Killer App: Speech-to-Speech Translator Developed For iPhone

#1 (**permalink**) 10-30-2009, 10:59 AM

"Dr. Dobbs reports that Alex Waibel, professor of computer science and
language technologies at Carnegie Mellon University, has developed an
iPhone application that turns the iPhone into a translator that
converts English speech into Spanish, or vice versa.

Users simply speak a sentence or two at a time into the iPhone and the
iPhone will respond with an audible translation. 'Jibbigo's software
runs on the iPhone itself, so it doesn't need to be connected to the
Web to access a distant server,' says Waibel.

Waibel is a leader in speech-to-speech translation and multimodal
speech interfaces, creating the first real-time, speech-to-speech
translator for English, German and Japanese. 'Automated speech
translation is an expensive proposition that has been supported
primarily by large government grants,' says Waibel.

'But our sponsors are impatient to see this technology become more
widely available and we, as researchers, are eager to find new
revenues that will help us extend this technology to more of the 6,000
languages now spoken worldwide.'"

Dang do you realize iPhone users still are getting all the neat stuff?

Try Verizon's Android and you may feel hurt that none of this is for
you. ;>)

#2 (**permalink**) 10-30-2009, 02:02 PM

One Hundred Thousand iPhone Apps with two months to go for 2009! wrote:
> "Dr. Dobbs reports that Alex Waibel, professor of computer science and
> language technologies at Carnegie Mellon University, has developed an
> iPhone application that turns the iPhone into a translator that
> converts English speech into Spanish, or vice versa.

Great for asking your local bodega owner for a refill on your Slurpee,
or for telling a leaf blower wielding yard guy to STFU. Just shove your
talking iToy in his face and see what happens.

#3 (**permalink**) 10-30-2009, 02:41 PM

On 10/30/09 8:02 AM, in article
rKednZVViJd8fnfXnZ2dnUVZ_u-dnZ2d@speakeasy.net, "News" <News@Group.Name>
wrote:

> One Hundred Thousand iPhone Apps with two months to go for 2009! wrote:
>> "Dr. Dobbs reports that Alex Waibel, professor of computer science and
>> language technologies at Carnegie Mellon University, has developed an
>> iPhone application that turns the iPhone into a translator that
>> converts English speech into Spanish, or vice versa.
>
>
> Great for asking your local bodega owner for a refill on your Slurpee,
> or for telling a leaf blower wielding yard guy to STFU. Just shove your
> talking iToy in his face and see what happens.

You're a kinda "glass half-EMPTY" kind of guy, aren't you?

Go back to bed and get up on the other side, already!

#4 (**permalink**) 10-30-2009, 05:23 PM

In message <rKednZVViJd8fnfXnZ2dnUVZ_u-dnZ2d@speakeasy.net> News
<News@Group.Name> was claimed to have wrote:

>One Hundred Thousand iPhone Apps with two months to go for 2009! wrote:
>> "Dr. Dobbs reports that Alex Waibel, professor of computer science and
>> language technologies at Carnegie Mellon University, has developed an
>> iPhone application that turns the iPhone into a translator that
>> converts English speech into Spanish, or vice versa.
>
>Great for asking your local bodega owner for a refill on your Slurpee,
>or for telling a leaf blower wielding yard guy to STFU. Just shove your
>talking iToy in his face and see what happens.

If you're planning on being an asshole, you don't need a device to
translate for you, most assholes can get their message right through a
language barrier.

Being able to supplement weak knowledge of a foreign language while
traveling in a foreign country would be extremely useful.

I wonder if they support English <--> Texan?

#5 (**permalink**) 10-30-2009, 11:30 PM

"One Hundred Thousand iPhone Apps with two months to go for 2009!"
<vic.healey@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:e397df48-6cd0-497e-8476-5cfd3ee7a969@w19g2000yqk.googlegroups.com...
> "Dr. Dobbs reports that Alex Waibel, professor of computer science and
> language technologies at Carnegie Mellon University, has developed an
> iPhone application that turns the iPhone into a translator that
> converts English speech into Spanish, or vice versa.
>
> Users simply speak a sentence or two at a time into the iPhone and the
> iPhone will respond with an audible translation. 'Jibbigo's software
> runs on the iPhone itself, so it doesn't need to be connected to the
> Web to access a distant server,' says Waibel.
<snip>

"Audible", yes. Understandable, maybe not so much. Fluent, never.

