FOREIGN LANGUAGE “REAL TIME” TRANSLATION | Bill Ramsey & Phillip Hampton

Machine vs Software vs “Roll Your Own”

We like to travel – in the US or to other countries, continents or even islands. Many times the people you interact with do not speak English, especially Bill’s southern drawl English. And, even in the US, not everyone is a native speaker of English. So, you have three choices when you encounter someone who does not speak your native language. You can use a computer or cellphone-based translator (usually using the “Cloud”), or you can use a specialized device for translation, or you can “roll your own” and learn to speak the other language. We have tried each method. Here are our non-expert thoughts on the matter.

Computer or Cloud-Based Translation

There are many, many translation services on-line. Most are beyond the scope of this article. If you need to have a legal document accurately translated, you need these services which are more precise and accurate than real-time translation. Most are human-generated or at least checked by humans for accuracy, Some of the best services are: TransPerfect, Rapid Translate, Gengo, The Word Point, or the American Translators Associations. We do not have any experience with the more formal services.

On the other hand, we have used Google Translate, Apple Translation, and Microsoft Translation. We like all three for providing more informal (and less accurate) translations in real-time. And they each keep getting better.

Each of these are made a part of their respective ecosystems. For example, Apple Translate works with iPhones, iPads, and Macs. Google Translate works with Android phones, the Google Search engine, Chrome OS, and so on. Microsoft Translate works with Office, the Edge Browser, Bing, Teams, etc. They all work relatively well, but we like Google Translate the best for many reasons.

For example, the Google Translate App has just been updated to allow use by Apple iOS users and more space to type in text and use Google Lens to recognize and translate photos of signs, store fronts, billboards, etc. It also has added “context to translation” so it can discern the difference between a “novel” idea and a “novel” that is a book. And the list goes on.

The Microsoft Translator App is being redesigned as well to provide more accuracy and features. For example, it now has translation for more languages than Google. It will also work on iPhones or Android devices. There are three versions: one for personal use, one for business use and one for educational use. Microsoft is

gaining ground on Google in our opinion. Both will continue to advance as the use of Artificial Intelligence continues to improve.

Apple Translate continues to lag behind, as much as Bill hates to admit it. It is not as accurate. It does not support as many languages as Google or Microsoft. And, it is not available on Android devices. So, you can really only have real time online discussion with others who are using Apple devices. Google and Microsoft are much more flexible.

Dedicated Single-Use Translators

There are many of these devices for sale. There are so many, in fact, that there are at least twenty such devices for sale on Amazon. The beauty of these devices is that they work off-line. They do not need an internet connection to provide accurate translation. Google Translate, Apple Translation, and Microsoft Translation work, to a certain extent offline, but not as well as these standalone devices.

Our favorite in this category is the TimeKettle WT2 Edge translator with earbuds. Our runner up is the ili instant offline translator. Both are available on Amazon, and theTimeKettle with the earbuds costs about $350. The ili costs about $170. We played with both devices at CES. The TimeKettle set up is less clunky and works well with the earbuds. It also has more available languages. The ili only works downloads translation dictionaries for English to Spanish, Mandarin, and Japanese. But, the ili is very fast for the languages it supports. It translates words in .2 seconds.

“Roll Your Own” and learn the language

Of course, you can do it the old fashioned way and learn the language yourself. Learning the language yourself is very rewarding, but, it will take a lot of time and commitment. For example, Bill has been using Duolingo to learn Spanish for two years and all he can say is “Tequila” and “Cinco de Mayo.” There are numerous choices in this category. The ones that get the best reviews are Duolingo, Babbel, Rosetta Stone and Pimsleur. Bill likes Duolingo because it is free and has a fun and game-playing, almost silly interface.

However, most reviewers now prefer Rosetta Stone. It is good for beginners. It forces you to enjoy studying at least 30 minutes per day, causing you to learn much faster. Duolingo does not require, nor force, that level of time commitment, and, as a consequence, you learn slower.

Whatever path you choose, enjoy your travels to places where different languages are spoken this summer.

Adios, Bill and Phil