SKIRMISHER

IBM has developed a speech-to-speech translator that the company thinks is hardcore enough to be used in frenzied, life-threatening situations like that in Iraq.

The system develops translation patterns off of regular conversational use of the languages, and is purportedly as speedy as a human translator — and provides a text read-out of the conversation to boot. DARPA has had similar tech in the works for a while, but now IBM’s Mastor is apparently ready enough for actual use, since they’re shipping 35 Mastor-equipped ruggedized laptops to Iraq as a trial run, and will consider even more depending on how these work out. So far Mastor works for translation between English and Iraqi Arabic, standard Arabic or Mandarin.

The only problem is, suicide bombers don’t even talk.

via ENGADGET

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