“Universal translators” have fuelled science fiction plots for decades, and building such a device

has long been the Holy Grail for tech-oriented linguists. However, the prototypes that have appeared so far have used machine translation. Over the past few years, machine translation has  improved by leaps and bounds, but it’s still not precise enough to be relied upon for complex conversations.

That may soon change. A new start-up called Babelverse  has an incredibly ambitious goal: putting real-time, human-powered translation at the fingertips of everyone with a mobile device like a computer or smart phone.  Basically, the service connects you with an interpreter working remotely, and is supposed to cost about the same as placing a phone call. Babelverse can also set up interpreters for conferences, saving the expense of arranging for on-site interpreters. The conference industry is the main focus of their business at the moment, and the founders expect to leverage it to provide for further expansion.

The two founders, Mayel de Borniol and Josef Dunne, got the idea for Babelverse at a Greek technology conference, as they tried to make sense of presentations in an unfamiliar language. That’s not to say that they expect the entire world to speak English- they just want people to be able to understand each other via qualified, knowledgeable interpreters. Dunne told Fast Company:

“Being a native English speaker who lives abroad, I experience many people trying to use English as the de facto language, but this unfortunately lowers the quality of communication. We want to enable everyone to understand one another while each speaking in their native language…Our vision is the seemingly science-fictional idea of everyone being able to simply talk to each other in their respective native languages, and seamlessly understand each other.”

The big question about Babelverse: how do you know whether or not the interpreter you get actually knows what he or she is doing? The interpreters won’t be translating for you out of the kindness of their hearts- they keep 70% of what the company makes on the call, and like eBay sellers, customers are encouraged to rate them after each transaction. So, it’s in their economic interests to do a good job, and poor interpreters should be weeded out daily quickly.

Of course, when it comes to policing behaviour and evaluating performance, systems like this are not perfect. If you’re in a situation where clarity is important, always make sure that adequate safeguards are in place to ensure you get the quality translation help you need.

Orginal Article on K International's Language Blog | Universal Translator

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Can you imagine being held prisoner by people you cannot communicate with, with no idea why you are there or when you will be released? That’s what happened to Timothy Siaki, an American man imprisoned in a Colorado jail for 25 days without an interpreter. That’s almost a month!

How did this Kafkaesque situation come to be? Mr. Siaki was staying in a motel with his fiancée, Kimberlee Moore. Ms. Moore is also deaf, and the couple communicates exclusively in American Sign Language (ASL). ASL is Mr. Siaki’s only mode of communication; he can neither read nor write English.

The couple got into a spat that was apparently not that serious but was quite loud. When hearing people fight, they are able to hear themselves, so they know exactly how loud they are being and can tone it down as necessary. Deaf people, on the other hand, can’t hear their own voices. So, it’s easy for them to end up screaming bloody murder without even being aware of it.

According to the couple, that’s what happened to them. Other hotel patrons thought something was really wrong and called the police, who promptly arrested Mr. Siaki. With no interpreters provided, the couple was unable to tell their side of the story. So, Mr. Siaki had no option but to sit in jail until someone who could understand him came along. That happened 25 days later during his court appearance, where he was finally given an interpreter. The charges were dismissed, but now he is suing the police department that held him for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act-and with good reason.

As Mr. Siaki’s lawyer noted in an interview with the Denver Post:

“There were 25 days of his life that he had access to nothing — no information on why he was being held, no information about his case or what was going to happen to him…They need policies and procedures for folks who are deaf. People just assume that a deaf person understands what they are saying.”

Orginal Article on K International's Language Blog | Deaf Jail

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If there were an award given out for the geekiest translation project ever, I think I might just have found a contender: Tattúínárdœla Saga, the “Star Wars” story rewritten in the style of the Old Norse Sagas and translated into Old Norse as well.

The saga is the brainchild of Jackson Crawford, a grad student going for his Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. It’s a fun re-imagining of the classic films, and a vast improvement over those awful prequels. Personally, I found it particularly satisfying to read that “Jarjari Georgsson,” the Jar-Jar Binks character, gets “killed by Anakinn in an early berserker rage.” Seriously, I want Episodes I-III remade, Viking-style.

