Using AI to Translate Speech For a Primarily Oral Language - Meta - Translation

AI-powered speech translation has mainly focused on written languages, yet nearly 3,500 living languages are primarily spoken and don’t have a widely used writing system. This makes it impossible to build machine translation tools using standard techniques, which require large amounts of written text in order to train an AI model.

To address this challenge, we’ve built the first AI-powered speech-to-speech translation system for Hokkien, a primarily oral language that’s widely spoken within the Chinese diaspora but lacks a standard written form. We’re open-sourcing our Hokkien translation models, evaluation datasets and research papers so that others can reproduce and build on our work.

The translation system is part of our Universal Speech Translator project, which is developing new AI methods that we hope will eventually allow real-time speech-to-speech translation across many languages. We believe spoken communication can bring people together wherever they are located — even in the metaverse.

A New Modeling Approach

Many speech translation systems rely on transcriptions. However, since primarily oral languages don’t have standard written forms, producing transcribed text as the translation output doesn’t work. So, we focused on speech-to-speech translation.

To do this, we developed a variety of methods, such as using speech-to-unit translation to translate input speech to a sequence of acoustic sounds, and generated waveforms from them or rely on text from a related language, in this case Mandarin.

Looking to the Future of Translation

While the Hokkien translation model is still a work in progress and can translate only one full sentence at a time, it’s a step toward a future where simultaneous translation between languages is possible. The techniques we pioneered can be extended to many other written and unwritten languages.

We’re also releasing SpeechMatrix, which is a large collection of speech-to-speech translations developed through our innovative natural language processing toolkit called LASER. These tools will enable other researchers to create their own speech-to-speech translation systems and build on our work. And our progress in what researchers refer to as unsupervised learning demonstrates the feasibility of building high-quality speech-to-speech translation models without any human annotations. This will help extend those models to work for languages where there isn’t any labeled training data available to train the system.

Our AI research is helping break down language barriers in both the physical world and the metaverse to encourage connection and mutual understanding. We look forward  to expanding our research and bringing this technology to more people in the future.

Learn more about our AI-powered speech translation.

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Virginia state delegate trolls liberals, suggests new dictionary word: 'Libinition' - Washington Examiner - Dictionary

One of Virginia’s Republican state delegates has suggested that “libinition” be added to the dictionary to represent how woke liberals are “applying alternative definitions to words.”

In addition to providing the definition, Del. Tim Anderson, who represents Virginia’s 83rd District, offered examples, including “if you disagree with me, that is a threat” and “creating new felonies for actual criminals is bad, but parents who don’t affirm their child’s gender are definitely felons.”

The Republican’s Facebook post followed several others that slammed liberals attacking him for speaking out against a Virginia bill set to be introduced by Democratic Del. Elizabeth Guzman that would assign felony charges to parents who do not affirm their child’s sexual orientation under an expansion of the definition of child abuse.

Virginia Republican Delegate Tim Anderson suggested the word "libinition" be added to the dictionary with a given meaning that describes how liberals are “applying alternative definitions to words.”

(Screen capture/Tim Anderson)

YESLI VEGA SAYS PUSH TO ‘STEAL OUR CHILDREN’S INNOCENCE MUST STOP’

Guzman has reportedly since backed down from introducing the bill, according to Just the News. The bill gained national attention, with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) tweeting his disgust.

“Utterly horrifying,” Cruz wrote. "These zealots think they are your children's parents, and they'll put you in jail if you disagree."

In Virginia, Anderson told WRVA that the bill represents the dangers of Democrats, saying “they’re that crazy” to make a huge spectacle of criminalizing parents.

Anderson has since taken heat on social media, with some calling him an “idiot” and a “disgrace to Virginia.”

In response, Anderson said, “To the trolls and haters … bring it on,” and posted photos of the comments to Facebook along with his replies, noting that such comments are his “North Star.”

“As long as what I am doing continues to offend you to your core — I know I am going in the right direction,” Anderson wrote. “Thanks for helping me — daily. Absolutely love you are my Top Fan. We don’t hand those out to just anyone. Only to the people who engage every single day.”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Another post called for Anderson’s arrest, to which the delegate shared a photo of him at a state event, along with a “melting snowflakes” hashtag.

“I am in a room full of police and sheriffs with the Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, and local leaders from across the Commonwealth,” Anderson wrote. “You can let the police know where to find me.”

