Telecoms

Real-time Translation on Mobiles, From NEC

From Japanese to English, for the moment

By Florin Troaca, Communications News Editor

3rd of December 2007, 12:08 GMT

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NEC, the Japanese multinational company, revealed it has created the world's first real-time language translator for mobile phones, which can convert Japanese words and phrases into English almost instantly. The new software has an integrated voice-recognition system,

as well as advanced translation functions and is small enough to operate with no problems on cell phones.

The application only requires someone to talk into the cellphone that has it enabled. It will then recognize and display the Japanese text on the phone's screen and, instantly, display its English translation too. Unfortunately, the software is not developed yet as far as to be able to deliver the translation in audio format, since this is not an easy thing to implement. "We would need to study how to recognize voices on the phone precisely," said NEC spokesman Mitsumasa Fukumoto. "Another problem would be how the person on the other side of the line could know if his or her words are being translated correctly."

More than 50,000 Japanese words can be recognized by the software, which is specifically designed to make smooth and correct translations of travel-related words, questions and phrases like "Where can I find a restaurant?" or "Please show me the way to the Art Museum".

The new NEC translation technology is not yet commercially available, but it will probably be pretty soon and will provide a great help to both Japanese and English tourists and business men. We don't know if the software will be compatible with a wider range of mobile phones or only with those produced by NEC, but we hope that in the future other technologies of this kind will be developed, to ease the communication between people around the globe whether they only speak English, Japanese, French, Korean or any other widely used language.

TAGS:

Mobile Phone | NEC | Translation

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