CES 2019: Google introduces new Interpreter Mode to help translate conversations in real-time

The new Google Assistant feature that debuted at CES hopes to help bridge the communication gap between two people who speak different languages. Coming to Google-powered smart displays and smart speakers, there’s a new Interpreter Mode that turns the digital assistant into a real-time language translator. It’s available in 27 languages but we haven’t seen which ones yet. The demos we’ve seen online have translated conversations in German or Mandarin. In the demo, a concierge at Caesar’s Palace, one of the early beta testers of the feature, talks to a German “tourist” (which was a German-speaking Google employee) about finding show tickets. The concierge turned to the Google Home Hub beside him and prompted Google Assistant to go into German Interpreter Mode to have their conversation.

As the demos showed, the two can hold a conversation as interpreter translates their back and forth. It is going to be a bit stilted though as it takes a few seconds for Assistant to translate what’s being said. And it’s not always entirely accurate, but with the translated text showing up in the smart display, context clues can be picked up. This does show us the possibilities the technology offers for the hospitality business or even for any business owner who needs to converse with people who don’t speak their language. This feature for now is launching as a small pilot at few hotels including one in New York, another in San Francisco, and the aforementioned Caesar’s Palace in Vegas. It’ll be available only on the Google Hub, Google Home speakers and third-party Google Assistant displays.

Source: Wired