| One of the major issues for both the
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| | portable translation devices is that they
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| American intelligence community and the
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| | can be programmed by a local interpreter
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| military has been the paucity of
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| | to fit different missions. That is, if a
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| professionals in their ranks who are
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| | competent interpreter can be located. The
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| fluent in Arabic. Like any other major
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| | Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
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| language, there are dialectic variations
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| | (DARPA) has spent $15 to $20 million a
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| within the language that make fluent
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| | year in government funds over the past
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| translation and understanding that much
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| | five years developing the mobile
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| more difficult. One need only consider
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| | translator technology, due to the
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| the vast dialectical differences in
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| | shortage of humans with similar skills.
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| American English to begin to understand
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| | There are many translation devices on the
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| the kind of "nuance" that rigidly
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| | commercial market that work through Palm
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| thinking machines will have to content
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| | Pilots and other handheld devices. The
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| with.
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| | type of usage the military is seeking,
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| Technologists among us are developing
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| | however, is a little more proactive. A
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| equipment that can assist even the most
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| | platoon leader facing a village official
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| hopelessly monolingual in uniform
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| | doesn't have time to go through a search
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| communicate with the citizens of the
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| | process in order to find the correct
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| nation he or she is occupying. The United
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| | phrase. On the other hand, these devices
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| States Army is field testing a hand-held
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| | can't really be programmed with the
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| voice translator device developed by
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| | nuances required to get through a
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| Integrated Wave Technologies.
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| | get-together designed to win the hearts
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| This device is already in use in other
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| | and minds of the village elders.
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| parts of the world and is being used by
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| | Often the few Arabic-speaking soldiers
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| soldiers in the field in Iraq. The device
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| | who did land in Iraq found that
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| converts simple English commands into
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| | differences in dialect rendered their
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| Iraqi Arabic or 15 other languages. When
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| | knowledge unusable. Think of the working
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| the soldier says a simple phrase -- for
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| | class inhabitants of the American Deep
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| example, "keep kids back" - the 'voice
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| | South and British east London attempting
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| response translator' (VRT) matches that
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| | to communicate successfully. Both are
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| command to a more complex phrase in
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| | speaking "English," but it's highly
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| Arabic. In this case: "Keep your children
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| | unlikely either would understand the
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| back from us or we will take action
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| | other in anything but the broadest of
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| against you." Not exactly a friendly
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| | terms. In January, President Bush
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| warning and completely devoid of
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| | announced that the Pentagon will devote
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| emotional content, nonetheless it's
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| | hundreds of millions of dollars over the
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| better than a warning shot.
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| | next five years to language training and,
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| A firm called Voxtech makes a similar
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| | perhaps as important, training in
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| device called the Phraselator. Voxtech'
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| | cultural awareness. In the meantime,
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| CEO says that one advantage of these
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| | technology will have to fill in.
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