Language translation is extremely difficult for a machine to do
successfully. Literal translations rarely work very well, although are
usually at least somewhat understandable.

#6 (**permalink**) 10-30-2009, 11:31 PM

"George Kerby" <ghost_topper@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:C710574D.37813%ghost_topper@hotmail.com...
> On 10/30/09 8:02 AM, in article
> rKednZVViJd8fnfXnZ2dnUVZ_u-dnZ2d@speakeasy.net, "News" <News@Group.Name>
> wrote:
>
> > One Hundred Thousand iPhone Apps with two months to go for 2009! wrote:
> >> "Dr. Dobbs reports that Alex Waibel, professor of computer science and
> >> language technologies at Carnegie Mellon University, has developed an
> >> iPhone application that turns the iPhone into a translator that
> >> converts English speech into Spanish, or vice versa.
> >
> > Great for asking your local bodega owner for a refill on your Slurpee,
> > or for telling a leaf blower wielding yard guy to STFU. Just shove your
> > talking iToy in his face and see what happens.
>
> You're a kinda "glass half-EMPTY" kind of guy, aren't you?
>
> Go back to bed and get up on the other side, already!

But only if there's a solid brick wall on that side. ;-)

#7 (**permalink**) 10-31-2009, 12:57 AM

"One Hundred Thousand iPhone Apps with two months to go for 2009!"
<vic.healey@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:e397df48-6cd0-497e-8476-5cfd3ee7a969@w19g2000yqk.googlegroups.com...
> "Dr. Dobbs reports that Alex Waibel, professor of computer science and
> language technologies at Carnegie Mellon University, has developed an
> iPhone application that turns the iPhone into a translator that
> converts English speech into Spanish, or vice versa.
>
> Users simply speak a sentence or two at a time into the iPhone and the
> iPhone will respond with an audible translation. 'Jibbigo's software
> runs on the iPhone itself, so it doesn't need to be connected to the
> Web to access a distant server,' says Waibel.
>
> Waibel is a leader in speech-to-speech translation and multimodal
> speech interfaces, creating the first real-time, speech-to-speech
> translator for English, German and Japanese. 'Automated speech
> translation is an expensive proposition that has been supported
> primarily by large government grants,' says Waibel.
>
> 'But our sponsors are impatient to see this technology become more
> widely available and we, as researchers, are eager to find new
> revenues that will help us extend this technology to more of the 6,000
> languages now spoken worldwide.'"
>
> Dang do you realize iPhone users still are getting all the neat stuff?
>
> Try Verizon's Android and you may feel hurt that none of this is for
> you. ;>)

Impressive. There's a similar app for Windows Mobile that will be released
November 8th...

....2001.

http://www.ectaco.com/news/2546

The iPhone app is pretty impressive, with a vocabulary of about 40,000
words, but it essentially sounds like any other electronic phrase
translator, but improved- you speak a phrase, (or in this case a sentence or
two) the phone selects the closest match and gives the result. Like
Ectaco's Windows Mobile app, it's primarily a phrase book for international
travelers:
"The Jibbigo app, which works on the iPhone 3GS, has a vocabulary of roughly
40,000 words. It is a general translator, though it is particularly attuned
to the needs of international travelers and medical doctors. Users simply
speak a sentence or two at a time into the iPhone and the phone will respond
with an audible translation."

#8 (**permalink**) 10-31-2009, 02:03 AM

DevilsPGD <DeathToSpam@crazyhat.net> wrote in
news:f13me5p3bd9nsgke919ontoo4qbbjr0fdv@4ax.com:

> I wonder if they support English <--> Texan?
>
>

I wonder if the Spanish translations are like these....(c;]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fda4_wo6JI

Apple has been known to make some hilarious jokes. Look at the prices!

