There are doubters that this is even possible, but I wouldn’t put anything past Google. Google already has a great full-page Web text browser translator plugin that works in 52 languages and a rather terrible text-to-voice paragraph translator.
The impact on newspapers of Google’s dream phone goes far beyond the ability of a reporter to interview almost anyone. The key issue for journalists is that the technology behind the translation software analyzes phrases, not words.
While that is much more like what the human mind does, it poses some challenges similar to those Google gave us by becoming the dominant search engine. Who of us hasn’t struggled with SEO – search engine optimization. Consider the possibility of PTO – phrase translation optimization.
Wordsmithing is near and dear to most newspaper (print or digital) journalists. Turning a phrase, however, could short-circuit your attempts at global access if it results in bewildering banter up with which no editor would tolerate.
Solution: Write for the machine. Polite jargon: Phrase translation optimization.
Still, being able to slap my phone on the bar and order a beer in 52 languages has its appeal...
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Comments
Having seen what Google's or
Having seen what Google's or any other's web translators does to norwegian in english and vice versa, one can only hope this one will do better. That said, a phone that can translate from english to english (or in my case) from norwegian to norwegian would be the real revolution, not having to write out, but merely edit, the interviews. I remember dreaming of that in the 90s, before I got my act together and started taking notes while the recorder was running...
I'll second what Per Helge
I'll second what Per Helge said. The real innovation here may be transcribing interviews and dictate stories on the fly, eliminating the need for a laptop.
It has been so hard to adapt ledes and headlines for SEO, I don't see journalists changing to make translation easier.
Mobile voice-to-text is
Mobile voice-to-text is already here, though still a bit rough. Nuance has a number of mobile products, including a Dragon Dictate app for the iPhone. http://www.nuance.com/mobiledevices.
Rough as it is, translation software is improving faster than even Star Trek originator Gene Roddenberry dreamed. Remember, he thought the Universal Translator and the Communicator were 300 years in the future. He just didn't have the right apps.
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