New Mobile Translation Services promise to ease Olympic Communication

Two new mobile-based translation services are helping out (some) Olympic visitors who may have communication problems. Google recently released a version of its translation service specifically tailored to Apple’s iPhone, and another mobile translation service, from the VoIP company Jajah, was unveiled to coincide with the start of the Games.

Google’s service, which should be made available on other handsets soon, came about as the result of the company’s “20 percent” time policy, which sets aside a day of each employee’s week for work on any new project or idea they may wish to pursue. Because the service works using the iPhone’s Safari browser, a data connection is needed most of the time, although previously searched phrases and words are stored for future access. The service can translate text between 24 languages, including Mandarin, French, and Japanese.

Jajah’s service, called Babel, may also be useful for people visiting Beijing. By calling a special phone number users can leave a voice message that will be translated to Mandarin in just a few seconds. Babel is specifically designed as an on-the-go tool for English speakers who may run into translation issues while getting around.

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