My mind was blown this evening when I read about– and then downloaded– the latest version of the Google Translate app. It translates between any two languages in real-time. I picked English and German, and I started speaking. The app recognized that I was speaking English, and after waiting for me to finish a sentence, my tablet repeated what I’d said in German. For fun, I spoke in German and then it translated back into English. Basically, it recognizes the language being spoken and switches to the other one. I tested Spanish (since I know a little Spanish) and even switched to Traditional Chinese.
In addition to speaking aloud, you can type a sentence and have that translated. You can also hold up the tablet and point it at a road sign or some other printed material, and the screen (using the camera) overlays the translated words right on the image. Holy freaking smokes. Amazing stuff.
Forty years ago this was science fiction, in the form of the “universal translator” featured on Star Trek. Today I can hold it in my hand. Welcome to the twenty-first century.