This isn’t simply the original Star Wars story re-written in Old Norse, either (although that would still be kind of cool). Crawford changes the setting to around 1200 AD, in the North Atlantic. So, the characters sail in longboats instead of flying in spaceships, the two droids are re-imagined as Irish slaves or thralls, and Lúkr Anakinsson fights with a sword called “Light saber the Green” instead of an actual light saber.

The saga is a work-in-progress, with new chapters published periodically on the blog. So far, there are 30 chapters. The English versions are available here. As a taste, here’s how the famous scene outside of the cantina on Mos Eisely turned out:

The soldier asked then for Lúkr’s name. But the enchantment of the Jedi Fjord men followed Víga-Óbívan Kvæggansson. He cast a spell upon the soldiers, and he made them believe that all words which he spoke were true.

“You don’t need to hear his name”, said Víga-Óbívan.

“We don’t need to learn his name,” said the soldier.

“These are not the thralls you’re looking for,” continued Víga-Óbívan.

“These are not the thralls we’re looking for,” said the soldier.

“He can go freely about his business,” said Víga-Óbívan.

“He can go freely about his business,” said the soldier.

“Move along on your way,” said Víga-Óbívan.

“Move along, move along,” said the soldier.

Orginal Article on K International's Language Blog | Star Wars + Vikings = Awesome!

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We’ve all seen TV shows and movies make use of subtitles for the hearing impaired. However, for many deaf people, it takes more effort to decode the English words used in the subtitles than it would to understand the material if it were presented in their native tongue: sign language.

In an attempt to address this issue, the NHK Science & Technology Research Laboratories just released some interesting new technology: a system that automatically translates spoken language into  sign language using an animated virtual avatar.

As the researchers who developed the system explained to Akihabara News, “Subtitles are fine for people who understand Japanese, and who lost their hearing at some point. Meanwhile, people who are deaf from birth learn sign language first, naturally they study Japanese after that, but they find that sign language is easier to understand than subtitles, so we are conducting research in sign language.”

The end goal is a system that translate words into signs accurately as they are spoken. If you think that sounds difficult, you’re right. The NHK team has made a good start, but they aren’t quite there yet.  According to  Akihabara News, the researchers said,“We asked a number of deaf people to watch the animations, and while they certainly could understand it word by word, they pointed out it still lacks fluency as sign language. In the future we also want to improve that level of fluency.”

When it comes to sign language (or any other language, for that matter), a human interpreter is always going to be your best bet. However, this technology certainly could help the hearing impaired understand TV broadcasts when an interpreter isn’t available.

To help improve the technology, the research team included a feature that allows viewers to comment on and correct the translations presented.

Check it out in this demonstration video from the Technology Open House 2011:

Orginal Article on K International's Language Blog | Automatic Sign Language

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They say love transcends language, but when you have to have an interpreter to exchange your wedding vows,  something’s not quite right. That was the opinion of the UK Border Agency as they observed the July 26 “wedding” of Subhani Ahmed, a 33-year-old Pakistani man, and a 35-year-old Slovakian woman.

The two were getting married as an attempt to circumvent UK immigration laws. However, officers working on Operation Relinquish, a government crackdown on sham marriages, were in the audience watching as the two pledged their eternal love for each other –  via an interpreter.

A spokesman for the UK Border Agency told the Yorkshire Post:

“The couple, who relied on an interpreter at their wedding to exchange vows and understand the registrar, were unaware of the presence of officers from the UK Border agency’s immigration crime team.”

Now, the man is in jail, sentenced to 15 months. His blushing bride, however, skipped court and is currently being sought by the authorities.

Investigators also found a price list breaking down the cost of the “marriage,” including payments for the bride, the wedding hall, pictures and administrative expenses. Perhaps some language classes should have been included, too? In addition to the unfortunate bride and groom, the ringleaders of the operation were arrested as well.

The UK Border Agency’s Jeremy Oppenheim told the newspaper:

“This operation successfully shows how our specialist team are playing a crucial role in not just identifying those involved in sham marriages but, importantly, those who are profiteering from them.”

