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Google Aims To Be Your Universal Translator
mpicpp sends word about Google's latest translate technology. "Google is beaming a bit closer to Star Trek's universal translator with the newest edition of its Translate app. Rolling out over the next few days for iOS and Android users, the latest version of Google Translate offers two key features — the ability to instantly converse with someone speaking in a different language and the capability to translate street signs and other images into your native language. Both features have been available in the Android app to some extent. For example, Google Translate for Android has long offered real-time translation of conversations. But Google's goal behind the latest version of the app is to enhance and simplify the features so they work more quickly and fluidly without any lag time. The latest version of Google Translate aims to change that. To converse with someone speaking in a different language, a user chooses his language and that of the other speaker. He then taps the microphone icon in the app, starts speaking in his native or selected language, and then taps the mic icon again. The app will recognize which of the two languages is being spoken, and then the two speakers can carry on their conversation without having to keep tapping the mic. In a test of the app's instant translation, The New York Times said it did prove to be a step forward; though, it's not science fiction just yet. The app fared best with short sentences that didn't include jargon, and it worked better when the users paused between each translation. Google also has beefed up the app's ability to translate street signs. Previously, you'd have to take a photo of the foreign text to get a translation of it. Now, you simply point your camera at the sign and the translated text appears overlaid on your screen — even if you're not connected to the Internet. This feature is made possible courtesy of Quest Visual's Word Lens app for iOS and Android, which Google acquired when it purchased the company last May. This feature supports English translated to and from French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. Google says it's working to add more languages."
If only they could translate what my 18 month old is saying!
Fag, for one.
It's not really ready until it supports Andorian, Cardassian, Ferengi, Romulan, Vulcan and New York City slang.
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Mod me down, I shall become more off-topic than you could possibly imagine.
Uzani, his army with fists closed.
A Brazilian like me will have to do a good effort to make sense from what you wrote if you do not know brazilian portuguese and try to use Google translate.
Religion: The greatest weapon of mass destruction of all time
We know Google really isn't into the whole "don't be evil" thing anymore as they have become a giant corporation like all others. And while I like the idea of something like this being freely available, the first thing that came to my mind was that now they will have access to people's actual conversations, not just search queries. I've thought for a long time that 'big brother' will not come from governments, but from corporations. Maybe it comes from watching the original 1975 Roller Ball movie and it's basis around the 'corporate state'.
-- I ignore anonymous replies to my comments and postings.
Fine for ordering in a restaurant or asking directions. Not appropriate for business, medical or government communication, contracts, etc.
...omphaloskepsis often...
It's less creepy than having this damned fish in my ear all the time.
Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
Now, it is such a bizarrely improbable coincidence that anything so mind-bogglingly useful could have evolved purely by chance that some have chosen to see it as the final proof of the NON-existence of God. The argument goes something like this:
"I refuse to prove that I exist," says God, "for proof denies faith, and without faith I am nothing."
"But," says Man, "the Babel fish is a dead giveaway, isn't it? It could not have evolved by chance. It proves that You exist, and so therefore, by Your own arguments, You don't. QED".
"Oh dear," says God, "I hadn't thought of that." and promptly vanishes in a puff of logic.
"Kill 'em all and let Root sort 'em out"
Looking forward to the day when I can watch old European softcore movies on Youtube and actually understand what's going on. (Besides the obvious.)
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I thought that this was already available on Windows Phone?
I think your expected to teach your kid to speak your language.
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Google only has /relatively/ good voice recognition for english, it absolutely sucks in other languages. It just doesn't work, simple as that.
Proper nouns that are regular words can definitely provide some laughs for machine translation, but it's not as bad as it seems. Even to a native English speaker, a kid named North West is kind of funny.
Understanding a foreign language will always require some knowledge of the culture and society from which you are translating from, and so if you know the culture has kids named for "Sky" and "Hope" then to see those words pop up in sentences where it doesn't really fit you aren't surprised.
The best example of this is in Hofstader's GEB, where he talks about translating Dostoevsky to English. The translator has a choice to make when copying the name of the main street. It is an actual Russian word, that has an English translation. So maybe you translate the street name to it's English equivalent. But the Russian street name is a common Russian street name, whereas in English it's not a common name for a street at all. So maybe instead of simply directly translating the Russian name, you change it to a nice, comfortable English street name, like "Elm Street." He ends up humorously suggesting the best choice in translation might be to just read a Dickens novel!
