Hi-tech company NEC has revealed that they have developed technology to aid translation, effectively allowing for individuals speaking via the phone to communicate with anyone in any language.
Coming in the form of spectacles which lack an actual lens, the technology called Tele Scouter uses a tiny projector to put images directly onto an individual’s retina. Currently still in planning, any possible real time translator would use the inbuilt microphone to pick up the speech of both individuals. Sending it through translation and voice to text software, subtitles of the translation would then be sent back to the projector and beamed onto the retina of the individuals.
Currently aimed for use with the tele-sales sector and for those providing customer services in call centre’s, NEC explained that the Tele Scouter was also a tool that could provide instant buying history directly onto a sales person’s eye. This would be very useful when trading through call centres and providing instant customer service. Takayuki Omino, NEC spokesman explained at the Tokyo trade show AFP that “you can keep the conversation flowing.” He added that talks previously involving a human translator could now be kept truly confidential.
Expected to launch in November of 2010, Mr Omino said that the Tele Scouter would initially be launched without the translation feature. Costing £50,000 for 30 headsets without the software, subtitle headsets would become available sometime in 2011.