Translators can have a place at weddings-just not as intermediaries between the bride and the groom! For example, if you’re getting married in another country with a different language, you’ll want the ceremony to be translated into your own tongue so that you can understand it. Also, sometimes the families of the bride and the groom speak different languages, so translations are provided for the audience. But one of the most important ingredients for a successful marriage is the ability to communicate. If you and your intended can’t speak the same language at all, you should probably work on that before entering into the bonds of holy matrimony!

Orginal Article on K International's Language Blog | UK Border Agency Crashes Wedding

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The Maldives are an idyllic island  chain in the Indian Ocean, blessed with white sands and surrounded by intensely blue waters. Sounds like the perfect place for a wedding, doesn’t it? Perhaps, but if a video of a “Maldivian Vow Renewal” ceremony that recently surfaced on YouTube is any indication, you might want to bring an interpreter along to the ceremony.

During the ceremony, which was conducted in the Maldivian language of Dhivehi, the couple was insulted by the “celebrant.” while they renewed their wedding vows. Since they didn’t speak Dhivehi, they had no idea that the celebrant was calling them “black swine” and declaring their marriage “cursed,” among other things.  The video, as seen here on the Daily Mail website, contains obscenities, although they are in Dhivehi, not English.

Some of the more printable insults flung at the couple include the following passage from Minivan News:

“Your marriage is not a valid one. You are not the kind of people who can have a valid marriage. One of you is an infidel. The other, too, is an infidel – and we have reason to believe –an atheist, who does not even believe in an infidel religion.”

The hotel involved, the Vilu Reef Beach and Spa Resort, at first tried to portray the incident as a joke gone too far. However, with vow-renewal packages costing at least  £1,700 per couple, the Swiss couple in the video is unlikely to be amused. Since tourism is such an important part of the Maldivian economy, the “celebrant”  is now under investigation by the Maldives Head Office. Maldives Foreign Minister Ahmed Shaheed told the Daily Mail:

‘I could not see the entire video because my children were around and I didn’t want them to hear the bad language that was used.’

Orginal Article on K International's Language Blog | Getting Married in the Maldives? Get an Interpreter!

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Disneyland just announced two new services to accommodate disabled guests. First, the park will now offer sign language interpreters at many of its top shows and attractions on a regular basis. Previously, interpreters were available to assist hearing impaired guests, but you had to arrange for the service in advance. Now, the interpreters will be available Monday and Saturday at Disneyland and Sunday and Friday at Disney’s California Adventure Park.

Although you no longer have to arrange for these services in advance, Disney still recommends that you call and request schedule confirmation a week before you plan to arrive.

In a post on the StitchKingdom blog, Disney park employee Everett Rowlett, an electro-mechanical technician, explained why the new interpretation service is so important:

“I am deaf, and experiencing the sign language service on Storybook Land made the attraction much more engaging for me. This is the first time in the 28 years I have worked at the Resort that I have been able to fully understand the stories being told.”

Disneyland also announced that it will now offer a new audio description device to the visually impaired. The device, which is lightweight and easy to carry around, describes outdoor scenery and visual elements of rides and attractions. Users can use an audio menu to tell the device what kind of information they are looking for and receive an appropriate description in return. The devices are available for guests free of charge, and the company that makes them plans to make them available to assist visually impaired people outside the park as well.

In an article posted on LaughingPlace.com,  Greg Hale, chief safety officer and vice president of Worldwide Safety and Accessibility for Walt Disney Parks & Resorts, said:

“Disney Parks have long been at the forefront of providing accessibility for guests with disabilities. We are pleased to build on this legacy with new technology that enables us to do something that has never been done before – provide rich audio description in moving rides and outdoor environments.”

Orginal Article on K International's Language Blog | Disneyland Now Provides More Sign Language Interpreters and Audio Description Devices

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Hospitals naturally encounter patients who speak a cornucopia of different languages-far too many for them to have an interpreter on staff for each one. However, language barriers make it extremely difficult to treat patients, preventing doctors from accurately understanding the patient’s symptoms and preventing the patient from fully understanding their condition and treatments.

