from now -- if you agree of course."

    *shakes head*

    NO NO NO, they've got it all wrong.. you implant a fish in your ear. That's how you speak multilingual, it's true.. i've read it in a book and even seen it in a movie (it must be true)

  15. Talk about putting words in your mouth! by davidwr · · Score: 2, Funny

    Imagine someone hacking your personal translator while you are on a trip abroad:

    Hotel clerk: Rooms are 150 Euros a night.
    [Translated:] Rooms are 150 Euros a night.
    You: I won't pay over $130
    [Hack-Translated:] Deal
    Hotel clerk: Sign here

    I can think of many other scenarios, some funny, some sophomoric, and some downright evil.

    --
    Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
  16. Are you a terrorist? by DroopyStonx · · Score: 3, Funny

    Why would you want to speak something other than American? Are you a terrorist?

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