The idea of a universal translator between languages was first popularised in the 1960s by the sci-fi show, Star Trek. Technology has moved on since then, and there are now many programs and apps that aim to translate between languages. Google has just released an upgraded Google Translate app to much fanfare and excitement. But how good is it? Respected weekly, The Economist, gave the app a little trial run, and quickly found it wanting - even in very basic things. You don't want translators to make comprehension worse, but it wasn't hard for the Economist to find precisely that.
Computer experts have been promising the world with automatic translators for decades now, but it's surprising how poorly they still do - after billions have been spent on developing them. The good news is that humans are still needed to teach other humans language skills and to translate accurately across languages. Language teachers will always be in demand. And language learning is still valuable and most importantly fun!
For a full report on the test run of the updated Google Translate app go to Still waiting for a universal translator (The Economist Feb 4, 2015)
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