Could language barriers be a thing of the past? Various companies are looking to bring AI to the party to solve this linguistic issue and maybe help bring voice once again to the fore.
T-Mobile is preparing to offer network-based real-time translation services in more than 50 languages. The new service, currently in beta testing, could ultimately be available to all T-Mobile customers, almost irrespective of the model of phone they use.
This is in contrast with similar services from Google and Apple, which require uses to have a recent model smartphone capable of running the translation software.
“By bringing real-time AI directly into our network, we’re delivering more than connectivity — turning conversations into community, starting with Live Translation,” T-Mobile CEO Srini Gopalan said in a news release about the service.
Subscribers will be able to dial *87* to turn on the new service, which will then translate their conversation in real time. Only one party to the call needs to be on the T-Mobile network.
The system will be a boon to multinational organizations trying to communicate with remote workers, as well as international travelers. The service is heavily skewed towards European languages, although Arabic, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean and Hindi are handled. It’s not clear whether the service will be free after the beta trial is completed.