Not every service member is fluent in the native language of the country they are fighting in and Google’s Nexus One helps to make translating in this type of environment a little easier. Having been overseas in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, translators are attached to certain commands and they travel with select platoons on missions and are used to break the language barrier helping NATO forces understand the natives and vice-versa. Unfortunately, there is not enough translators that can speak both languages and most translators are civilians which become endangered on certain missions.
NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) and DARPA (Defense Advance Research Projects Agency) have teamed up and are testing translation software in Afghanistan to eliminate the need for civilian translators and to help the troops understand the civilians they come across. Unfortunately, I have been in situations overseas where translation software would have prevented certain situations and could have saved innocent lives. Hopefully, they can get this technology to the front lines and help saves lives of our own and innocent lives abroad.
Source: Engadget
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