Real-time speech translation for the mobile phone

Instant universal speech translation. Who doesn't know it from science-fiction series like Star Trek? But on the Mobile Voice Conference in San Francisco it appeared that this is already possible in particular situations. The company Novauris showed a software application on a mobile phone that is able to instantly translate generally used phrases. In addition, the company Fluential reviewed a system that is able to provide real-time interpretations in a hospital. These two applications are not fully developed yet, but both companies announced that they are technically ready to launch a related commercial product.

Over the past years it appeared that the complexity of different grammar and word forms made it hard to realize accurate universal translations. Novauris and Fluential didn't manage to translate all speech, but they created software which can translate quickly enough so that users are able to speak with each other at a relatively normal speed. As a result, the translation happens automatically when the user's meaning is clear enough. If it's less obvious, the application will show a standard phrase and ask the user for confirmation before it actually speaks it to the other person. This makes the conversation easier and more clear for both speakers. As a result, the software is especially useful in situations with language barriers where communication problems have to be overcome.

The software will be developed for all kinds of smartphones, like the iPhone, Windows Mobile and soon the Android OS. It is generally expected that the commercial product will be available in 2011. A comparable test with speech translating software is shown below: