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Tag: language

  • Google Translate takes on Duolingo with new language learning tools

    Google Translate takes on Duolingo with new language learning tools

    Google is rolling out a new AI-powered experimental feature in Google Translate designed to help people practice and learn a new language, the company announced on Tuesday. Translate is also gaining new live capabilities to make it easier to communicate in real time with a person speaking a different language.

    The new language practice feature is designed for both beginners starting to learn conversational skills and advanced speakers looking to brush up on their vocabulary, the company says. To do so, it creates tailored listening and speaking practice sessions that adapt to a user’s skill level and unique learning goals.

    With this new language practice feature, Google is taking on Duolingo, the popular language learning app that uses a gamified approach to help users practice over 40 languages.Image Credits:Google

    To access the feature, you’ll select the “practice” option in the Google Translate app. From there, you can set skill level and goals. Google Translate then generates customized scenarios where you can either listen to conversations and tap the words you hear to build comprehension, or you can practice speaking. The exercises track users’ daily progress, Google says.

    The beta experience is rolling out in the Google Translate app for Android and iOS starting Tuesday. The feature is available first for English speakers practicing Spanish and French, as well as for Spanish, French, and Portuguese speakers practicing English.

    Google is also introducing the ability for users to have back-and-forth conversations with audio and on-screen translations through the Translate app.

    “Building on our existing live conversation experience, our advanced AI models are now making it even easier to have a live conversation in more than 70 languages — including Arabic, French, Hindi, Korean, Spanish, and Tamil,” Google wrote in a blog post.

    Techcrunch event

    Tech and VC heavyweights join the Disrupt 2025 agenda

    Netflix, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Sequoia Capital, Elad Gil — just a few of the heavy hitters joining the Disrupt 2025 agenda. They’re here to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don’t miss the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch Disrupt, and a chance to learn from the top voices in tech — grab your ticket now and save up to $600+ before prices rise.

    Tech and VC heavyweights join the Disrupt 2025 agenda

    Netflix, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Sequoia Capital — just a few of the heavy hitters joining the Disrupt 2025 agenda. They’re here to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don’t miss the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch Disrupt, and a chance to learn from the top voices in tech — grab your ticket now and save up to $675 before prices rise.

    San Francisco
    |
    October 27-29, 2025

    REGISTER NOWImage Credits:Google

    You can tap the “Live translate” option in the Translate app and then select the language you want to translate by simply speaking. You’ll then hear the translation aloud alongside a transcript of your conversation in both languages. The app will translate and switch between the two languages that you and the other person are speaking.

    Google notes that the feature can identify pauses, accents, and intonations to allow for a natural-sounding conversation.

    The feature uses Google’s voice and speech recognition models to isolate sounds, which means you would be able to use the live capabilities in a loud restaurant or busy airport.

    These live translation capabilities are available starting Tuesday for users in the U.S., India, and Mexico.

    “These updates are made possible by advancements in AI and machine learning,” Google wrote in its blog post. “As we continue to push the boundaries of language processing and understanding, we are able to serve a wider range of languages and improve the quality and speed of translations. And with our Gemini models in Translate, we’ve been able to take huge strides in translation quality, multimodal translation, and text-to-speech (TTS) capabilities.”

    Google says that people translate around 1 trillion words across Translate, Search, Lens, and Circle to Search. The company believes these new AI-powered features will help overcome language barriers.

  • Can AI visualise our dreams? This Dutch company is trying to do just that

    Steampunk Meets Nightmares: Dutch Innovators Turn Dreams Into DIY Art

    What’s the deal?

    The Netherlands is now home to a quirky startup that’s turning your subconscious into a hand‑crafted display. Think of it as a dream decoder toy that lets you sketch, paint, and even laminate the bizarre scenes that flashed in your mind last night.

    Key Features of the Visionary Kit

    • Instant Capture – USB-powered sensors plug into your phone, snagging visual metadata straight from REM.
    • Customizable Templates – Pre‑printed frames of everything from flying cows to neon telegraphs.
    • DIY Assembly – A no‑tool instruction manual that turns even your grandma into a mural maestro.
    • Shareable Art – QR‑coded stickers let friends peek at the weird world of your dreams.

    Why It’s All the Hype

    Sleep scientists love the idea, and art teachers are calling it a “fantasy proof‑reading revolution.” For many, the device is more than just a gadget; it’s a passport to the subconscious and a safe space to laugh at the absurdities of our night‑time imagination.

