Google unveiled its revolutionary new tool, the Universal Translator, at the I/O conference. This state-of-the-art software not only translates the audio of a video from one language to another, but also mimics the speaker’s voice, tone, and facial expressions. It goes so far as to synchronize the movements of the speaker’s lips to the expressions of the target language.
Google, always at the forefront of technological innovation, and always so good at making us salivate with tools that we will not be able to use. Here is the latest find from the firm: the Universal Translator. But make no mistake, this is not a tool for ordinary mortals. No, it’s a private experience that Google is testing with select partners.
Automatic dubbing
Announced at Google’s I/O conference, the Universal Translator, as the name suggests, aims to translate videos from one language to another, while maintaining the overall tone and feel. This is what can be called a lip-synchronized translator. This means that the tool not only translates audio from one language to another, it also mimics the speaker’s voice, tone, and facial expressions. Yes, you read that right, the translated video synchronizes the speaker’s lip movements to the target language expressions.
But before you get too excited, let me remind you that Google limits access to the Universal Translator. Indeed, only authorized partners will be able to exploit the power of this tool for constructive projects. Ordinary users, like you and me, will be excluded. This decision, while limiting the promising potential of the Universal Translator, helps keep malicious actors at bay.
You can see the part dedicated to Universal Translator by clicking here.
Basically, the Universal Translator first detects words and then translates them. It then checks the speaker’s tone and what he is emphasizing. After combining these two aspects, it generates the speech in the target language. Finally, it lip-syncs the speaker in the video based on the AI-generated voice pronunciations.
Outside of the Universal Translator, Google today launched other AI-powered tools, including improved Maps navigation, smarter Google Search, and more.
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