--
Larry

#9 (**permalink**) 10-31-2009, 02:10 AM

"Your Name" <your.name@isp.com> wrote in news:hcfp9l$5dp$1@lust.ihug.co.nz:

> "Audible", yes. Understandable, maybe not so much. Fluent, never.
>
> Language translation is extremely difficult for a machine to do
> successfully. Literal translations rarely work very well, although are
> usually at least somewhat understandable.
>
>

Here's what this looks like when the BIG GOOGLE computer translates it:

""Audible", sí. Comprensible, quizá no tanto. Fluent, nunca.

De traducción de idiomas es extremadamente difícil para una máquina de
hacer con éxito. Traducciones literales rara vez funcionan muy bien, aunque
se por lo general por lo menos algo comprensible."

It will be amusing to compare what shit comes out of a little iPhone if you
read the English text of your post into it and see how it agrees with the
big Google mainframe's translation.

Any Spanish readers care to rate Google's translation for us? How did they
do on this text?

http://translate.google.com/#

--
Larry

#10 (**permalink**) 10-31-2009, 02:20 AM

"Todd Allcock" <elecconnec@AnoOspamL.com> wrote in
news:I3LGm.733$Cc6.21@newsfe07.iad:

> Impressive. There's a similar app for Windows Mobile that will be
> released November 8th...
>
> ...2001.
>
> http://www.ectaco.com/news/2546
>
> The iPhone app is pretty impressive, with a vocabulary of about 40,000
> words, but it essentially sounds like any other electronic phrase
> translator, but improved- you speak a phrase, (or in this case a
> sentence or two) the phone selects the closest match and gives the
> result. Like Ectaco's Windows Mobile app, it's primarily a phrase
> book for international travelers:
> "The Jibbigo app, which works on the iPhone 3GS, has a vocabulary of
> roughly 40,000 words. It is a general translator, though it is
> particularly attuned to the needs of international travelers and
> medical doctors. Users simply speak a sentence or two at a time into
> the iPhone and the phone will respond with an audible translation."
>
>
>

Google:

"Impresionante. Hay una aplicación similar para Windows Mobile que se
dará a conocer 8 de noviembre ...

.... De 2001.

http://www.ectaco.com/news/2546

La aplicación para el iPhone es bastante impresionante, con un
vocabulario de cerca de 40.000 las palabras, sino que, esencialmente,
los sonidos electrónicos, como cualquier otra frase traductor, pero la
mejora de una frase que usted habla, (o en este caso una frase o dos),
el teléfono selecciona la coincidencia más cercana y le da el resultado.
Gustar Ectaco de aplicación de Windows Mobile, es ante todo un libro de
frases para los internacionales los viajeros: "La aplicación Jibbigo,
que trabaja en la 3GS iPhone, tiene un vocabulario de alrededor de
40.000 palabras. Se trata de un traductor en general, aunque es muy
habilidosa a las necesidades de los viajeros internacionales y los
médicos. Los usuarios simplemente hablar una o dos frases a la vez en el
iPhone y el teléfono responderá con una traducción audible. "

What'd iPhone say??

--
Larry

Ha ha.....Tell Google to translate "kiss my ass" to spanish...
Try it.

#11 (**permalink**) 10-31-2009, 02:56 AM

"Larry" <noone@home.com> wrote in message
news:Xns9CB4D643DEF28noonehomecom@74.209.131.13...
>
> I wonder if the Spanish translations are like these....(c;]
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fda4_wo6JI
>
> Apple has been known to make some hilarious jokes. Look at the prices!

Nowhere near as big a joke as your parents made.

