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'Tower of Babel' Translator Under Development

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the what-did-he-say dept.

monopole writes "The BBC is reporting on a bilingual translator under development by Carnegie Mellon University which senses sub-vocalized speech, recognizes it, translates it and then synthesizes the translation. The overall effect would be to dub the speech of the speaker."

11 of 220 comments (clear)

  1. The science behind it is fascinating by chowdy · · Score: 5, Funny

    The Tower of Babel Translator is small, yellow and leechlike, and probably the oddest thing in the Universe. It feeds on brainwave energy received not from its own carrier but from those around it. It absorbs all unconscious mental frequencies from this brainwave energy to nourish itself with. It then excretes into the mind of its carrier a telepathic matrix formed by combining the conscious thought frequencies with nerve signals picked up from the speech centres of the brain which has supplied them. The practical upshot of all this is that if you stick a Tower of Babel Translator in your ear you can instantly understand anything said to you in any form of language. The speech patterns you actually hear decode the brainwave matrix which has been fed into your mind by your Tower of Babel Translator.

    1. Re:The science behind it is fascinating by blippy · · Score: 3, Funny

      The practical upshot of all this is that if you stick a Tower of Babel Translator in your ear

      No, no, you're thinking of a babelfish. The Tower has to be inserted up a completely different orifice.

  2. that's awesome by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    chinese people can now speak like poorly dubbed kung-fu movies in real life!

  3. Remind me to turn this off at work by Joebert · · Score: 5, Funny
    Electrodes are attached to the neck and face to detect the movements that occur as the person silently mouths words and phrases.

    It's only a matter of time before this thing gets me fired.
    --
    Wanna fight ? Bend over, stick your head up your ass, and fight for air.
  4. Oh great... by revlayle · · Score: 4, Funny

    the last time i heard of people constructing a Tower of Babel, the whole world got toally pwned and no one could understand each other. well, not much different than it is now is it.

    /not religious

    1. Re:Oh great... by aussie_a · · Score: 4, Funny

      Apparently that happened about 2,000 years after the Earth was first formed. Considering that happened 4.57 billion years ago I find it appalling that only now are they attempting to translate the numerous languages that resulted from the Tower of Babel travesty. I mean, how lazy can you get? What have they been doing all this time?

  5. Re:Question of the Millenium by davidsyes · · Score: 3, Funny

    Aw (not as in awe-struck...) shucks (not as in stripping corn stalks) you're such cunning linguist....

    --
    Previously: "Linux... Toward the Sunrise..." Now: "Linux... Toward the-- No, now, part of Every Sunrise"
  6. Re:Other Languages by JuzzFunky · · Score: 5, Funny

    Second Language? You might not even have to larn a first language! Just grunt. Mm.

    --
    Unexpect the expected!
  7. Re:subvocalization by Frogbert · · Score: 4, Funny

    Well luckily I've changed the article, so now sub vocal recognition is easy

  8. Re:Other Languages by rHBa · · Score: 3, Funny

    I won't have to larn a frist linguage wunce I instorl firfox 2

  9. Continued.. by lobotomir · · Score: 3, Funny

    The Tower of Babel Translator, by effectively removing all barriers to communication between different races and cultures, has caused more and bloodier wars than anything else in the history of creation.