    What Users Are Saying

    “My pillow now has a snow globe of my last dream. I love it!” – a delighted first‑timer who’s already planning a gallery of midnight masterpieces.

    Take Home Takeaway

    So if you’re tired of being the human lag on nightly wind‑memos, grab yourself a Dutch DIY dream chest. Guaranteed to bring the mysteries of REM right onto your wall… or into your pocket.

    The Dream Recorder: Because Sleep Just Got an Upgrade

    What’s the Deal?

  • A Dutch think‑tank, Modem Works, claims they’ve built an AI that records your dreams.
  • The gadget, called the Dream Recorder, supposedly captures the low‑res, pixel‑pasted version of whatever’s happening in your head while you snooze.
  • The best part? It can pull your dream stream in any language you can think of—whether you’re dreaming in Dutch, Mandarin, or that made‑up curse‑tongue you use every night after a midnight snack.

    • How It Works (Sort of)

  • Wake‑up Call – As soon as you roll out of bed, you’re prompted to speak your dream aloud.
  • Speak & Record – Your voice gets parsed by the AI, which then spits out a dreamscape video in the aesthetic you choose (think “neon galaxy” or “retro sci‑fi”).
  • Replay – You can trim, remix, or simply let it loop while you binge on coffee.

    • Tip: The longer you talk about your dream, the more the AI grabs the detail. Award yourself a “Dream‑Teller” badge for the effort.

    Fun (and Real) Uses

  • Sleeping Beauty Monitoring – Parents finally know whether your little one is haunting them with a jungle of plastic dinosaurs.
  • Creative Inspiration – Writers can peek at subconscious sketches and turn them into next‑gen plot twists.
  • Sleep‑Science – Researchers get a low‑-definition window into REM cycles without the pricey fMRI.

    • Caveats and Future Hope

  • We’re still at the “ultra‑low definition” stage—think of it as a CGI scrap of a dream, not a full Hollywood blockbuster.
  • The translation feature is still experimental; it won’t always catch that bizarre dream‑punched‑in‑muffled‑tongue.
  • Future updates may improve clarity and add “dream‑highlight” modes, like picking out the scene where your cat turns into a UFO.

    • Bottom Line

    Sleep tech is getting a quirky twist—if you’re not ready to watch your dreams turn into pixelated tapes, you can always keep it a secret. But hey, if you ever wanted to experience your subconscious in a digital, low‑res aesthetic, the Dream Recorder might be worth a try.
    µ Because who wouldn’t want a free “dream‑TV” channel for the night?

    How does it work?

    Dream Bustin 101: Build Your Own Night‑Time Movie Machine

    Think you’re a tech wizard? Modem Works is handing you the key to a not‑so‑remote theatre – a Dream Recorder that turns your nightly musings into a little video show. The twist? It’s a DIY project, so you get to crank it out yourself.

    How It Works

    • Download the open‑source code from Github.
    • Collect the parts – a tiny 8‑GB processor, a HDMI screen, a micro‑SD card, and a USB microphone.
    • Print the shell in 3D and put it together.
    • Double‑tap the screen to record your dream state (yes, you fancy yourself a night‑time narrator too!).
    • When the recording ends, the device fades into computer‑generated dream visuals.
    • One more tap, and you’re watching your own dream, plus up to seven other vault‑stored nights – all on a compact hard drive.

    What It Costs

    While the hardware will set you back roughly €285 (about $310), the software side involves paying a fee to OpenAI and LumaLabs for the AI that renders the images. That’s a microscopic post‑script of less than $0.01 for a low‑resolution cut, or $0.14 for a higher‑resolution masterpiece.

    Why Dream‑Tech is Gaining Traction

    Last year, Japan’s ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories slipped a smorgasbord of MRI data into an AI that could visualise 60% of a dream. In the same year, a joint attempt from the National University of Singapore and Chinese University of Hong Kong echoed the same, proving that tech can’t just clue in on your thoughts – it can show you them!

    Playful Peek Into Another Frontier

    Imagine stepping into your earliest memories, but in a mini‑screen experience created by your own “dreamself.” Modem Works has left the mystery in your own hands, giving you the tools to build a little laboratory that pulls a film out of your subconscious. The nostalgia meets the new tech craze: if you’re not building it, you’re missing the novelty.

    Next time you bed down, you might think about trading in your pillow for a screen that shows you a night’s worth of cartoonish visions – a perfect combination of hardware hacking and AI magic.