Air Warrior Col. John W. Thompson - KMI Media Group

SRI is now conducting a seedling study
using semantic information to improve
statistical machine translation for future
translation programs. “We look forward to
developing the next generation of translation
systems,” Franco said. “We are continuously
improving our existing technologies to create
systems for low-density languages, wider
domains and informal genres that are able to
operate in real-world environments.”
Integrated Wave Technologies already has
over 8,200 Voice Response Translators (VRTs)
in the field. VRTs translate about 350 English
commands into 54 foreign languages.
They can also work with different input
languages, such as Polish or Dari. “Talk to
any commander and this is what they will
buy with their own money,” stressed IWT
President Tim McCune. “It is hands-free and
works under very high noise levels. It is
extremely rugged and we warranty it for
five years.”
The basic VRT model costs $1,500,
weighs about 11 ounces and fits in an ammunition
pouch. The VRT has a high-end headset,
similar to those worn by bicycle police.
34 | SOTECH 8.9
Vcom3D makes V Communicator Mobile
(VCM) software and headsets for use with
common consumer devices like Apple’s iPod
Touch and the Android. Ernie Bright, Vcom3D
business development and
product manager, emphasized
that these one-way VCMs for
translating about 2,500 English
phrases to six foreign languages
are platform-agnostic
and can also be used for training.
“For training, you can add
pictures of how to gesture.
Soldiers can also add more
phrases or pictures of missing
soldiers when they go doorto-door.”
About 1,200 VCMs
have been deployed in Iraq,
Afghanistan and Sudan.
Use of commercial hardware
enables Vcom3D to
exploit common accessories,
like speakers, megaphones
and solar re-chargers. Because
soldiers can use these devices
for many non-military purposes,
they are not an extra
burden and tend to be well
cared for. Speakers can use
their natural voices, including
slang, and artificial intelligence algorithms
will interpret. The next version will enable
two-way translation. The VCM software and
headset alone costs about $1,000.
Ectaco’s G-5 Speechguard looks like a
large cell phone with a speaker, explained
Account Executive Jerry Cimadomo. The
GI-5 translates about 19,000 English commands
into four languages, including Arabic
and Pahsto. Non-military models work in
over 100 languages, with up to 20 languages
each, and more languages can be added to
the G-5 with orders of 150 or more. The G-5
costs $950. “It also does text translation both
ways,” Cimadomo noted. Ectaco is increasingly
working on health, police and homeland
security versions of the Speechguard.
Voxtec produces the handheld Phraselator
P2 and the holster-mounted SQU.ID SQ.200,
which enables eyes-free, hands-free communication.
Both models do one-way translation
of broad domain “language modules,”
each consisting of approximately 700 words,
phrases or commands, translated into multiple
foreign languages. The P2 user can access
desired commands via push-to-talk mode
or manually by scrolling down to desired
commands, while the SQ.200, designed for
tactical situations, can operate manually or
Ernie Bright
Clayton Millis
entirely through automatic voice recognition
of spoken commands. Sales Director Clayton
Millis said the P2 can also record
responses of foreign language speakers.
The GSA cost of the current
P2 is $2,800 and the SQ.200
is $1,900.
“The future will be twoway
translation, and we are
working on an Android-based
system,” Millis said. The next
versions, Phraselator P3 and
SQU.ID SQ.410, are due in
late 2011 and will offer freespeech
one-way, limiteddomain
two-way translation
capability in language pairs of
military interest. “This is a big
technical challenge. Be careful
when people tell you they can
do two-way,” he added.
Kwikpoint provides nonelectronic
visual language
translation (VLT) for soldiers
in the field. With pictures
and phonetic spellings, these
graphical pocket guides help
soldiers communicate with
and understand the responses
of foreign language speakers.
“It is not electronic, there are no batteries,
and if you drop it, it still works,” emphasized
CEO Alan Stillman. “You can point to a picture
of a marketplace and ask a local where
the bomb is and they can show you.”
Kwikpoint’s new maritime VLT is a pointto-pictures
communication device with
easy-to-say phonetics of key phrases in eight
languages for investigations of multilingual
crews. Another innovation, the Kandahar
Smart Card, helps French-speaking Canadian
forces in southern Afghanistan, with visuallanguage
graphics and phonetic pronunciation
of key Pashto phrases.
Talk Technologies provides wireless radio
equipment for interpreters and listeners, as
well as voice-silencing and isolating microphones.
“That replaces the need for an isolating
booth so the system can be portable,”
explained Chief of Operations Nigel Kostiuck.
These accessories are now deployed with both
U.S. and UN forces. Talk is working on a diplomat
version of its radios that can be set for
either one- or two-way communications, as
the immediate situation requires. O
For more information, contact SOTECH Editor Dave Ahearn at
davea@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for
related stories at www.SOTECH-kmi.com.
www.SOTECH-kmi.com