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Lost in translation: how to overcome language barriers in the IT industry - TechNative - Translation

Overcoming language barriers is now a real technology challenge for business leaders in the UK’s IT industry as it increasingly relies on foreign workers who speak English as an additional language (EAL).

For instance, in terms of the employment market, a broad range of IT roles are on the UK government’s skilled worker shortage occupation list. These high-demand roles include programmers and software developers, web designers and developers, plus IT business analysts, architects and systems designers.

Currently one in four workers in the UK Information & Communication industry (including IT) were born outside the UK, while in London this figure rises to nearly 50 per cent.

Due to demand, the posts mentioned above are eligible for UK working visas as the IT industry relies on attracting high-skilled foreign workers, who already make up a large proportion of the workforce.

Lost in translation 

Many existing and future IT professionals don’t speak English as their first language and research shows that language barriers in the workplace contribute to inefficiency, stifle collaboration and lower productivity. Also, it’s reported that of all UK industries, IT and telecoms professionals are the most likely to work from home full-time.

This means that as remote workers, they can become frustrated and isolated, as collaboration and communication based around face-to-face communication is easier in the workplace for most people.

IT organisations must now work hard to attract and retain more foreign workers to help fill roles. Using the right digital technology to overcome language barriers can improve productivity, reduce mistakes, build trust, boost morale, and improve relationships.

Current translation solutions 

Although there is a need for translation in IT, it comes with significant costs, plus it is not always quick and easy to implement. For on-site IT workers, having an interpreter present is a handy solution but it also comes with a relatively high cost. In addition, this option doesn’t help to foster a relationship between IT workers who speak EAL and their colleagues as there is always a middle person each communication must pass through. That said, employing bilingual staff can help with on-site communication.

However, these translation solutions can be impractical for IT workers who move around through different large sites, which is often required for companies delivering large government contracts, for example.

There are various software solutions available that can help and each of these options comes with its own pros and cons. For instance, whilst they’re relatively quick and low-cost many of them aren’t GDPR compliant, lack accuracy and rely on users having access to a smart device. This isn’t possible in many workplace settings, especially when security is a major issue.

Leveraging digital technology 

Digital translators offer an effective way to communicate and help build relationships. They can help to overcome language barriers by providing instant two-way translation, both verbally and by translating photos of words on documents instantly, with a very high degree of accuracy.

These digital devices offer a higher level of accuracy and speed than many software solutions while also being GDPR compliant. They also tend to cover more languages including the less widely spoken ones. For example, the Pocketalk device covers 82 languages and removes the need for a smart device.

Ultimately, there is no faultless way to provide language translation in IT and every company will have different needs. IT companies that get the best out of digital technology will be well-positioned to attract and retain more foreign workers by improving communication, which is key for their future success.

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About the Author

Joe Miller is the general manager of the Americas and Europe at Pocketalk. Pocketalk is a multi-sensory two-way translation device. It utilises the best translation engines around the world to provide a consistently accurate experience across 82 languages, including localised dialects and slang.

Featured image: Adobe Stock

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What Happens When You Feed a Translation Program Utter Nonsense? - Walter Bradley Center for Natural and Artificial Intelligence - Translation

Indiana University cognitive scientist Douglas Hofstadter had a lifelong acquaintance with and admiration for the Swedish language and with the help of Swedish friends, became conversant with it. That led him in turn to try an experiment on machine translation programs such as Google Translate and DeepL. At Inference Review, he tells us, “although — or perhaps because — these programs have improved by leaps and bounds over the past few years, I greatly enjoy discovering and poking fun at their many unpredictable weaknesses.”

Thus the author of author of Gödel, Escher, Bach (1979) constructed a paragraph of pure nonsense in made-up Swedish, something like Lewis Carroll’s “Jabberwocky,” which plays around similarly with English:

All mimsy were the borogoves,

And the mome raths outgrabe.

