Hasta La Gadget!

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]

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

Comments

Source: LA Times

[CEATEC 2012] Last year, Docomo launched its menu translation app, but this year, their translation application can handle two use cases: conversations over the phone, and conversation side by side with someone speaking another language. At CEATEC 2012, we had an opportunity to try the conversation mode at CEATEC, and it worked quite well.

The concept is simple: two people speaking different language can communicate on a turn-by-turn basis, and the Docomo app translates each phrase in both visual and audio form in real-time. At any given time, each party can easily see if their phrase had been properly translated as every phrase always appear in both languages (see above). While this app may resemble Google Translate (Android version) on the surface, the Docomo translator user interface  is much better tuned for a two-person use, while Google Translate really works OK for a single person. I found the interaction with the Docomo app to be quicker and more natural than with Google Translate. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Docomo Shabette Robo keeps you in the know, Docomo helps commuters with one-handed smartphone/tablet use,

Japan’s unique language makes calls to other countries a challenge: locals often don’t have much choice but to brush up on someone else’s language or hope there’s a Japanese speaker on the other end of the line. If all goes well with NTT DoCoMo’s planned Hanashite Hon’yaku automatic translation service, international calls will be as comfortable as phoning a store in Nagano. As long as a subscriber has at least an Android 2.2 phone or tablet on the carrier’s moperaU or sp-mode plans, the service will automatically convert spoken Japanese to another language, and reverse the process for the reply, whether it’s through an outbound phone call or an in-person conversation. The service will bridge cultures starting from November 1st, when it will translate from Japanese to Chinese, English or Korean. Indonesian, Thai and five European languages are coming later that month. If you’re not that patient, NTT DoCoMo will provide a holdover on October 11th through Utsushite Hon’yaku, a free Word Lens-like augmented reality translator for Android 2.3 that can convert text to or from Japanese with a glance through a phone camera.

Continue reading NTT DoCoMo preps automatic translation from Japanese through Android, leaves no one an island

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile

NTT DoCoMo preps automatic translation from Japanese through Android, leaves no one an island originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Oct 2012 11:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Fareastgizmos  | Email this | Comments

A few months ago we saw a concept for a camera-based device that is meant to recognize sign language and translate it into spoken words. A Ukrainian-based team has something better: a working prototype of a smart glove with the exact same capability.

The quadSquad team won the 2012 Imagine Cup – Microsoft’s technology competition for students – for their invention, which they call EnableTalk. The glove has 15 flex sensors, an accelerometer, a gyroscope and a compass, all manned by an onboard microcontroller. The glove sends input via Bluetooth to a custom app made for Windows smartphones, which will then interpret the data and output spoken language.

The brief demo below show the tester spelling “hello” letter by letter, which the app is able to translate after just a brief delay:

Head to EnableTalk’s official website for more information on the product. I tip my hat off to quadSquad; I hope the team succeeds in releasing a commercial version of their device.

[via CNET via Reddit]