BYU’s Olympic Translation Application
The translation app is easy to use, you just speak or type what you wish to translate and it plays the message aloud. Continue reading
Brigham, Young University will have a significant role in this summer’s Olympics, but not in the field of play. BYU created a language tool for the Salt Lake City Olympics, and now for London’s Olympics they’re turning it into an app.The language translation application will soon be available on iPhone and Android devices, for free.
BYU’s Creative Works Department is developing an App called the Olympic Translator with the help of a team of student programmers, a , and lots of volunteer translators. The program’s database has 6000 phrases in 50 languages to help Olympic workers assist tourists in London for the games.
You may have heard of the Google translate app, but project director Dr. Giovanni Tata says Google’s app is less than perfect.
“The only problem with the Google translate app is that sometimes the translation is not very accurate and in fact in some cases outright funny,” said Dr. Tata.
The thing that sets this app apart from others is the use of native speakers for the featured languages.
“You have to understand that only a native speaker can give you the assurance that a phrase is actually correct,” said Dr. Tata.
The app is easy to use, you just speak or type what you wish to translate and it plays the message aloud. When the phrase the app hears isn’t in it’s database, it gets help from Google translate.
BYU will release the app in about two weeks, and it will be available to everyone in the app store. They plan to deliver a final product for use in London by the end of May.
BYU continues to expand the app’s database, hoping to make it useful to travelers anytime. The project is still looking for native speakers to help translate.
If you would like to participate you can email smalltalkhelp@gmail.com and find out what languages they still help translating.
Benjamin Carter
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