Most of the words don’t exist and the sentence has no meaning. But it is phrased as grammatically correct English verse. Here’s Hofstadter’s similar treatment of a paragraph derived ultimately from Swedish in similar way:

Sista mällingen frädde jag mina skvallrutor på en eller två djyvelräckiga drammsniggor, men det knackraddes ogrinligt vålsent för spjulingarna, och sen med de inluppta trämplissorna blybbade det otvickligt. Kvältsmusarna tryckades för tjabbriga i och till de spyrlösa fjöllsidorna, och vi trömmades välmåset med våra innansätsingar. Sen över det ledvist häppligt fliknandet lömnade vi, och flingade den vålfredsskjutliga hjornarens knövboltar. Framligtvist inklågerade jag mig fräsinglöst om att knupa hur de där inblitsna värstningstjuperierna skylle prälla. Vi var yppligt klickforniga över att ingen brusspil eller mänskivel spjällde klotiskt, och att inga förförlingsmässa blyxor näbblades. Det var så att säga hultsamt och multsamt, och även ypperligen gnålfritt, så att jag truppade nästan frukkigt med en gnisskurlig sopperfläcke. Kan man särvist åtvända det där som en tvörlig frösénsstjukare, eller sjöll man brysa en döppel härnäss för att vidstycka sig med rejella äktningsfylla snippflyggor? Det där vulle jag inte bjärkna, inte alls.

Douglas Hofstadter, “Wacky Jabber” at Inference Review (September 2022)

On August 15, he fed it to Google Translate and asked for the English:

In the last mælling, I spread my gossip panes on one or two devilish drum snips, but it was knocked unbelievably late for the children, and then with the slivers of wood thrown in, it remained undisturbed. The voles were pressed too fast into and to the barren fjöllsides, and we were thoroughly beaten with our insinuations. Then over the sadly fortunate flapping, we slapped, and flake the knuckle-bolts of the peace-sick horned. Of course, I complained incessantly about how those blinded worst-case idiots were supposed to act. We were very happy that no noise arrow or man’s disc sputtered, and that no seduction fair lights were snagged. It was, so to speak, merry and merry, and also excellently free of whining, so that I trooped almost frantically with a squeamish soup stain. Can one particularly use that as a sleazy froséen swagger, or should one rush a doppelganger here in order to be swaggered with solid, full-bodied bow ties? I don’t want to spoil that, not at all.

Douglas Hofstadter, “Wacky Jabber” at Inference Review (September 2022)

DeepL and the Chinese translation giant Baidu came up with entirely different complete nonsense. The comparisons of utter nonsense are breathtaking.

Hofstadter’s point?

Of course, none of the three machine-produced paragraphs has any meaning whatsoever, but the systems aren’t aware of that flagrant lack. This is because they have no notion of what meaningfulness and meaninglessness are. They are not thinking while translating; they are just doing very complicated but knee-jerk reflex operations with pieces of text.

Douglas Hofstadter, “Wacky Jabber” at Inference Review (September 2022)

Well, in fairness, the machine translation systems could not have noticed that the original paragraph was meaningless either. A human translator, by contrast, would pick up the phone…

He draws out the significance:

And yet they were all produced by sober, no-nonsense, deadpan, tone-deaf, and stone-dead programs that have nonetheless been trumpeted in many prestigious and influential publications — such as the New York Times, the Economist, and others — as being astonishingly powerful and supremely accurate translators.

Douglas Hofstadter, “Wacky Jabber” at Inference Review (September 2022)

Along the lines of Robert J. Marks’s recent book, Non-Computable You, the difference between sense and nonsense is not a matter of computation. Pretending that it is won’t end well.

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You may also wish to read: Turing Tests are terribly misleading. Black box algorithms are now being trusted to approve loans, price insurance, screen job applicants, trade stocks, determine prison sentences, and much more. Is that wise? My tests of a large language model (LLM) showed that the powerful computer could discuss a topic without showing any understanding at all. (Gary Smith)

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Big 12 Conference Taps Independent Creative Agency Translation as New Creative Partner - Big12Sports.com - Translation

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Today, the Big 12 Conference has announced its partnership with independent creative agency, Translation, to contemporize the brand and scale its national relevance to appeal to a younger, more diverse audience.  As its lead agency, Translation will work with longstanding Big 12 partner LDWW to develop the Conference’s brand narrative moving forward.

As the world’s most culturally influential creative agency, Translation is known for creating breakthrough sports campaigns having worked with the NFL, NBA, State Farm, Beats By Dre, Brooklyn Nets, Nike, New York Knicks, and more.

"It is critically important that we continue to align the Conference and its member institutions with partners that know how to innovate and elevate us,” commented Big 12 Conference Commissioner Brett Yormark. “Translation's legacy in creating culturally rich content and experiences on behalf of major sports leagues and brands makes their team a perfect partner to bring the Big 12 into its next wave of growth.”
 
With the Conference scaling into eight major markets, Translation will offer strategic, cultural, and creative expertise to co-author the next wave of brand growth. Translation will reimagine how the Big 12 shows up in youth culture, appealing to current and prospective student-athletes by bridging the worlds of storytelling and culture.
 
