Remember the "Universal Translator" in Star Trek? Here it is for real...
IBM's Multilingual Automatic Speech-to-Speech Translator (MASTOR) program recognizes spoken English, Mandarin and a bit of Spanish and Arabic, and can translate the languages in real time. By using the MASTOR program on a Pocket PC, two people who speak different languages can have a conversation. Although in its infancy, the software is in pilot programs. Systems featuring MASTOR may crop up at airports, banks and hospitals in the next few years.
IBM's Multilingual Automatic Speech-to-Speech Translator (MASTOR) program recognizes spoken English, Mandarin and a bit of Spanish and Arabic, and can translate the languages in real time. By using the MASTOR program on a Pocket PC, two people who speak different languages can have a conversation. Although in its infancy, the software is in pilot programs. Systems featuring MASTOR may crop up at airports, banks and hospitals in the next few years.