#12 (**permalink**) 10-31-2009, 02:57 AM

"Larry" <noone@home.com> wrote in message
news:Xns9CB4D75423315noonehomecom@74.209.131.13...
>
> Here's what this looks like when the BIG GOOGLE computer translates it:
>
> ""Audible", sí. Comprensible, quizá no tanto. Fluent, nunca.
>
> De traducción de idiomas es extremadamente difícil para una máquina de
> hacer con éxito. Traducciones literales rara vez funcionan muy bien,
aunque
> se por lo general por lo menos algo comprensible."
>
> It will be amusing to compare what shit comes out of a little iPhone if
you
> read the English text of your post into it and see how it agrees with the
> big Google mainframe's translation.
>
> Any Spanish readers care to rate Google's translation for us? How did
they
> do on this text?
>
> http://translate.google.com/#

Numbskull Loser Larry proves his know-absolutely-nothing status yet again.
Everyone knows your employer Google has a hopeless translation system that's
only good for extremely rough outline of what was really typed in. :-\

#13 (**permalink**) 10-31-2009, 05:37 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ealQk...=youtube_gdata

--
unDO email address
___
Nature, heron stone
to be commanded, http://gendo.net
must be obeyed. mailto:heronDO@gendo.net

#14 (**permalink**) 10-31-2009, 01:05 PM

Larry wrote:
> "Your Name" <your.name@isp.com> wrote in news:hcfp9l$5dp$1@lust.ihug.co.nz:
>
>> "Audible", yes. Understandable, maybe not so much. Fluent, never.
>>
>> Language translation is extremely difficult for a machine to do
>> successfully. Literal translations rarely work very well, although are
>> usually at least somewhat understandable.
>>
>>
>
> Here's what this looks like when the BIG GOOGLE computer translates it:
>
> ""Audible", sí. Comprensible, quizá no tanto. Fluent, nunca.
>
> De traducción de idiomas es extremadamente difícil para una máquina de
> hacer con éxito. Traducciones literales rara vez funcionan muy bien, aunque
> se por lo general por lo menos algo comprensible."
>
> It will be amusing to compare what shit comes out of a little iPhone if you
> read the English text of your post into it and see how it agrees with the
> big Google mainframe's translation.
>
> Any Spanish readers care to rate Google's translation for us? How did they
> do on this text?
>
> http://translate.google.com/#
>
>

And did you get a same day translation?

#15 (**permalink**) 10-31-2009, 03:52 PM

On Oct 30, 12:23*pm, DevilsPGD <DeathToS...@crazyhat.net> wrote:

>
> I wonder if they support English <--> Texan?

ROTFL

That was funny!

How about EBONICS so you can understand the next street mugger?

#16 (**permalink**) 10-31-2009, 09:01 PM

heron stone <heronDO@gendo.net> wrote in news:heronDO-2658E3.21374030102009
@news-40.giganews.com:

> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ealQk...=youtube_gdata

Works great on 10 words that almost sound like CANNED RESPONSE.

Let's try it on my examples and see what it does. We're not going to a
restaurant it knows.

--
Larry

#17 (**permalink**) 10-31-2009, 09:01 PM

"Your Name" <your.name@isp.com> wrote in news:hcg5f4$cgs$1@lust.ihug.co.nz:

> Everyone knows your employer Google

Man, don't I wish! I'd be happy just to be an early stockholder!

--
Larry

#18 (**permalink**) 10-31-2009, 09:03 PM

News <News@Groups.Name> wrote in news:d-
SdncVFv9u5tXHXnZ2dnUVZ_vidnZ2d@speakeasy.net:

> And did you get a same day translation?
>
>

Huh? It took 2 seconds...
....oh, but I have broadband, not ATT EDGE in the white zones:
http://phones.verizonwireless.com/3g/imgs/attmap.jpg

--
Larry

#19 (**permalink**) 10-31-2009, 09:08 PM

Larry wrote:
> News <News@Groups.Name> wrote in news:d-
> SdncVFv9u5tXHXnZ2dnUVZ_vidnZ2d@speakeasy.net:
>
>> And did you get a same day translation?
>>
>>
>
> Huh? It took 2 seconds...
> ...oh, but I have broadband, not ATT EDGE in the white zones:
> http://phones.verizonwireless.com/3g/imgs/attmap.jpg
>

Huh? It's alleged to be onboard processing, not cloud...