"But Google's goal behind the latest version of the app is to enhance and simplify the features so they work more quickly and fluidly without any lag time. The latest version of Google Translate aims to change that."
So... slower and laggier in the new version then?
Maybe the story author needs Google Translate.
Arabic is there in the Bing translator, which you could use for not just ISIS, but also Hizbullah, Hamas, Ikhwan and a whole host of other Islamic beauties
It can't become a translator any time soon. It's not even an adequate dictionary yet.
> In that culture, it wasn't "bad" to marry someone under-age
I'm reading A Distant Mirror (and you should too, it's amazing!). The Duke of something-or-other has just married a 12 year old. Much chiding ensued. But other than that, both commonplace and well admired. Hey, you have a 50% chance of not making it to 20, so you had to get married early to lock down that dowry.
Best line from the book... A knight and Lady are having a conversation, and she implies he'd be bad in the sack because his beard has less hair that certain parts of the female anatomy. He asks if this is true in her case, and she states that it's not, she's completely bald in this region. Thinking for a moment, he replies that he'll take her word for it, because "grass doesn't grow on the well-trodden path".
Burn!
Unless and until Google starts to hire actual translators and pay them actual money, this is value subtracting and will suck income out of the very translators it depends on. If we are really unlucky, it will be an unsustainable parasitism, driving translators out of work and actually reducing the ability of the world to deal with multiple languages.
I would assume both that 100% of it is in the cloud, and that to Google, that is a feature, not a bug.
Now what I want to see is what they translate Arnold Schwarzenagger going "Ah blah agggh da da bah Ha!" to.
"Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
Arabic is there in the Bing translator, which you could use for not just ISIS, but also Hizbullah, Hamas, Ikhwan and a whole host of other Islamic beauties
And the resulting insult would be something along the lines of "Stain sheep, devout cleric!" when translated back....
English is a language that's much easier to translate to than Arabic. Sure, it's lossy, but going the other way, you end up saying lots of things you didn't actually mean, due to the weighted multiple meanings assigned to each character or phoneme. Once you get past the basics like al and ibn, you'd better know the cultural context.
If it's not available you can always use simple English to send your love words to Bush, Cheney and all other American assholes who led to the illegal invasion of an Arab country, leading to 100'000s deaths and the total destruction of its social construct.
So English is like IPv6 and Arabic like IPv4?
Google's current effort is nothing like the Star Trek Universal Translator, and it is exceedingly unlikely that anything ever will be. The STUT is supposed to be able to translate languages that it has not been programmed to translate and has never been exposed to before. Existing translators, including Google's, can only work with languages that they already know.
"For Google is a bit close beaming of iOS and Android users to the latest version and Star Trek universal translator of the translation application, translate rolling, the latest version of Google is two to offer an important function over the next few days - . Conversely both features to instantly fart the ability to some extent in another language and the native language that is used in Android apps and someone who speaks to the ability to convert the road signs and other images. for example, for Google's Android conversation has been offering translation long-term real-time translation. However, as Google's goal behind the latest version of this app is to strengthen, they without deviation of all time, to work more quickly and fluidly and is to simplify the function. the latest version of Google, convert intended to change it. language to conversation and speak in someone different users to select their own language, it is another of the speaker. he then started to speak in his native or the selected language was tap the microphone icon in the app, and then, again tap the microphone icon. app to recognize whether the two are talking about language, then 2 speakers will be able to continue the conversation without having to maintain tap the microphone. in the test of instant translation app, with the New York Times, did prove that it is a step forward, but it only in it is not yet a science fiction. app, terminology is the best of the good fight and in a short statement that did not contain, when the user is a pause in between each of the translation, it worked better. Google or , we are strengthening the capacity of the application to convert the road signs. So far, you will need to take a picture of foreign language text in order to get it translated. Well, in you simply sign text that has been translated and turn your camera will be overlay displayed on the screen -. you have this feature even if you are not connected to the Internet, when you have purchased the company in may last year, Google is is a possibility courtesy of the acquired of iOS and quest of Visual Word of lens app for for Android. this feature, to English is, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, from Spanish translated support to have. Google is said to have worked in order to add more languages. "
Interpreters get paid $100 and up to do the job now. A few million people could use a translator for that. Difficulty: it's a visual language.