Last year I took a gap year to individually explore the beauty of the culture, landscapes and everything else Central America has to offer. Before my trip, I took some Spanish lessons to enhance my communication skills while interacting with the local people. However, despite having basic Spanish proficiency, I couldn’t escape the occasional language barriers that arose. At the time, I used the offline Google Translate tool, which supported me various times to express my thoughts. While the translate function was helpful, it often resulted in stiff conversations. Since then, my knowledge about emerging technologies has grown, and it got me wondering how generative AI could benefit the travel experience in nations where the mother tongue is different.
While examining this subject, I came across Pocketalk. This is a tiny, transportable device that acts as a real-time language assistant. It serves as a voice-activated two-way translator, enabling dialogues among people who don’t speak a common language (Passett, 2023). While this device uses language databases and machine translation algorithms to provide translations (ItsGadget, 2023), it could also benefit from a generative aspect. This would result in a language tool that not only translates, but also generates contextually relevant and culturally appropriate phrases. This device will transform the travel experience.
The instant translations of the language tool would make conversations much easier and fluent, allowing you to break the language barrier with locals without speaking the same language. This results in a much more authentic travel experience, in which you can share your stories and culture with anyone.
The tool is changing the market dynamics of communication by bringing convenience as an easily accessible real-time translator. Although the instrument currently costs 250 dollars, I think that through further refinement, it will become the new way to communicate, fostering globalization (Pocketalk, 2023).
References:
ItsGadget. (2023, 20 augustus). PocketAlk Language Translator Device Review: Breaking Down Language Barriers With Ease – ItsGadget. ItsGadget. Accessed on 17 oktober 2023, van https://itsgadget.com/pocketalk-language-translator-device-review/
Passett, A. (2023, 28 juli). It takes three to tango: Pocketalk, SoftBank and 1NCE are connecting the world with expanded language translation ventures. IoTEvelution. Accessed on 15 oktober 2023, van https://www.iotevolutionworld.com/iot/articles/456637-it-takes-three-tango-pocketalk-softbank-1nce-connecting.htm
Pocketalk. (2023, 17 oktober). Pocketalk. Accessed on 17 oktober 2023, van https://www.pocketalk.com/product/pocketalk-voice-translator/
Hi Kris,
It is nice to read about your personal experiences during your journey through Central America, and I can very much relate to the language barriers that you have stumbled upon. It is really interesting to learn about the Pocketalk device, which already sounds like a very nice solution to this challenge. Your idea of incorporating AI to also provide meaningful cultural context sounds very cool, and as if it could be a successful tool for travellers just like you to enhance the travel experience through making interaction with locals more meaningful. Especially for short visits to countries with foreign languages, it might not be an option to learn the language adequately, and this device would then be a game changer. I would definitely consider buying one if it would be available for a fair price.
Applying the tool towards a more economical value for the travel industry (beyond personal travel), the tool could be a helpful tool for guided tours of locals to visitors from all over the world.
The tool could also find an interesting application within different environments. Within the international business environment the tool may facilitate communication between businesses and clients / partners from different backgrounds with different languages. It may ease having negotiations and discussions, while taking into consideration different cultural backgrounds at the same time.
Thanks for sharing your idea!
Maaike
What an interesting technological innovation to get to know; I had never heard of Pocketalk before. I can imagine that especially in less developed countries like Central America, where you also discovered this, it can be of great value in breaking down language barriers and in this way bring people who don’t speak the same language closer together. It’s a positive aspect of AI, showing that it genuinely brings people closer. As you also pointed out, it also offers an authentic travel experience since it suddenly becomes possible to actually speak with locals. Although technological evolution has often caused inequality and divides among populations, I hope that such developments achieve the opposite and bring people from different backgrounds together! I also liked the comparison you made of how the tool could be used within different situations.
What a really nice experience you had, Kris! I was always in awe of new technologies in communication, but the truth is when we get to escape our daily life bubble and explore the rest of the world, we realize how difficult communication really is. Even with the most accurate translation, most languages still lose their meaning when spoken in another and your introduction to this tool can change that experience completely. I honestly have had experiences with such tools myself (in Japan), and can honestly say that although it is not perfect, it definitely helps bring that bridge in communication with local people closer. Thank you for sharing your experience. Cheers!