translators
Software
iPhone App Interprets Babies’ Tears, Doesn’t Excuse Bad Parenting
4:20PM Rosa Golijan | The Cry Translator iPhone app is supposed to assist those with little parental instinct by translating the sobs and screams of their children and providing advice. How ever did we all make it to adulthood without apps like this? More »
Gadgets
Bowlingual Discovers That Every Dog Has An Inner Japanese Woman
11:40PM Mark Wilson | What is your dog trying to say when he’s barking at bicyclists riding by your window? If only we spoke Japanese, we’d know. More »
Science
Dolphin Translator Is Sure to Uncover Valuable Insight On Fish
2:45PM Dan Nosowitz | A British scientist is working on a device to represent dolphin communication as a sort of hieroglyph, but we can save him the suspense: They’re just thanking us for all the fish. More »
Gadgets
$US199 Sign Language Translator…OK, Video Dictionary
11:50AM Mark Wilson | The Sign Language Translator’s name may be a tad misleading (it doesn’t actually translate anything), but as a pocket ASL video dictionary, it’s a neat enough idea. More »
Gadgets
Iranian Invents Multilingual Talking Book Reader
3:37AM Wilson Rothman | There’s not a lot of information about this invention from Ramin Sedighi of Iran, except that it’s a device with an electronic pen that scans words of a book and says them aloud. The news clip says that the device will teach languages to children ages 4 to 16, and that it can also “explain” pictures. Here’s the mystery catch though: the reader has 512MB of memory “for storing 15 books.” If it needs to store the books in advance, it can’t just read any book, only those pre-programmed in. Which means it may be no more advanced than a LeapFrog educational toy. It’s as big as a 13-inch laptop, too, and yet we’re strangely intrigued. [Iranian Students News Agency via Raw Feed] More »
Gadgets
News Wrap: Speak R2-D2’s Language, Watch Hulu In HD, Get a Cheap Zune Dock and More
8:00AM Benny Goldman | • Adobe’s Flash Player 9 now supports the H.264 video codec. Expect more HD Flash video and greater iPhone compatibility as a result. [TUAW] • Hulu began streaming in HD today, coinciding with Adobe’s Flash update. Cold comfort if you ask me, since there are no TV shows left anyway. [Crave] • R2-D2 Translator turns your typed words into the little droid’s language. Be careful not to break the space-time continuum by asking it to translate “beep boop beep.” [R2D2 Translator] • Altec Lansing’s M604 Zune dock is on Woot for a measly $US45, more than $160 off the retail price. Line-in and video-out make this compatible with other players too, so it sounds like a sweet deal. [Woot] More »
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Fuji Xerox’s Photocopier Translates English to Japanese or Korean
10:30AM Yuri Baranovsky | Fuji Xerox has developed a new photocopier that can scan a document written in English and then print a copy of it in Japanese or Korean. The photocopier can also do the reverse — translating Japanese or Korean to English — while almost magically maintaining the original layout. The machine works by networking with a dedicated translation server while simultaneously using various programs to distinguish between actual words and, say, a coffee stain. It’s not available for mass-production just yet but the pessimist in me says it’ll be more useful for a laugh than an actual translation. [DigitalWorldTokyo via UberReview] More »
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iTravl Translates Nine Languages With Speech Recognition, Guides You Through 50 Major Cities
12:13AM Seamus Byrne | While some people would say that the iTravl is what I use to write my posts*, I don’t really know how well it translates between English and the eight languages it supports using its look-Ma-no-hands speech recognition system. Just for its cheesy, retro sci-fi look, however, I wouldn’t care if it translated my “Hello, where can I have a pizza, please?” to “Take your pants down and take me to your leader!” when I visit Moscow. Jump for more details and see my nipples explode with delight! More »
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