We are often unable to communicate well with local people while visiting foreign countries, or even some Indian states, mainly because of not knowing their language. A substantial population in the world, and even India, does not speak English. Sure, we have Google Translate, but it is not the optimal solution for fluent verbal communication. Travis, a Dutch-based startup, has come up with an intelligent wireless translator to close this language barrier.
The translator—called Travis Touch Plus—is a palm-sized wireless device that can translate more than 100 languages. The voice-operated device can perform real-time translations driven by speech recognition, natural language processing and machine learning (ML) algorithms. ML and artificial intelligence (AI) programs improve the translation capability by understanding the natural tone of speakers and by providing appropriate translations.
The gadget contains multiple connectivity options, namely, Bluetooth, GSM (up to 4G) and Wi-Fi. Translation can be done online and offline. Users have to set the pair of languages (to and from) for the translation. A button at the bottom of the gadget needs to be pressed to continue with the translation while speaking. Translation results are displayed on Travis Touch Plus’s 6.09cm (2.4-inch) screen.
More interestingly, users can change the selected languages through voice command. Multiple languages are supported for the voice command feature, including English, German, French, Chinese, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Russian and Arabic.
Travis Touch Plus packs 16 translation engines to ensure translation does not fail any moment. Users can refer to their past communications in the history log. Currently, Travis Touch Plus translates more than 100 languages globally, including multiple local Indian languages. This makes Travis Touch Plus a handy device for tourists or travellers. It is powered by a battery that can run up to 22 hours. The battery can be charged using a wireless charger, too (to be purchased separately).
Travis provides the translator device for other use cases as well. Travis Teacher platform helps users improve pronunciation of words across various languages and, in turn, helps them learn new languages. The business version of the product can be synced to the cloud to store necessary communications, and can encourage cross-cultural business partnerships.
Recently, Travis was launched in India. Kaarmuhilan, head of India expansion, Travis, says that the aim of Travis Touch Plus is to help international tourists have a smooth tourism experience in India, by being able to communicate with local stores, transport runners, bypassers and so on. So far, Travis has sold 120,000 devices worldwide.
