Microsoft rolled out a pair of super-useful updates to its Translator app on Thursday. Unfortunately, the new feature you get depends on which platform you use.
Microsoft rolled out a pair of super-useful updates to its Translator app on Thursday. Unfortunately, the new feature you get depends on which platform you use.
Japan sees a large number of international travelers and as you can imagine, communication can be a barrier. Somehow everything still keeps moving and the system isn’t bogged down by those communication problems. It is hard for foreigners to understand the announcements at airports, but things may get easier soon. Japan’s Narita International Airport in Tokyo is testing a megaphone translator that will help.
The megaphone is currently being tested at the airport to see just how practical it is to use. It was developed by Panasonic and was actually used in the 2014 floods, when the airport need to communicate with passengers who might not have spoken Japanese. This will help to make communication a bit better at the airport and foreign travelers will have an easier time.
[via rocketnews via New Launches]
After a preview offered access to Skype's live translation tool on the desktop earlier this summer, the feature is rolling out to all users. If you're in need of a quick refresher, Skype Translator converts video calls in English, French, German, I...
A new type of third-party keyboard for iOS devices let you translate text while you type. At least one keyboard, Slated, uses Google Translate, so don’t expect the translation to be perfect. But it can be still extremely convenient for both business and personal purposes. As with many new iOS add-ons this isn’t news for Android users, as they’ve had keyboards like this for a while now.
You can watch a brief demo video on Slated’s website or on this unofficial mirror by iSpazio:
Slated is available for $2.99 (USD) on the App Store, but before you buy it check out the reviews. As of this writing several users are claiming that the app has stopped working. Fortunately, there’s another iOS 8 keyboard called Translator Keyboard that does the exact same thing, though its interface is a bit unsightly.
Here’s a brief demo of the app from appletips.nl:
You can download Translator Keyboard from the App Store for $1.99.
[via Cult of Mac]
One day we’ll all communicate using memes and gifs, but until that day comes we will have to deal with language barriers. We’ve already seen a couple of translator apps, but Sigmo looks like it could be the most practical and affordable alternative yet. It’s a wristwatch-sized Bluetooth device that relays voice translation.
Note that I said “relays”, because the Sigmo doesn’t do the translating. Instead it connects to your iOS or Android device via Bluetooth via the Sigmo app. The app then connects to language translation services online to translate what’s being said. The people behind Sigmo didn’t say exactly which services the app connects to, only that Google Translate is one of them. Here’s how Sigmo works:
It’s definitely not perfect, but it seems to get the job done. Sigmo says that the app won’t drain your mobile device’s battery. As for the 2-way speaker, its battery should last up to 300 hours on standby and is good for up to 8 hours of use.
Its dependence on a mobile device and an Internet connection hampers it a bit, but it’s way better than nothing. Pledge at least $40 (USD) on Indiegogo to get a Sigmo as a reward.
Currently, the Sigmo app can translate 25 languages: English (US), English (UK), English (Australia), English (Canada), Spanish (Spain), Spanish (United States), Spanish (Mexico), French (France), French (Canada), Finish, German, Italian, Japanese, Chinese (China), Mandarin (Taiwan / Hong Kong), Catalan, Korean, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Portuguese (Portugal), Portuguese (Brazil), Polish, Russian, Arabic, Indonesian, Hebrew, Czech, Turkish, African and Malay.
[via Design You Trust]
The threads of the universe are known to intertwine in mysterious ways, and recently they've been tangling themselves around two largely unrelated things: Twitter and Windows Phone. It's hard for us mere mortals to make sense of it, but here's what we know:
1) Twitter.com now supports language translation, courtesy of Microsoft's Bing. You just have to look for the "View Translation" link directly under eligible tweets. Good news for mono-linguists, but it would have been a bigger surprise had we not already spotted the Bing Translator making an early debut in the official Twitter app for Windows Phone. (That's the first tangle, right there.)
2) We stumbled upon this translation feature while trying decipher the specific tweet shown above, which subsequently yielded an interesting tidbit for Nokia Lumia WP8 owners.
Honestly, the mind boggles.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile
Source: Nokia Spain (Twitter)
Though some may look down on Star Trek's fictional Klingon language and invoke the infamous phrase uttered by William Shatner -- "Get a life!" -- Microsoft's Bing translation team doesn't see it that way at all. As part of a marketing join-up with Paramount Pictures, the service will be offering translation of the fictional tongue to and from its other 41 languages to support the release of Star Trek Into Darkness. According to the LA Times, the translator was developed with the aid of Klingon-fluent Microsoft engineer Eric Andeen, who said that it's as much about the passion for linguistics as for Star Trek. Originally developed by a language specialist based on a few words ad-libbed in Star Trek: The Motion Picture by 'Scotty' actor James Doohan, Klingon has taken on a life of its own thanks to fans and sites who developed full dictionaries and on-line translators. The Bing project will fire up later today, so why not check it out at the More Coverage link? After all, ghojmeH ta'vaD He tu'be'lu'!
Filed under: Software, Microsoft
Source: LA Times
The Ivy Guide is a unique device that fits over any pen or pencil and scans words for translation. Basically it helps you understand the language better and makes comprehension easy. It is rechargeable via USB and adapts to your grip with ease. With international students crossing borders and the global community shrinking, this could prove to be a beneficial device.
Designers: Shi Jian, Sun Jiahao & Li Ke
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(Pen Translators For Better Understanding was originally posted on Yanko Design)
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