#20 (**permalink**) 10-31-2009, 09:08 PM

Larry wrote:
> heron stone <heronDO@gendo.net> wrote in news:heronDO-2658E3.21374030102009
> @news-40.giganews.com:
>
>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ealQk...=youtube_gdata
>
> Works great on 10 words that almost sound like CANNED RESPONSE.
>
> Let's try it on my examples and see what it does. We're not going to a
> restaurant it knows.
>
>

Waffle, waffle, waffle, waffle, waffle..........

#21 (**permalink**) 11-01-2009, 12:46 AM

On Fri, 30 Oct 2009 21:20:25 -0400, Larry <noone@home.com> wrote:

> Ha ha.....Tell Google to translate "kiss my ass" to spanish...
> Try it.

Not Google, and not just to Spanish, but then to French and thence back to English:

"embrace my mule" :-) .

Cheers, -- tlvp
--
Avant de repondre, jeter la poubelle, SVP

#22 (**permalink**) 11-01-2009, 03:10 AM

News <News@Groups.Name> wrote in
news:SdydnXqgdYbIBHHXnZ2dnUVZ_sednZ2d@speakeasy.ne t:

> Larry wrote:
>> News <News@Groups.Name> wrote in news:d-
>> SdncVFv9u5tXHXnZ2dnUVZ_vidnZ2d@speakeasy.net:
>>
>>> And did you get a same day translation?
>>>
>>>
>>
>> Huh? It took 2 seconds...
>> ...oh, but I have broadband, not ATT EDGE in the white zones:
>> http://phones.verizonwireless.com/3g/imgs/attmap.jpg
>>
>
> Huh? It's alleged to be onboard processing, not cloud...
>

I don't see how an iPhone could store the huge library of SPOKEN words
necessary in TWO languages in its tiny memory. Not possible.

Your voice is encoded and sent to the BIG server with a serious computer in
it....then the big server sends your little iPhone the audio data to speak
it back to you in the other language.

Translation is a massive fuzzy logic monster that's not going to happen in
some tiny processor with no memory to speak of....especially if it talks to
you.

--
Larry

#23 (**permalink**) 11-01-2009, 03:51 AM

In article <Xns9CB5EBBD6DE2Fnoonehomecom@74.209.131.13>, Larry
<noone@home.com> wrote:

> I don't see how an iPhone could store the huge library of SPOKEN words
> necessary in TWO languages in its tiny memory. Not possible.

the app is 158 megabytes. current iphones are 16 or 32 gigabytes. do
the math.

> Your voice is encoded and sent to the BIG server with a serious computer in
> it....then the big server sends your little iPhone the audio data to speak
> it back to you in the other language.

wrong. it does not use a data connection.

> Translation is a massive fuzzy logic monster that's not going to happen in
> some tiny processor with no memory to speak of....especially if it talks to
> you.

wrong again.

#24 (**permalink**) 11-01-2009, 04:44 AM

"Larry" <noone@home.com> wrote in message
news:Xns9CB5EBBD6DE2Fnoonehomecom@74.209.131.13...
>
> I don't see how an iPhone could store the huge library of SPOKEN words
> necessary in TWO languages in its tiny memory. Not possible.

Why?? You manage to store English and Crapese in your even smaller memory.
:-\

#25 (**permalink**) 11-01-2009, 04:58 AM

On Nov 1, 12:44*am, "Your Name" <your.n...@isp.com> wrote:
> "Larry" <no...@home.com> wrote in message
>
> news:Xns9CB5EBBD6DE2Fnoonehomecom@74.209.131.13...
>
>
>
> > I don't see how an iPhone could store the huge library of SPOKEN words
> > necessary in TWO languages in its tiny memory. *Not possible.
>
> Why?? You manage to store English and Crapese in your even smaller memory..
> :-\

Zing!

I bet you did not see that one coming Larry.

