Anyone have any experience with an electronic translator?

[Chako]

The reason I ask, I just bought one off of Amazon. This is the one I should be receiving:

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07RZRHWTC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I couldn't seem to find a complete language list other than it translates 137 languages and some dialects. The reason why I am buying one...we are increasingly getting middle eastern immigrants to our school. Last year, we had 6 students. This year, a dramatic increase to 34 students only reinforces the need for one...as some of these students speak very rudimentary English...if at all. I have tried Google Translate...but that isn't the best option as it is quirky at best and does a terrible job in the accuracy department. We have a few Ethiopian students who's language isn't even supported...let alone the Kurdish students that are in the same boat.

I like the speech to speech function, and that I am not using my cell phone. I guess I won't know how useful this device will be until I get it and try it out in the classroom.

[Vidar]

I suggest to start with a disclaimer:

"If I make any horrible insults, big promises or anything else totally out of place that is most likely the translator gone astray. Please ask for clarification before slapping me or moving into my house".

Last time I tired an electronic translator we had lots of fun, but very little translating apart from single words. That was in the 90s though. Google translate have thrown me for spin a few times though - hence the above!

[Reinier]

I used to have a small eletronic translator which supported five or six languages. It only did literal word-to-word translations and knew nothing about grammar, semantics and idioms. So basically it was an almost useless novelty item.

I've always wondered how good electronic translators are when the original text contains typos and/or grammar errors. I don't want to insult anyone but there is at least one error in the original post and I don't know if translator services or devices can account for that.
This is more about the techniques and (artificial) intelligence behind those tools. I'm seriously interested in those thing because linguistics has always fascinated me.

[Chako]

Ok. I was just wondering if anyone had any experience with a newer model that does on the fly translation.

Here is a video I found that shows the capability of these more modern devices.

Either way, I have one on its way and can't wait to see if it will make communication a bit easier at work.,

[Don Pablo]

I use Google Live Transcribe (not the same thing as Google Translate) sometimes.
It can be accurate.

[SteveC]

If it doesn't do Klingon I would send it back   

[SirVicaLot]

 

If it can, I will get one too! 

[Vidar]

Either way, I have one on its way and can't wait to see if it will make communication a bit easier at work.,

That will be interesting to hear about. Great if it works, and if not, great to get an update of where the technology actually is at right now. A reliable translator will certainly be a useful item in many settings.

I've always wondered how good electronic translators are when the original text contains typos and/or grammar errors. I don't want to insult anyone but there is at least one error in the original post and I don't know if translator services or devices can account for that.
This is more about the techniques and (artificial) intelligence behind those tools. I'm seriously interested in those thing because linguistics has always fascinated me.

A fairly long time ago I read somewhere that Google translate at least isn't actually based on trying to learn linguistic rules at all. Instead it exploits that it has a huge database of website information. Because many webpages have been translated manually to several languages it can then use statistics and AI to somehow connect meanings in one language to another. This is interesting as that means it will quickly pickup new use of old words as well as still know the meaning even with common errors. (As common errors will presumably also exist on many webpages).

I do wonder what happens over time if the multiple language websites themselves uses Google translate for their translation. That would make a feedback loop that might lead to errors becoming more settled in and overall results corroded- or maybe that we humans over time starts accepting what Google says as actually correct as it starts spreading around?

[Chako]

That makes sense.

I tried to use the real time translation feature on Google Translate yesterday and it failed miserably. I tried it on one of my Arabic and English speaking students...with hilarious results. We both got a laugh out of it. I do hope a more dedicated device will be more useful. I guess time will tell.

[Chako]

The electronic translator came in last night. I spent a few hours uploading the included offline packages. The rest will require a live Wifi feed for it to work. There is good and bad with this. The included offline packages include the following languages:

- Chinese simplified
- Chinese traditional
- English Australia
- English UK
- English United States
- German
- Spanish Spain
- French France
- Italian
- Japanese
- Korean
- Portuguese Brazil
- Russian

Not sure why the device did not come with them uploaded already...but I managed to install all of them to the device. Installing all of those languages to the device took 15.05 Gb leaving 16.95 Gb left of the internal memory for other uses. Any of these built in languages now do not need a WiFi connection for active live translations. All other languages do require a WiFi connection. I was hoping that Arabic would be one of the download packages...but it was not. Likewise not all of the built in langues allow for real time speaking translation. Only those  languages with a speaker symbol will allow that.

For example. If I select Arabic, the device will allow translation on screen for The United Arab Emirate, Bahrain, Algeria, Israel, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Katar, and Tunisia. It will only do live voice translation with Saudi Arabia and Egypt Arabic. Now, this is way better than Google translate as it will support all those different Arabic dialects as text only. I am very impressed with the amount of dialects for Arabic alone...I just wish it would have either the Saudi or Egyptian Arabic as an offline download. That would make it perfect for my use. X fingers that the school WiFi is up to the task.

I know how to speak French and I tested this device out. It is very responsive and fairly accurate. The translator shows the text so you will know it is translating your words wrong...allowing you time to correct your inquiry. It all happens very fast, and fluid.

Am I happy with this device...for the most part yes. I understand that the company is always working at improving their device, and I hope that Arabic will become a downloadable package in the future. This Translator supports more languages than Google Translate, appear to be more accurate, and it supports for dialects can be very helpful, and all in a small portable package. Much like Google translate, the device also allows to take photos of foreign text and to have it translate to whatever language you want. Kinda cool.

[Vidar]

Sounds quite promising. The omission of Scandinavian languages is makes it less useful around here - but I guess they keep working their way down the list.

Either way much better than most alternatives. I recall a trip in China in the 90s when there still weren't many English speakers around. If we needed to go anywhere the helpful people at the hotel would write down where we wanted to go, and we would show that to the taxi drivers.

At one point we had been at a meeting and wanted to go eat at McDonalds afterwards. Thinking ahead I had a note from the hotel with the address to the McDonalds. We were more people than fit in one car, so I said I'll just show the same note to both taxis to make sure we ended up at the same McDonalds. And so I did.

A little while later the other car went off one way and we drove the other. It was a mystery until we arrived back at our hotel where we found the people from the other taxi. Apparently when I showed the note to their taxi driver he had read the hotels letterhead on top of their notepaper rather than what was actually written on it. Oh well - I got my food at least 

[Chako]

Update..not so good. This device works great at home...but did not like the School's terrible WiFi. Going to try again tomorrow.