Australian Start-up Taps IBM Watson to Launch Language Translation Earpiece

World's first available independent translation earpiece, powered by AI to be in the hands of consumers by July

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Jun 12, 2017, 18:00 ET

SYDNEY, June 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Lingmo International, an Australian technology start-up, has today launched Translate One2One, an earpiece powered by IBM Watson that can efficiently translate spoken conversations within seconds, being the first of its kind to hit global markets next month.

With estimates indicating that businesses lose upwards of $2 billion in the United States¹ and £48 billion in the United Kingdom² each year due to language barriers, this technology will meet a growing gap for businesses and consumers alike.

Lingmo International, an Australian technology start-up, has today launched Translate One2One, an earpiece powered by IBM Watson that can efficiently translate spoken conversations within seconds.

Unveiled at last week's United Nations Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Good Summit in Geneva, Switzerland, the Translate One2One earpiece supports translations across English, Japanese, French, Italian, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, German and Chinese. Available to purchase today for delivery in July, the earpiece carries a price tag of $179 USD, and is the first independent translation device that doesn't rely on Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connectivity.

With IBM Watson's Natural Language Understanding and Language Translator APIs, the intuitive technology overcomes many of the contextual challenges associated with common languages, as well as understanding the nuances of local slang and dialects. For example, in Spanish 'LL' could be pronounced "y", "j" or "sh", depending on the dialect.

"By eliminating the friction of the traditional translation process, devices like Translate One2One will not only remove one of the biggest challenges for professionals when meeting and collaborating between cultures, but also offers enormous potential for communities around the world," said Danny May, Lingmo's Founder and Director. "As the first device on the market for language translation using AI that does not rely on connectivity to operate, it offers significant potential for its unique application across airlines, foreign government relations and even not-for-profits working in remote areas."

In addition to the translation earpiece, which works when each user is wearing the earpiece, customers can download an app version, which also includes a currency converter.

"It's an absolute game-changer for the global translation market, offering significant potential for both commercial and social benefit, which we've only just begun to explore," said Neil Sahota, IBM Watson Master Inventor and keynote speaker at the Summit. "Lingmo's latest breakthrough demonstrates the transformative potential that cognitive computing platforms like Watson can offer in solving some of the world's largest and most persistent challenges."

Media Contact:
Andrea Acton
IBM External Relations, Australia
[email protected]
P. 0429 460 327

About the AI for Good Global Summit:
THE AITU and the XPRIZE Foundation have organised the first AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva, 7-9 June, 2017, in partnership with a number of UN sister agencies. The Summit aims to accelerate and advance the development and democratisation of AI solutions that can address specific global challenges related to poverty, hunger, health, education, the environment, and others.

The Summit provides a neutral platform for government officials, UN agencies, NGO's, industry leaders, and AI experts to discuss the ethical, technical, and societal and policy issues related to AI, offer recommendations and guidance and promote international dialogue and cooperation in support of AI innovation.

About Lingmo International:
Lingmo International is a leading edge Australian technology company making its mark on the global language translation industry, through the development and implementation of revolutionary custom built software capable of translating across voice and text platforms. The technology is available in retail and commercial versions.

Translate One2One was developed in conjunction with IBM Watson and features a fully independent earpiece, which does not rely on Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

For more information on Lingmo go to www.lingmo.global

About IBM Watson - Pioneering a New Era of Computing:
Watson represents a new era in computing called cognitive computing, where systems understand the world in a way more similar to humans: through senses, learning, and experience. Watson continuously learns from previous interactions, gaining in value and knowledge over time. With the help of Watson, organizations are harnessing the power of cognitive computing to transform industries, help professionals do their jobs better, and solve important challenges.

As part of IBM's strategy to accelerate the growth of cognitive computing, Watson is open to the world, allowing a growing community of developers, students, entrepreneurs and tech enthusiasts to easily tap into the most advanced and diverse cognitive computing platform available today. Watson solutions are being built, used and deployed in more than 45 countries and across 20 different industries.

For more information on IBM Watson, visit: ibm.com/Watson. Join the conversation at #ibmwatson.

¹ U.S. Committee on Economic Development

² UK Department of Business Innovation and Skills

SOURCE IBM