Real-Time Language Translations

To the right, click on the [+] or [-] graphics beside an industry category to expand or collapse that list.

[ 423690 ] = Other electronic parts and equipment merchant wholesalers – Computer boards, unloaded, merchant wholesalers; Computer chips merchant wholesalers; Printed circuit boards merchant wholesalers; circuits, integrated, merchant wholesalers; Electronic parts (e.g., condensers, connectors, switches) merchant wholesalers; Semiconductor devices merchant wholesalers; Transistors merchant wholesalers; Unloaded computer board merchant wholesalers

[ 238210 ] = Electrical contractors and other wiring installation contractors – Computer and network cable installation

[ 541512 ] = Computer systems design services – Local area network (LAN) computer systems integration design services

In the future, home networks may become proficient in areas of human language  recognition and translation.  An even more challenging field is that of real-time language translations.  Every language spoken by humans has its own grammar and syntactical structure.  Intelligent computers may be stressed in their capabilities by attempting to predict how translations will be done.  Such work may rely on universal speech digital pattern databases.  Such dynamic resources may be constantly evolving, tempered by dialects and the dynamic nature of all spoken languages.

The following is taken from “The Digital Home Network: Our Homes as Digital Centers”, a white paper by Jack Farnlacher, section IV.A.3 – “Real Time Translations”, pgs 55-56. “DHN” has been replaced by “home network”; CBI is Computer-Based Intelligence.

Knowing several spoken languages is a tremendous personal asset[1].  Such skills let people converse freely without using the services of a human translator.  A lot of people in this country, unfortunately, do not have these skills.  If you don’t know all the right languages, communications might be a real problem.

Even today, people communicate around the planet using translators, women and men skilled in multiple spoken languages and able to translate from one to another, hearing one and speaking another.  An example is the translation service provided to delegates of the United Nations[2].

The home network could be developed to provide universal voice communications.  Whether used at home or as a stand-alone capability in a commercial setting, this is one application that has serious merit in development of international trade.  This translation capability could allow interactive speech in a video conferencing mode.  There would be some delay between speech recognition and synthesis, ideally probably several seconds[3].  The digital video image could be delayed and sent with the translated speech for more continuity of presentation.

The most difficult aspect of this may not be the formal language recognition and production.  It may be the informal elements, “slang”, and dialects that tax translation capabilities.  It is possible that combining CBI with voice recognition and speech synthesis will lead to the creation of a universal speech digital pattern database[4].  Such a capability might relate words, expressions, and their meanings in many different languages and dialects and allow updating as people’s use of language changes.  This could include multiple, syntactic definitions for words, phrases, and expressions.  It may also include syntactic indicators to help CBI anticipate the flow of conversation and which phrases and expressions may be used next.  And besides, even human translators don’t always get it right!