So, some US hospitals have turned to medical interpreter hotlines to help medical personnel communicate with patients who don’t speak English. Medical interpreter lines and video interpreting services not only make the staff’s job easier,  patient outcomes improve as a result.

For example, the Houston Chronicle describes the story of one elderly Korean man with an aggressive form of cancer who had a reputation for being a “bad,” uncooperative patient. When the team at Holy Name Hospital in Teaneck, New Jersey used a medical interpreting service to talk to him, they soon figured out that he wasn’t cooperative because he had no idea what was wrong with him. Once his condition was explained, the staff easily persuaded him to agree to treatment.

Unfortunately, cost constraints keep many hospitals from offering similar services. The Chronicle notes that Parkland Memorial Hospital in Houston spends $160,000 per month on medical interpreting services. While hospitals receiving federal funding must provide access to interpreters for patients who don’t speak English, only 13 states offer funding to reimburse the cost of translation services for patients.

Unfortunately, medical mistakes caused by language barriers can be expensive, too-costing the hospital money due to litigation, costing patients and insurance companies for additional treatment and even more important, costing patient lives.

For example, the Houston Chronicle notes that in 1980, a Spanish-speaking ER patient  became paralyzed for life  when one of his relatives stated he had been “intoxicado” before he collapsed. Since “intoxicado” is a cognate for the English “intoxicated”, the ER team assumed that mean he had overdosed on drugs, but in Spanish it can simply mean “nauseous.” He actually had a brain injury. The resulting lawsuit cost the hospital $70 million.

Orginal Article on K International's Language Blog | Medical Interpreting Services Help Bridge Language Gaps In Some US Hospitals

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Friday, China celebrated the arrival of two pandas from the United States, Tai Shan and Mei Lan. The two pandas are being treated like the celebrities they are, and China is sparing no expense when it comes to making them comfortable in their new homes. That includes hiring a Chinese tutor for Mei Lan, the female panda born in a zoo in Atlanta.

Although she was born in the USA, her parents were loaned to the Atlanta Zoo by the Chinese government, and under the agreement, all giant pandas and their cubs must go home to China after a specified period of time.

In the Los Angeles Times, Huang Xiangming, director of the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding’s animal management department,explained that:

“Mei Lan has been living in the United States since she was born, and she must be unfamiliar with Chinese.”

In an article posted on China Daily, Cui Kai, a worker at the breeding center, said that:

“She will be taught Chinese with a Sichuan dialect. She will become familiar with some simple phrases. For example, she will be taught the phrases for returning to the cage or coming out from the dormitory.”

According to China Daily, 14 people have already applied for the job of teaching Chinese to the panda. The US sent back another panda, Tai Shan, on Friday as well. However, there is no need for a Chinese tutor for Tai Shan-he will be kept at the Bifengxia Base of China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, and handlers there are bilingual, able to speak both English and Chinese.

Both pandas are expected to be introduced into the breeding program, and the Chinese government has set up a website to allow citizens to vote on a “boyfriend” for Mei Lan.

Orginal Article on K International's Language Blog | China Seeks Chinese Language Tutor For Panda

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The Central Intelligence Service (CIA) announced on Friday that it is increasing its language requirements for employees looking to be promoted to the top ranks of the agency, the Senior Intelligence Service (SIS).

Agency director Leon Panetta sent out a note to all CIA staff, stating that he expects the high-ranking employees:

“to lead the way in strengthening this critical expertise.”

The agents require language skills anyway bit this announcement is about keeping those language skills fresh and up to date.

Agents who are promoted to SIS will have one year t meet the language requirement. If the language requirements are not met within one year the agent will return to their previous, lower grade.

According to CBS news Panetta said:

“the change will allow the CIA to be better positioned to protect the American nation in the years ahead.”

This new policy is part of a much bigger five year imitative which aims to double the number of analysts and collectors who are proficient in a foreign language, expand the number of agents proficient in ‘mission critical languages’, including Arabic, Pushto and Urdu and make language skills more important in CIA hiring decisions.

Orginal Article on K International's Language Blog | CIA Increases Language Requirements for Top Staff

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