SpeakLike for WordPress: Reliable, human-based translations allow you to yak it up no matter where you live.

Go to the local county fair and walk around listening to the various languages and dialects you hear. Depending on where you live, the scope of spoken languages can actually be pretty expansive. Then think that no matter how many languages you think you are hearing in your little corner of the globe, it is but a tiny, minuscule drop in the bucket. Now take second to think about the millions of conversations that go on over the internet each and every day, on a much larger scale than your typical face-to-face encounter. Pretty intimidating huh? So how do people in different locations actually carry on a conversation?

Well, there are many ways in fact. Perhaps the more common options people are familiar with include Yahoo’s Babblefish and Google Translate. Both are machine based translation services that are free of charge and generally “ok” when accuracy is concerned. (Google Voice translations…need I say more…?) But for the sake of today’s featured article, we’re going to look at New York based company, “SpeakLike” and their robust, human-based translation service.

Besides keeping the lights on, why charge? Simple — it’s community driven. As the description highlights, the translation services provided by SpeakLike are the fruits of labor spanning thousands of actual human bodies. Anyone can become a translator by pointing their browser over here. Again, it won’t be enough to live off of, but that’s not the point. Think of it as added compensation for doing something you may find enjoyable.

Employee compensation and other things aren’t what really matters though. What really takes the cake is how the service works. And….? I’ve only had the plugin installed for a little over an hour so I’ll have to update after I have a good solid few days to play with the plugin. SpeakLike CEO, Sanford Cohen, was kind enough to give me some extra credits to allow me to further test SpeakLight for everyone here. My initial impressions are positive so far. The WordPress setup was a breeze. With 35 supported languages as of writing, a pretty large swath of the planet’s population is covered. Not a small feat by any means. Again, we have to stress that SpeakLike isn’t as instantaneous as machine based “real-time” methods, it is more than adequte considering it is a real human doing all the grunt work work. Anything from 24-hours up to mere minutes are available for users — see, impressive for us mere mortals. And, because real humans are behind the translation process, users can expect rock solid, quick, (and common sense filled) translations. For those in a hurry, there’s help there too via traditional machine-based translation services as well, just for when those precious seconds just can’t be wasted on waiting.

Some may be worried about the delay in translations. It’s a valid concern really. Sometimes a delay, if even for a few minutes just won’t do. It’s those times when machine based translations services do really shine. But if you’ve got a few, striking it up with a living, breathing body — for now — just cannot be beaten by any machine.

**For those on the go, be sure to check out SpeakLike’s Photo Translator. Simply snap a picture of some text, click a few virtual buttons, and boom — translations on the go!

Stay tuned as I test out SpeakLike for WordPress. I encourage SpeakLike users to also give me feedback as how to get the most out of the service.

***Interesting Factoid: (You know, being a gadget blog and all), SpeakLike CEO Sanford Cohen’s favorite gadget at the moment is his trusty iPhone 3G.

SpeakLike on Twitter
SpeakLike Website

On the fly language translation coming to mobile phones within the next few years?

As fun, exciting, and simply cool as learning a second language is, some people just don’t have enough time or money to do so. Learning another language later in life after you’ve already spent an entire lifetime with one language is a pretty daunting task. The internet and digital devices in general have helped curb that learning curve and reduce the amount of time needed to learn another language. But the same problem exists — we are still having to “learn”, which takes valuable time. For the go go go business person or world traveler, becoming fluent takes too much time.

Thankfully, those same digital services that have aided us in learning languages have also aided us in translating. Using an online or pocket translator is obviously much faster as there is no learning to be had. Instead, capturing the speaker’s voice into some sort of device will then within a few seconds be turned into something the listener can understand. We have on-the-fly translation services available via desktop software, online, and on a few select *expensive* pocket-able hardware. If Google has their way however, we’ll soon be able to use it on just about any cellphone.

With over 6,000 spoken languages, getting the necessary code stuffed within a cellphone’s limited memory to quickly and accurately transcribe and translate one language to another is no small task. Google is up to the challenge however and has plans to have a basic working version of their “universal” language translator available for the mass market within the next couple of years.

Just think how many language barriers and other types of artificial walls due to different spoken languages could be torn down if talking to someone that spoke a different language was as easy as holding your phone up between the two of you. It’s pretty darn cool to think about. I just hope the whole process is more accurate than Googlve Voice and other similar services. As currently, sifting through my transcribed messages and accompanying deciphering shows that there is much work to be done.

Geeky-Gadgets > Times UK

Real-time language translation glasses by NEC

Big business men or those that travel the world often come in contact with people speaking many different languages. In such cases, a human body translator is normally the best course of action. But technology is a wonderful, wonderful thing. Take for instance, NEC’s Retinal Imaging Display prototype. These glasses work as a personal translator, translating all of the foreign language around you into more manageable *insert your native language here*. Going one step further, these glasses will also translate any responses back into the other speakers native language making communicating with whoever it is you need to talk to much more fluid if not a little funny — you know you’re going to butcher the other language. Just admit it. Both the speaker and speakee will have their native language translations displayed on the glasses giving the person wearing the glasses a bigger edge in communicating across the language barrier.

The technology really isn’t very sophisticated, save for the in-house translation software. The hardware is really just a microphone and script projector. Also, instead of displaying never ending sentences, the NEC Retinal glasses organize thoughts and sentences into expressions making the whole communicating thing a heck of a lot easier.

I don’t interact with a lot of various languages very often, but if I did, such glasses would I imagine be pretty handy. NEC is reportedly aiming to get these things to market sometime in 2010. Sweet! Anyone eyeing a new toy?

Gizmo Watch > Ubergizmo > Far East Gizmos