Amazing iPhone translator used by US troops, soon by consumers?

Quincy Pince-Nez
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July 01, 2009
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Holy Star Trek!...this Arabic<-->English translator app seems to work eerily well. Will it soon be the universal language translator we've all only seen being wielded by the Captain Kirks of the world?  We're not sure, but this type of technology certainly could help us out on out our next trip to France.  When can we have?

Comments (34)

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | July 01, 2009 - 9:52am

How long can till I can have an iphone dev team language translator. I have the start...

I can haz pancake? = poorly graphed sentence with lolcat traces. means JAILBREAK eminent.

Long post about why they are not releasing jailbreak yet = We dont got no stinkin jailbreak.

JohnnyK | July 01, 2009 - 10:07am

 Holy crap that is cool! I'd pay big $$ for that!

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | July 01, 2009 - 10:13am

Nice.....very nice indeed!

Yup, this can't come for civilian use any sooner. Wait though, I thought all iphone/ipod touch apps can only be distributed through the app store. Exactly how is this app distributed if it is only for the military?

noobie (not verified) | July 01, 2009 - 12:04pm

well actually you can: You have 2 options, either the ad hoc option (i don't think this is useful in the military scenario) or a company (in this case military) can pay for the "enterprise" license from apple and make software and distribute them internally for the company only

noobie (not verified) | July 01, 2009 - 10:14am

I happen to speak the arabic language and to tell you the truth I'm amazed by the accuracy of this translator... never seen something similar this accurate

Ion (not verified) | July 02, 2009 - 1:35am

Good thing you do actually speak arabic and bulletproof the accuracy of the app. Thank you

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | July 02, 2009 - 10:01am

Not to rain on anyone's parade, but this video is not proof that it will accurately translate for general applications. Also, there may be hundreds, if not thousands of ways of saying the same thing... how could this translator possibly take into account all "American English" or Arabic idioms, especially if sentence structure is weak and accent is overpowering. Anyone ever hear a strong Southern or Bostonian accent?

richsadams (not verified) | July 01, 2009 - 10:27am

If this allows someone to understand what the other is trying to tell them it will serve to instantly break down one of the most monumental barriers to understanding and trusting one another. If it saves even one of our troop's lives it will be well worth the investment. Simply awesome.

Troy (not verified) | July 01, 2009 - 2:06pm

Breaking all the languages barriers, I hope doesn't get us another babel tower. but good to have that kind of translator on the fly.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | July 01, 2009 - 10:27am

This thing is soooo coool!!! Want it!!!

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | July 01, 2009 - 10:27am

This thing is soooo coool!!! Want it!!!

JD (not verified) | July 01, 2009 - 11:16am

That is one app I would pay 50 bucks for no questions asked. This is amazing, the typing translators are good but this opens up so many uses in my dealings with spanish speaking workers. Please bring this to the App store soon!

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | July 01, 2009 - 11:18am

you sure it is not a hoax?

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | July 01, 2009 - 11:32am

I hope this is real I want it!

9to5MacViennese (not verified) | July 01, 2009 - 12:18pm

I am flabbergasted, it is just fantastic. I will be waiting for it show up on App Store

Jared (not verified) | July 01, 2009 - 1:01pm

What are they waiting for? VC Funding? Holla @ ur boy!

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | July 01, 2009 - 1:44pm

The assumption seems to be that the translation is fully automatic on the iPhone, but the app could well be sending data to a background supercomputer or even a bank of human translators. Does anyone know for sure?

Troy (not verified) | July 01, 2009 - 2:10pm

I believe that if they had a group of humans behind, they just use a radio or telephone. I believe this must be like the other option, a super computer networked with the iPod. But in the other hand, they would require a permanent connection to that computer and I don't think that hot spots works and covers all the war zones (translators in iPod touch is also used to speak to prisoners). So it looks more like the ipod does all by it self.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | July 01, 2009 - 2:24pm

This canned or a hoax. It's not just the translation ability but the smoothness of the vocal translated response. There is not a hint of machine sound or delay etc.. in it. So, the responses sound recorded. They are just too fluid.

Plus, the processing power to do this; even on the newer phone; would be pretty high. I realize there is already voice command but that is keyed off very particular phrases. And, it is based on pre-existing data in the phone.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | July 01, 2009 - 2:59pm

There's also a small timing issue.

When he says the second phrase, he releases the button a bit too early, right before finishing the word "month".

The same thing goes with the third English phrase. The button gets released somewhere right before finishing the word "year".

This shouldn't be a major problem as software goes. I'm talking about the finger movement shown in the video.

This clearly suggests that the person handling the iPhone is not the same person speaking the phrases...

I'm pretty skeptical about this..

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | July 01, 2009 - 3:03pm

I hope it’s not a hoax but looking at the video you have to click and hold “Press while speaking” in order for the software to get your entire question or phrase but, when the person was asking the question “Are there sufficient funds for the next school year” its seems like they release their finger off the “Press while speaking” at the last second before they were finish asking the question.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | July 01, 2009 - 3:05pm

I hope it’s not a hoax but looking at the video you have to click and hold “Press while speaking” in order for the software to get your entire question or phrase but, when the person was asking the question “Are there sufficient funds for the next school year” its seems like they release their finger off the “Press while speaking” at the last second before they were finish asking the question.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | July 01, 2009 - 3:13pm

F A K E ! ! !

Zig (not verified) | July 01, 2009 - 3:31pm

You can find the company's website here:

http://international.sakhr.com/

It's definitely real and very cool.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | July 01, 2009 - 4:00pm

http://international.sakhr.com/arabic-speech-recognition-and-arabic-TTS....

iPhone developer (not verified) | July 01, 2009 - 6:01pm

No way this is app is actually running. This is obviously a mock-up used to extract more funding from the government. That's us, in case you don't know.

There is an app like this in use in Iraq and Afghanistan, but it doesn't do voice recognition. If it really did voice recognition, you know it would have a preview screen before it translated into Arabic and spoke to the other person. If you have an iPhone 3GS, just imagine the fun you would have when your phrase "Please tell me where to find the nearest train station" was translated as "Peas fail me where toughened thin ear estranged station", but in Arabic. By the time you see the garbled English, the locals think you're insane.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | July 01, 2009 - 7:16pm

Does it work with NYC cabbies?

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | July 01, 2009 - 7:28pm

i doubt its real. The technology is way too advanced for even the iphone to possesed. The voice recognition is way too accurate and the way it types out the spoken verse is too lightning quick to be real. I think its just

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | July 01, 2009 - 10:59pm

There is no reason this isn't plausible. Voice-to-type software has been around for a very long time. So have translation programs. It's not that crazy to think they have been effectively coupled to create an app like this.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | July 02, 2009 - 12:39am

Doubt its working like that either.. but still one step closer to the universal translator woooohooo!