Skype Translator Experiences Embarrassing Glitch
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| blogs.skype.com |
Skype Translator, Microsoft’s real-time voice and instant message
translator, has experienced an unfortunate glitch – unintentionally adding swear
words to Chinese translations. It was spotted by backpacker and photographer
Tom Carter, who was using Skype to speak to people in Mandarin during filming
of a TV commercial for Skype.
Carter was chatting to a Chinese location scout when the
mishap occurred. In theory, the speech recognition tech that powers Skype’s
voice translator would let him converse in perfect Mandarin. But when Carter
said, ‘It’s nice to talk to you,’ Skype translated to ‘It’s f***ing nice to f***
you.’ Suffice to say that wasn't the only mistranslation. Carter described
Skype as being like ‘the icebox robot from 1970s flick Logan’s Run, but with
Tourette's syndrome.’
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| Google images |
Skype’s voice translation tool was launched in Spanish and
English in December 2014, and in Italian and Mandarin in April. Character-based
languages like Chinese, Japanese and Korean are very different to Latin-based
languages, which means accurate translations are difficult. A spokesperson for
Skype told IB Times, ‘Skype Translator is still in preview; please be patient.
If you experience any mistranslations, repeat the sentence again to see if you
receive a better quality translation.’
Skype is not concerned about the glitch – the translator is
still in beta and uses machine learning, so it will become smarter the more it
is used. The glitch is being blamed on the Great Firewall – an ironic term used
to describe the Chinese government’s monitoring of online activities in
Mainland China. China’s intensive censor system means that Skype frequently experiences
cut-outs and intermittent blocking.
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| vericant.com |
Aaron Waterhouse
Aaron is a recent English graduate from Durham University who is now working as a content writer intern. An enthusiastic traveller, he hopes to become a journalist and report from around the world. Follow him @AaronAtSMF
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Skype Translator Experiences Embarrassing Glitch
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Wednesday, July 29, 2015
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Reviewed by Unknown
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Wednesday, July 29, 2015
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