“We believe in the convergence of culture, technology, and storytelling to power the modern-day student-athlete. The latest expansion of the Big 12 is an unparalleled opportunity to bring a community of students, college sports fans, and athletes together through the influence of music and creators,” said Steve Stoute, Founder, and CEO of Translation. “We’re looking forward to bringing the Big 12 brand to untapped audiences, creating a new standard for how a sports conference shows up.”
 
Beginning July 1, 2023, the Big 12 Conference expands to 14 members – Baylor, BYU, Central Florida, Cincinnati, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas, Texas Tech, and West Virginia – growing from five states and 40.2 million people to eight states with more than 76.5 million people.
 
Translation’s fluency with building fanbases, movements, and tight-knit communities will not only empower how the Big 12 Conference will stand out nationally, building influence that transcends demography to impact youth culture. The campaign will bring Big 12 to life, aligning the brand with the power of creators and investing in culturally relevant partnerships.
 
For almost two decades, Translation has helped global brands harness the power of culture. Translation’s legacy is deeply rooted in sports, fostering a one-of-a-kind approach to advertising paired with unparalleled creative vision. Translation partners with brands and creators to build and grow disruptive platforms that promotes deeper community engagement.

ABOUT BIG 12 CONFERENCE
The Big 12 Conference is comprised of 10 Universities – Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas, Texas Tech and West Virginia. The Big 12 is an NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletics conference that encompasses five states with over 40 million people within its geographic footprint. In its 27th year, the Conference has produced over 780 Academic All-America selections and claimed national championship team titles in 20 of its 23 sponsored sports. Its student-athletes and teams have combined for 718 individual NCAA titles and 77 team national championships. Nearly 5,000 student-athletes from across the United States and around the World compete annually under the Big 12 banner. For more information, visit Big12Sports.com and follow the Conference on Facebook (Facebook.com/Big12), Twitter (@Big12Conference), Instagram (Instagram.com/big12conference/) and YouTube (YouTube.com/Big12Conference).
 
ABOUT TRANSLATION
Translation is an independent creative agency built to help ambitious brands harness the power of culture to solve their biggest challenges. For over 15 years, Translation has partnered with brands and creators to build and grow disruptive platforms that foster deeper community engagement. This experience has given us unparalleled insight into the dynamics of culture and affinities that link people together. Backed by Alphabet, Andreessen Horowitz, and 21st Century Fox, we are reimagining how brands and artists tell their stories, create value, and push culture forward. For more information, visit translationllc.com and follow us on Instagram (@wearetranslation) and Twitter (@pulseofculture).
 

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BIG 12 CONFERENCE TAPS INDEPENDENT CREATIVE AGENCY TRANSLATION AS NEW CREATIVE PARTNER - PR Newswire - Translation

Translation has been an active leader in sports marketing for over 15 years, connecting sports industry leaders, teams, and leagues with new generations of fans and audiences.

BROOKLYN, N.Y., Oct. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Big 12 Conference has announced its partnership with independent creative agency, Translation, to contemporize the brand and scale its national relevance to appeal to a younger, more diverse audience. As its lead agency, Translation will work with longstanding Big 12 partner LDWW to develop the Conference's brand narrative moving forward.

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The Big 12 Conference is comprised of 10 Universities – Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas, Texas Tech and West Virginia. The Big 12 is an NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletics conference that encompasses five states with over 40 million people within its geographic footprint.

As the world's most culturally influential creative agency, Translation is known for creating breakthrough sports campaigns having worked with the NFL, NBA, State Farm, Beats By Dre, Brooklyn Nets, Nike, New York Knicks, and more.

"We believe in the convergence of culture, technology, and storytelling to power the modern-day student-athlete. The latest expansion of the Big 12 is an unparalleled opportunity to bring a community of students, college sports fans, and athletes together through the influence of music and creators," said Steve Stoute, Founder, and CEO of Translation. "We're looking forward to bringing the Big 12 brand to untapped audiences, creating a new standard for how a sports conference shows up."

With the Conference scaling into eight major markets, Translation will offer strategic, cultural, and creative expertise to co-author the next wave of brand growth. Translation will reimagine how the Big 12 shows up in youth culture, appealing to current and prospective student-athletes by bridging the worlds of storytelling and culture.

