DocAndersen
The Travis team (original, blue and now touch) has been building handheld translation devices for the past four years. Yes, you can quickly and easily in most cases use Google Translate. It is about 60% effective. You are, however, limited to your phone have an internet connection (that can be expensive if you are roaming in a country you don’t live in) plus, that you can type or speak fast enough for the system to handle. The reality of swiss army knife systems is the reality of failure. You don’t chop down a tree with a swiss army knife *not even McGyver does that*. Google Translate, as part of your cellular device, is one blade in a swiss army knife. There are some applications that do the same job.
What Travis does are two things.
- It doesn’t drain your phone battery.
- It works online (with internet) and locally (on the device no internet).
Setting up Travis Touch is simple. Connect to your wifi, using the touch screen select the input and output language. Then start talking. I choose English to German, even though I don’t speak English according to my English Friends. German was chosen as much because I find it interesting. It is a language I enjoy hearing but have never been able to speak, until now!
I have done some initial testing using the Microsoft Translator, Google Translate and Travis Touch. While the first two are free (other than the cost of the phone) Travis outperformed them. Overall it recognized more spoken words on both sides. I tested all three with a friend who is a native Spanish speaker. He felt that Travis got the nuisance os Spanish better more than 40% of the time. All three were in his word’s “acceptable.” But when things are not normal, Travis did much better.
Travis Touch is small enough to fit easily in your pocket. The Microphone is good, and the speaker is good as well. They aren’t great, but you have to be willing to sacrifice some quality to get a small size. You could create the perfect speakers, but the size would make the device not portable.
Overall after a couple of months of use, I get Travis Touch a 10 out of 10!
-
Question of
Do you use Google Translate today?
-
Yes
-
No
-
-
Question of
Have you tried Microsoft Translator?
-
Yes
-
No
-
-
Question of
Is there a language you wish you could understand?
-
Yes
-
No
-
I am certainly with you on the one size fits all solution not really working in actual practice
Thanks, Alex. One size fits all makes me nervous.
makes me skeptical. all-in-wonder is usually more like all a blunder in my experience…
It does become an interesting argument, all-in-one or made to fit. My argument is always would you cut down a two foot wide tree with a swiss army knife?
Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against a general use tool but sometimes you need a specialty item to get the job done right. Bolting a bunch of tools together sounds great conceptually but in actual practice?
I agree. I carry a swiss army knife in my bag and have carried one (other than on airplanes for more than 40 years. They are useful when you have to!
If you don’t know what you’re going to need then a multitool is probably a good idea. I am thinking more of those combo scanner/printer/FAX mashups that don’t do any of those things well…
I actually have a mash-up color laser Canon printer, that is amazing as a printer and copier, ok as a fax machine. It is ok as a scanner but I never use it for that.
Prints well, leaves something to be desired as a FAX or a scanner. That’s pretty much the problem…
I am simply not tech savvy.
I can understand that I struggle at times with the social reality of the modern world. I helped build the connections of this world, but what came from those connections was more than we planned.
Interesting device. As a technology expert, I think you really need it, besides because you also meet many people in different languages while I now meet more local people.
I hadn’t thought of it that way, Albert. As always you’ve given me something else to think about.
I think I’m just talking about the needs, Doc. If you say that I have given something else to think about, I am a little curious then.
It is more that I post reviews and technology posts based on what I am thinking about. But as you pointed out in your comment, sometimes it is critical to remember the audience.
Thanks!! It is good to think about what we are doing.
Oh, I see. There is nothing wrong with your review. I as a reader enjoy your review while thinking about how much I need something like that.
I am really glad you reminded me of what other need. It is something I forget sometimes!