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AI translation is fast becoming a business that’s essential, turning global interactions local.
And at IFA 2024, it goes well beyondtranslation software.
(Image credit: Timekettle)
There are no lack of gadgets, apps, and tools designed to ease multi-lingual conversations.
One new release we got at Europe’s biggest tech event is the Timekettle W4 Pro earbuds.
We’ve reviewed plenty of Timekettle translators in our time, and they’ve usually left us very impressed.
(Image credit: Timekettle)
Each piece sat in its own moulded box where, like any other earbuds, the unit will charge.
Translations are made and displayed via what’s effectively aspeech-to-text app.
In our case, this was Chinese to English.
(Image credit: Timekettle)
We popped on the headset, our host did the same, and we conducted a light conversation.
I made no attempt to moderate my speech or speak loudly.
I simply spoke in my normal register.
(Image credit: Timekettle)
It took around 2.5 seconds while the app processed the speech before the translation appeared on the screen.
If you’ve usedGoogleTranslate, the effect is more or less the same.
And in my ear.
(Image credit: Timekettle)
A soft human-sounding voice audibly translating my host’s fluent Chinese into English.
Not too loud to overpower the conversation, but easily understandable even as others spoke around me.
Quite by accident, I also experienced Chinese to German translation.
(Image credit: Timekettle)
An effective bit of kit, then, for businesses working with global partners.
I’d like to see the translations coming faster, to allow for a more natural flow.
However, in practice, I found this an impressive experience for tearing down linguistic barriers.
