DOCOMO launches real-time phone translation
Japan’s biggest mobile operator said Monday it will launch a translation service that lets people chat over the phone in several different languages.
The application for NTT DOCOMO subscribers will give two-way voice and text readouts of conversations between Japanese speakers and those talking in English, Chinese or Korean with a several-second delay, the firm said.
“Hanashite Honyaku” will be a free application that can be used on smartphones and tablet computers with the Android operating system, DOCOMO said.
Customers will also be able to call landlines using the service, it said, adding that voice-to-text readouts will soon be available in French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Thai.
“We hope that with this application, our subscribers will be able to widen the range of their communication,” a company spokeswoman said.
However, she conceded the service does not offer perfect translations and has trouble deciphering some dialects.
DOCOMO also said it has launched a separate service that lets users translate menus and signage using the smartphone camera.
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Babylon Calling
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Babylon Calling
by Russell » Tue Oct 23, 2012 9:21 am
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Russell - Maezumo
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Re: Babylon Calling
by cstaylor » Tue Oct 23, 2012 12:28 pm
If it's using Google Translate on the backend, it will be useless for anything J->E and E->J. 
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cstaylor - Posts: 6383
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Re: Babylon Calling
by Screwed-down Hairdo » Tue Oct 23, 2012 12:59 pm
Considering it's name is a mistranslation, it's not off to a good start...
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Screwed-down Hairdo - Maezumo
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Re: Babylon Calling
by Mike Oxlong » Thu Dec 20, 2012 10:21 pm
•I prefer liberty with danger to peace with slavery.•
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Mike Oxlong - Posts: 6818
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Re: Babylon Calling
by Coligny » Thu Dec 20, 2012 10:36 pm
Mike Oxlong wrote:•Canada - the country with American culture, French technology, and British cuisine.•
d00d...
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Coligny - Posts: 21818
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Re: Babylon Calling
by Screwed-down Hairdo » Thu Dec 20, 2012 10:44 pm
Coligny wrote:Mike Oxlong wrote:•Canada - the country with American culture, French technology, and British cuisine.•
d00d...
Well, you can't deny the French put the "ech" into "technology."
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Screwed-down Hairdo - Maezumo
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Re: Babylon Calling
by Coligny » Thu Dec 20, 2012 11:25 pm
Screwed-down Hairdo wrote:Coligny wrote:Mike Oxlong wrote:•Canada - the country with American culture, French technology, and British cuisine.•
d00d...
Well, you can't deny the French put the "ech" into "technology."
and the A into awesome...
and the penis into the vagina...
and the... hum... maybe I should stop there...
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Coligny - Posts: 21818
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