"It is critically important that we continue to align the Conference and its member institutions with partners that know how to innovate and elevate us," commented Big 12 Conference Commissioner Brett Yormark. "Translation's legacy in creating culturally rich content and experiences on behalf of major sports leagues and brands makes their team a perfect partner to bring the Big 12 into its next wave of growth."

Beginning July 1, 2023, the Big 12 Conference expands to 14 members – Baylor, BYU, Central Florida, Cincinnati, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas, Texas Tech, and West Virginia – growing from five states and 40.2 million people to eight states with more than 76.5 million people.

Translation's fluency with building fanbases, movements, and tight-knit communities will not only empower how the Big 12 Conference will stand out nationally, building influence that transcends demography to impact youth culture. The campaign will bring Big 12 to life, aligning the brand with the power of creators and investing in culturally relevant partnerships.

For almost two decades, Translation has helped global brands harness the power of culture. Translation's legacy is deeply rooted in sports, fostering a one-of-a-kind approach to advertising paired with unparalleled creative vision. Translation partners with brands and creators to build and grow disruptive platforms that promotes deeper community engagement.

ABOUT BIG 12 CONFERENCE

The Big 12 Conference is comprised of 10 Universities – Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas, Texas Tech and West Virginia. The Big 12 is an NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletics conference that encompasses five states with over 40 million people within its geographic footprint. Beginning its 27th year, the Conference has produced over 780 Academic All-America selections and claimed national championship team titles in 20 of its 23 sponsored sports. Its student-athletes and teams have combined for 718 individual NCAA titles and 77 team national championships. Nearly 5,000 student-athletes from across the United States and around the World compete annually under the Big 12 banner. For more information, visit Big12Sports.com and follow the Conference on Facebook (Facebook.com/Big12), Twitter (@Big12Conference), Instagram (Instagram.com/big12conference/) and YouTube (YouTube.com/Big12Conference).

ABOUT TRANSLATION

Translation is an independent creative agency built to help ambitious brands harness the power of culture to solve their biggest challenges. For over 15 years, Translation has partnered with brands and creators to build and grow disruptive platforms that foster deeper community engagement. This experience has given us unparalleled insight into the dynamics of culture and affinities that link people together. Backed by Alphabet, Andreessen Horowitz, and 21st Century Fox, we are reimagining how brands and artists tell their stories, create value, and push culture forward. For more information, visit translationllc.com and follow us on Instagram (@wearetranslation) and Twitter (@pulseofculture).

SOURCE Translation

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Product Review of Dictionary - Merriam-Webster - The Tech Edvocate - Dictionary

Dictionary – Merriam-Webster is — shocker — an online dictionary. It has an intuitive interface, and concise entries include pronunciation with a “say it” button, part of speech, multiple definitions, origin, first use, synonyms for a range of disciplines, and geographical, biographical, historical, and scientific terms.

The bottom of the main page offers Dictionary, Recent, Favorites, Daily, and More buttons. You can search by tapping the microphone icon and saying a word, or by tapping the magnifying glass to type. Recent keeps track of your search history, and a star at the top of each entry lets you add words to a favorites list. The Daily button gives a word of the day with usage examples and a “Did you know?” section that has dry, factual information rather than engaging and thoughtful analysis. The More button allows users to give feedback, rate the app, post a word to Facebook or Twitter, or send a word in an email.

It’s a dictionary. You can use it to look up words, or to teach learners how to look up words. But there are no games or pictures.

Entries are a tad more accessible for younger learners, with a larger and bolder font and less content than Dictionary.com. Unfortunately, there are no built-in games, no illustrations (except in the premium version), only rarely links within entries, and none of the front matter found in the traditional book format to help learners learn how to read entries.

Unlike Dictionary.com, Dictionary – Merriam-Webster’s voice recognition offers alternatives, though they’re sometimes absurd, like single letters or words or phrases with no entry. Unfortunately, the voice-recognition feature seems to foul up data connections (which it relies on for matches), can hang up searches, and sometimes goes down entirely.

Website: https://ift.tt/LSIayWm

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Overall User Consensus About the App

Student Engagement

Dictionary – Merriam-Webster is a reference tool with little in the way of built-in engagement. You get no pictures (although the premium version has pictures) and few links within entries.

Curriculum and Instruction

Some customization and continuity but no information on how to read entries. No dictionary-based games.

Customer Report

The interface is intuitive and easy to navigate. There are no extensions or links to www.m-w.com, and voice recognition is inconsistent.

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