#26 (**permalink**) 11-01-2009, 12:45 PM

Larry wrote:
> News <News@Groups.Name> wrote in
> news:SdydnXqgdYbIBHHXnZ2dnUVZ_sednZ2d@speakeasy.ne t:
>
>> Larry wrote:
>>> News <News@Groups.Name> wrote in news:d-
>>> SdncVFv9u5tXHXnZ2dnUVZ_vidnZ2d@speakeasy.net:
>>>
>>>> And did you get a same day translation?
>>>>
>>>>
>>> Huh? It took 2 seconds...
>>> ...oh, but I have broadband, not ATT EDGE in the white zones:
>>> http://phones.verizonwireless.com/3g/imgs/attmap.jpg
>>>
>> Huh? It's alleged to be onboard processing, not cloud...
>>
>
> I don't see how an iPhone could store the huge library of SPOKEN words
> necessary in TWO languages in its tiny memory. Not possible.
>
> Your voice is encoded and sent to the BIG server with a serious computer in
> it....then the big server sends your little iPhone the audio data to speak
> it back to you in the other language.
>
> Translation is a massive fuzzy logic monster that's not going to happen in
> some tiny processor with no memory to speak of....especially if it talks to
> you.
>
>

Then the iToy isn't a translator at all. It's a dumb terminal.

#27 (**permalink**) 11-01-2009, 02:57 PM

On 10/31/09 2:01 PM, in article Xns9CB5A2F2962Fnoonehomecom@74.209.131.13,
"Larry" <noone@home.com> wrote:

> heron stone <heronDO@gendo.net> wrote in news:heronDO-2658E3.21374030102009
> @news-40.giganews.com:
>
>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ealQk...=youtube_gdata
>
> Works great on 10 words that almost sound like CANNED RESPONSE.
>
> Let's try it on my examples and see what it does. We're not going to a
> restaurant it knows.
>
OK. "¿Cómo son los gofres aquí?"

#28 (**permalink**) 11-01-2009, 02:59 PM

On 10/31/09 5:46 PM, in article op.u2ouzzwio63xbg@acer250.gateway.2wire.net,
"tlvp" <mPiOsUcB.EtLlLvEp@att.net> wrote:

> On Fri, 30 Oct 2009 21:20:25 -0400, Larry <noone@home.com> wrote:
>
>> Ha ha.....Tell Google to translate "kiss my ass" to spanish...
>> Try it.
>
> Not Google, and not just to Spanish, but then to French and thence back to
> English:
>
> "embrace my mule" :-) .
>
> Cheers, -- tlvp

"Choke mi pollo!"

#29 (**permalink**) 11-01-2009, 03:00 PM

On 10/31/09 9:51 PM, in article 311020092351270431%nospam@nospam.invalid,
"nospam" <nospam@nospam.invalid> wrote:

> In article <Xns9CB5EBBD6DE2Fnoonehomecom@74.209.131.13>, Larry
> <noone@home.com> wrote:
>
>> I don't see how an iPhone could store the huge library of SPOKEN words
>> necessary in TWO languages in its tiny memory. Not possible.
>
> the app is 158 megabytes. current iphones are 16 or 32 gigabytes. do
> the math.
>
>> Your voice is encoded and sent to the BIG server with a serious computer in
>> it....then the big server sends your little iPhone the audio data to speak
>> it back to you in the other language.
>
> wrong. it does not use a data connection.
>
>> Translation is a massive fuzzy logic monster that's not going to happen in
>> some tiny processor with no memory to speak of....especially if it talks to
>> you.
>
> wrong again.
Three strikes! Lar is back to the WaffleHouse dugout...

#30 (**permalink**) 11-01-2009, 03:02 PM

George Kerby wrote:
>
>
> On 10/31/09 2:01 PM, in article Xns9CB5A2F2962Fnoonehomecom@74.209.131.13,
> "Larry" <noone@home.com> wrote:
>
>> heron stone <heronDO@gendo.net> wrote in news:heronDO-2658E3.21374030102009
>> @news-40.giganews.com:
>>
>>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ealQk...=youtube_gdata
>> Works great on 10 words that almost sound like CANNED RESPONSE.
>>
>> Let's try it on my examples and see what it does. We're not going to a
>> restaurant it knows.
>>
> OK. "¿Cómo son los gofres aquí?"
>

¿Cómo hacen usted tienen gusto de mi juguete brillante del terminal mudo?