"Language is the blood of the soul into which thoughts run and out of which they grow."
7. Universal Translator
If humans ever do make contact with alien beings the reality of the situation is that we won't really know what to do as we won't be able to understand their language. I think this is quite a problem and if intergalactic travel is ever an option for the human race a Universal Translator may come in handy ... if of course the universe is abundant with life.
If humans ever do make contact with alien beings the reality of the situation is that we won't really know what to do as we won't be able to understand their language. I think this is quite a problem and if intergalactic travel is ever an option for the human race a Universal Translator may come in handy ... if of course the universe is abundant with life.
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| A 'Babel Fish' |
The Universal Translator isn't a recent topic either, it has been discussed widely in science fiction. The TARDIS of Doctor Who uses a 'telepathic field' to translate it's languages, Futurama has it's own Universal Translator which only seems to work in French and The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy uses the remarkable Babel fish to translate the Universes language.
Aside from the Universe would it be nice if we could just translate all Earth languages?
It is estimated that the Earth has 6,912 languages that are actually used today but what can we really count as a language? Languages branch out into different dialects which can also branch out so it can be hard to keep these languages accessible to people on a global scale. Lets go back to methods of translation, but this time non fictional.
I'm sure everyone is familiar with Googles translator which can translate 63 common world languages. But Internet translators have their flaws: This website translates a phrase of your choice though 10 languages and back again and gives you the phrase back in English so 'This blog post is about a Universal Translator.' becomes 'This blog published in the "global translator".' Giving a new meaning to the phrase 'Lost in Translation'.
Another common method of translation is through hired translators however the problem with actually hired translators is they need to have a working knowledge of both languages to translate them over and can be expensive.
So it seems we need a futuristic way of translating. Companies all over the world are trying to make one of these real life 'Babelfish' and the race has already begun. It is most likely that the device will comprise of speech recognition which will process the words of the language needing to be translated through a way like Google Translate.
It is estimated that the Earth has 6,912 languages that are actually used today but what can we really count as a language? Languages branch out into different dialects which can also branch out so it can be hard to keep these languages accessible to people on a global scale. Lets go back to methods of translation, but this time non fictional.
I'm sure everyone is familiar with Googles translator which can translate 63 common world languages. But Internet translators have their flaws: This website translates a phrase of your choice though 10 languages and back again and gives you the phrase back in English so 'This blog post is about a Universal Translator.' becomes 'This blog published in the "global translator".' Giving a new meaning to the phrase 'Lost in Translation'.
Another common method of translation is through hired translators however the problem with actually hired translators is they need to have a working knowledge of both languages to translate them over and can be expensive.
So it seems we need a futuristic way of translating. Companies all over the world are trying to make one of these real life 'Babelfish' and the race has already begun. It is most likely that the device will comprise of speech recognition which will process the words of the language needing to be translated through a way like Google Translate.
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This device created in 2006 is capable of translating Japanese into English in real-time with a 90% accuracy. Devices like this, which could slip into your pocket on your multi-lingual journey could be just what the future holds for languages.
No need for a hired translator.
Thanks for reading again, Chris.
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