Amazon’s virtual assistant, Alexa, is all set to provide real-time translation to users. Amazon Echo devices (the ones enabled with Alexa) will offer this live feature initially in six languages. These include French, German, Spanish, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, and Hindi.
The smart speaker will act as the interpreter while individuals converse. Users will have to begin speaking after hearing the beep from the device. It will then translate both sides of the conversation, thus allowing seamless communication.
Live translation made possible with neural machine translation technology
The feature uses an array of technologies such as ASR (automatic speech recognition) system, text to speech system, and Amazon translate. The company had also said that it plans on enhancing the feature in the future by leveraging speech recognition and language learning technology.Â
To activate the feature, users need to say: Alexa, translate (language). The device will beep after which users can start speaking. Those using Echo Show products will also be able to see (in addition to hear) the translation. Users can end the session with the command: Alexa, stop. This real-time functionality will be compatible with Echo devices including display and speakers with locale set to English. Amazon.com will soon share the details of the availability soon.Â
