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Author Topic: Real time voice translation device  (Read 4106 times)

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Offline JeanClaude

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Real time voice translation device
« on: September 07, 2010, 05:27:57 AM »
http://www.wired.com/listening_post/2007/11/real-life-babel/

Anyone worked with this? I had a gimmick like this for translation between Spanish and Portuguese, but the voice recognition is so so.

Real-Life Babelfish Translates Instantly Between English and 9 Other Languages

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Many readers of Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy who have traveled to foreign lands have  probably wished they had a babelfish installed in their ears for translating speech into and out of their native tongue instantaneously.  Ectaco’s Windows CE-powered iTravl NTL-9C is the closest thing to that fictional device I’ve heard about so far.  Speak any of 63,000 words and phrases in English, and it’ll play a high-quality translation in Chinese, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, or Russian from its speaker.  For understanding what others are saying, you can have them speak into the device in any of those languages, and the iTravl NTL-9C will tell you what they said in English.

This device isn’t cheap, at $600, but lower-end models that translate into fewer languages are also available.  Aside from acting as an instant translator, the iTravl NTL-9C also functions as a portable audio player, dictionary, language tutor, and travel guide.

Here’s the full list of features from Ectaco:


Unique multilingual handheld translates wordsand phrases from English to Chinese, French, German, Italian, Polish,
Portuguese, Russian Spanish and back!
The world’s most sophisticated Speech Recognition thatunderstands exactly what you say and provides instant translation ofwords and phrases
Unsurpassed Travel Voice PhraseBook translates and speaks 63,000 phrases per language using native-speaker voice narration
iHELP for instant access to emergency and frequently used phrases which can be spoken immediately
Indispensable travel resources that include Fodor’s Travel Guide, CIA World Factbook and Travel AudioBooks
Amazing Language Teacher system to help you learn foreign language in the time it takes to fly to your destination.
Reliable and accurate 2-way Full-text Machine Translationbetween English and Chinese, French, German, Italian, Polish,
Portuguese, Russian, Spanish!
Exhaustive Translating Dictionary that pronounces any word using state-of-the-art Speech Synthesis
Hands free, voice navigation and hi-res touch screen for easy access to information
Extended functionality and responsiveness powered by Windows CE
Outstanding Mp3 player for your media files to keep you entertained on the road
Enjoyable language learning games so you can learn while you play – anywhere!




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Offline bzdvincent

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Re: Real time voice translation device
« Reply #1 on: July 21, 2014, 11:36:38 AM »
so language shouldnot be a problem

Offline mendeleyev

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Re: Real time voice translation device
« Reply #2 on: July 21, 2014, 12:33:10 PM »
It seems typical that as many problems are caused, as are solved, by electronic translators. The potential for misunderstandings is huge as a machine has no way of understanding the context of what is spoken.

Still, to give it a chance, I consulted the Amazon reviews. Depending on where you buy it, the price ranges from $300 to $800. That didn't seem to make reviewers happy, then came multiple reports of battery and memory card issues. I think that given all those factors, added to the obvious translation problems, it might not be all that the creators had hoped.