Figure: DALL_E3…
Samsung recently announced that its upcoming Galaxy S24 smartphones will offer live translation of phone conversations using artificial intelligence (AI). This feature, called AI Live Translate Call, translates what the other person says during a call, just like Google Translate does during a conversation. Do not wait!
Audio and text translations appear in real time as you speak, so calling a person who speaks a different language is as easy as turning on subtitles when streaming a show, says this text from the Korean giant.
However, Samsung hasn’t specified which languages are supported, but said the system works on the device so conversations never leave the phone. Still, we should see around ten languages at launch, and probably more in the future.
Possible alternatives…
It is important to note that there are already several instant translation applications on the market. Among them we find Microsoft Translator and Google Translate. Microsoft Translator supports more than 70 languages and works both online and offline. It has a conversation mode that allows two interlocutors to share the device screen to watch the translation of their conversation live.
Google Translate, on the other hand, is able to recognize most different languages and offers the ability to translate texts into around 108 idioms. It includes an offline mode that works in 52 languages and can instantly translate bilingual conversations into 59 different languages. Questions of ergonomics remain; in other words, what integrations this translator has on your smartphone.
DIY or paid mode!
In fact, these applications are not designed to translate a conversation directly on a smartphone. It may be necessary to use a second device to recognize the words exchanged during the call and benefit from translation on another screen. It’s DIY, but better than nothing.
Paid solutions also include (Phone) Call Translator. This mobile application, available for iOS and Android, automatically translates what you and your interlocutor say in a timely manner. More than 30 languages are available. After creating an account, costs start at around $0.2 per minute.
A step forward, but with caution
Samsung’s smartphone-specific announcement is likely to be a milestone and make multilingual conversations smoother and more accessible. However, recent slip-ups in AI remind us of the need for responsible use. By integrating AI into its next Galaxy, Samsung is heading into a promising area, but one full of pitfalls and possibly hallucinations!
While Samsung’s announcement represents an interesting technological advancement, it’s important to remember that instant translation solutions already exist and are widely used. It remains to be seen how Samsung will differentiate itself from these existing applications and how it will overcome the challenges associated with the use of AI, which may be thoroughly flawed!
Xavier Studer with Perplexity.ai
P.S
The above figure generated by DALL-E3, one of the least bad, illustrates the extent of the AI problem…
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