The ‘Babel Fish’ is something close to my heart. Being a major ‘Hitchhikers Guide’ fan (the original radio series of course!) I obviously know of the phenomena known as ‘The Babel Fish’. If you don’t, let me explain. It is said that the Babel fish, a small, yellow, leech-like creature, was probably the oddest thing in the universe – the reason for this?
(Quote:) `”The Babel Fish fed on brain-wave energy, absorbing all unconscious frequencies and then excreting telepathically a matrix formed from the conscious frequencies and nerve signals picked up from the speech centres of the brain.”
What the ‘Babel Fish’ was able to achieve in space, is what Google is trying to achieve here on earth, ie full, ‘real-time speech-to-speech translation’ – any language in, any language out, as you speak. Although Google has been running it’s Google Translate service for 5 or 6 years now, ‘real-time speech-to-speech translation’ is in it’s infancy. ‘iSpeak (v: 2) is now out as an app from the istore and it uses Google’s translate service. These early attempts at creating the ‘Babel Fish’ scenario come in ‘home language additions’ – the app shopper being able to download the product based around their main language, the language ‘iSpeak’. Google haven’t got to the pot of gold yet – that is ‘the full, real-time, speech-to-speech translation – any language in, any language out, as you talk’ isn’t with us yet, but it won’t be long.
Don’t get me wrong, all this is amazing! Imagine never having to struggle ever again to converse with someone, anyone, from any country, speaking any language! Probably most people would use it online, how often to you feel the need to phone someone up who can’t speak your language? What are the negatives? Is Google saying we are only going to be talking to each other on mobile phones in the future?
What about the scenario of the ‘Brit abroad’? You know, shouting at the porter (a la Faulty Towers) “Room 3, suitcases, upstairs, now!” Are we going to have to phone the hotel porter we are standing in front of in order to ask for our luggage to be sent to our rooms in his or her language? What about all the language teachers? Languages as a subject in schools would have to be dropped, after all it was my son who showed me how great Google Translate was (especially for him and his French homework!). I’m sure you can think of many problems! What about all those translating services, all those tapes and CD’s we have on our shelves at home, no need for them. What about all those phrase books too – no need for them either!
Is this Google solving yet another ‘problem’ the common man has or is this another ‘jack-boot, goose-step’ towards world domination? Or is that another blog post? What about the fact that we are all going to end up speaking English or Mandarin anyway. What then for Google Translate? And what about the point made in ‘The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy’?
(Quote:) “Meanwhile the poor Babel fish, by effectively removing all barriers to communication between different cultures and races, has caused more and bloodier wars than anything else in the history of creation” – only this time we’ll blame Google!
Andy