Tech
Timekettle’s WT2 Edge Translator Earbuds Make Translation in Thailand Easy
Thailand ranks second to last among the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries. It is barely ahead of Laos, which ranks dead lowest out of 111 countries in the EF English Proficiency Index.
Thailand is a popular tourist destination worldwide, although the Thai language is not as widely spoken as English, Spanish, French, or Mandarin. What language do the Thais speak? How should you prepare for your visit?
We should expect many apps to become simplified and available under all conditions as improvements in artificial intelligence, cloud services, mobile computing, and ubiquitous internet connectivity come together.
Timekettle’s WT2 Edge translator earphones are an example of this convergence of technologies. The WT2 Edge, one of numerous Timekettle gadgets, achieves something that was formerly considered science fiction: automated, real-time, and seamless translation of dozens of languages.
While not a flawless translation device (machine translation still has fundamental issues that require scientific advances in AI), the WT2 Edge demonstrates the power of combining the proper technology. It can also be a valuable tool for regular travellers or business persons who frequently meet with people who do not speak their native language.
The WT2 Edge is an earphone that resembles the Apple AirPods. The WT2 Edge, on the other hand, is only for translation. The earbuds come with a companion app that supports 40 languages and 93 accents, covering the majority of the world.
The way you utilise the earbuds depends on the translation mode you’re using (more on that later). However, in most circumstances, you wear one of the buds and give the other to the person with whom you are conversing. Each participant talks in their native language and listens to the other person’s translated response through an earpiece.
When conversing with someone who does not speak your language, this delivers a smooth experience. One advantage of the Timekettle WT2 Edge over other translation services and products is its support for simultaneous speech and translation, which makes the experience more natural, especially when people jump in and speak without waiting for others to pause.
While the interface is simple to use, there is a lot of intriguing technology at work behind the scenes. To pick up the proper voice and filter out noise, the earbud employs directional microphones, active noise cancellation, and environment noise cancellation. The Timekettle app transcribes spoken sentences in various dialects using AI-powered text-to-speech technology. Machine learning algorithms (on-device or in the cloud) translate the text into the target language and generate spoken words, which are subsequently played in the opposite earbud.
Simultaneously, the Timekettle app provides automated transcription and translation, as well as displaying the text in a way that both discussion parties can see and read. That’s a lot of valuable functions packed into one device and app.
Aside from that, the Timekettle WT2 Edge offers the specs you’d expect from a high-end earphone. The earbuds are robust and solid, and they fit well in your ears. The device’s batteries last three hours, and the charging case can charge it for up to 12 hours.
One thing to keep in mind is that the WT2 Edge only enables translation. You can’t use it to make calls or listen to music.
The Timekettle app also includes a useful Group Chat feature that can accommodate up to 200 participants, each of whom can communicate in one of the app’s 40 supported languages. The application translates the chat into the user’s native language. Users can speak into their WT2 Edge headphones or enter their text.
Aside from the many translation modes, the Timekettle app includes some other handy features, such as an archive of all your talks. You can save the transcriptions to your phone or email for use in other programmes.
In addition, the Timekettle app enables offline translation in eight languages. Naturally, offline translation isn’t as excellent as cloud-based AI, but it can come in handy if you’re stuck somewhere without internet connection. Offline support is provided in the form of language pair packs, which must be downloaded into your phone before use.
