New Translation Device Installed at Edinburgh Airport - Creative Word

Edinburgh Airport have just announced the installation of a translation device capable of translating speech into more than 70 languages.

According to the Edinburgh Evening News, the airport is the first in the UK to install such a device, with the aim of helping foreign travellers who visit the airport.

Staff and passengers can use the ‘Pocketalk’ device, as a means of communicating with someone who doesn’t speak their language. The device can then translate into speech or show the translated text on a screen.

The device has been installed at the airport and will be accessible to security staff, customer-facing employees and travellers throughout the whole airport, and it is hoped the equipment will enhance existing human translation offered by the airport’s multilingual employees.

The translation device uses a Wi-Fi or mobile data connection to enable translations in 55 languages as a voice-to-voice translation, 19 languages for the voice-to-text function, and another possible 37 languages that are considered less common are also available in the voice-to-text setting.

Pocketalk uses a camera which can recognise and translate text in up to 55 languages and can translate around 30 seconds of speech at any one time.

The device is made by the Japanese software firm, SourceNext and was first introduced to 50 Japanese airports by Japan’s largest airline company, All Nippon Airways, in December 2019, but the device is also available for purchase in the UK with a price tag of around £200.

Chief Executive of Edinburgh Airport, Gordon Dewar said: “We’re an international airport in a city and country known for its diversity, its inclusiveness and its welcoming nature, and we want to make passengers feel at home at the airport.

“The security process is one of the most important as we need to ensure the safety of all passengers and staff so it’s vital that we have the ability to clearly explain the process and help people understand so we can make that process as positive as possible.”

“We’re already lucky to have native speakers within our teams – Pocketalk will enhance our ability to talk to those people who come from all over the world to visit Edinburgh and Scotland.”

The Managing Director of SourceNext, Tomoaki Kojima, said “Pocketalk was developed to connect cultures and create experiences for people that do not speak the same language. With 95% market share, and more than 600,000 users we hope to redefine the translation space.”

Kojima believes that through the partnership with Pocketalk, Edinburgh Airport will improve passenger experience.

Have you travelled to Edinburgh Airport recently and used the Pocketalk device? If so, the Creative Word team would love to hear what you thought of the experience in the comment section below.