An Englishman, a Frenchman, and an Armenian

walk into a bar...

They don't speak each other's languages very well, but the bartender has an idea.

"Polyglotte"

https://polyglotte.am/

translation tool for conferences & webcasts (and maybe Congresses)

(uses Google Translate to handle multiple languages at once) 

Polyglotte.am is a quick and easy way to set up multilingual translation.  It's a step up from Polyglot (ending in -t instead of -tte) which was constructed on a Google Sheet)

Polyglot (without the -tte) is the prototype that was developed into Polyglotte.  You can play around with it by   Clicking here 
(with thanks to Jake Miller, the producer of Educational Duct Tape).

 https://polyglotte.am is a convenient tool that lets you select languages from dropdown menus.  Click on the "Demo" button in the upper right corner.  It handles up to 4 languages of your choice.  It can be configured to show more languages, but then screen area becomes limited. 

The source language can be chosen from the 100+ languages supported by Google Translate.  For English, it's handy to have a voice-to-text program like Dragon.  This allows rapid text entry through dictation, but cutting & pasting or rapid typing also works well.

The sign-in version of this allows prefab slide shows, where you enter text in advance.  Pictures can also be shown by clicking an icon.  You can show the source language + several translated languages shown in columns or rows.  Remote viewers (including audience members with personal devices) can log into the Polyglotte website and view the text in any supported language that they prefer.

The sign-in version also has a toggle between column and row orientation.  Rows are easier to read for long sentences.  Sometimes the lower rows are "off screen" requiring scrolling down to view the translations.

Columns may fit better on a screen, allowing all languages to be viewed at the same time.  The Demo version will show columns on standard view.  But when the screen is zoomed to 125%, it will change to rows.

  The roots of Polyglotte:  Polyglot

Polyglot  - Multisheet is the prototype from which Polyglotte.am was developed. It basically is an adapted Google Sheet that translates English text into multiple languages at once. 

Because the Google Sheet updates with a click of the ENTER button, anyone who is logged into Polyglot will see updated translation every few seconds, on their computer, hand-held device, on a separate screen at a live conference, or with a separate window during a live internet event.

The tool allows entry of text in English, with simultaneous translation into several other languages.  As the person entering text hits the Enter key, the translated text will update on all computers that are logged into the Google Sheets document. It is helpful if the person entering the text is already familiar with what will be discussed, and is able to summarize into short sentences.  Polyglot could easily be configured to translate from other languages besides English.  But that takes a bit of time to set up, whereas Polyglotte.am lets you do this in a few seconds.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Everything below this line is for translation nerds or people who want to steal this technology!

The key is to have a live person, fluent in the speaker's language, summarizing and editing what is said into brief summary sentences which will translate accurately using the Google translate app.  The speaker can dictate directly into the yellow box, but should dictate clearly into the correct box.  Otherwise he/she might change the code!

The English cell (A2 box, yellow background) is where we enter text. It works best if the main idea is translated without too much extra verbage.  With voice-to-text software,  one can enter text very quickly.  It's better to speak clearly, avoiding idioms.  The translation tools work much better with simple sentences. 

Examples:

Providing an outline of the presentation to the person entering the information would allow cut-and-paste for convenience.

Using an application like Dragon voice-to-text allows rapid entry into the yellow box. Typing rapidly or using cut & paste will also solve the problem.

Adapting this spreadsheet to translate any language is very simple.  Other cells in the spreadsheet are coded to translate the cell in the text box.  The code looks like this:  =googletranslate(A2,"en", "fr"),  where Google Translate will turn the text in the English box (in this case cell A2), from one language (English) to another (French).  You can find a directory of language codes at   https://www.loc.gov/standards/iso639-2/php/code_list.php

The first page has several languages on it (new languages can be added in seconds).  Each subsequent Sheet is dedicated to a single language.  Imagine sitting at a conference with a tablet computer, with the Polyglot opened to the language of your choice.  The translation will be updated each time the person entering text into the English cell hits the Enter key.

Tabs on the Google Sheet show single translated languages.  These tabs have a column on the right for back-translation into English.  This helps to spot translation errors, syntax, etc.  On Polyglotte.am, the back translation is compared to the original using AI.  

Currently the text can only be added into the A2 box on the front "Polyglot" sheet.  Other cells are protected, as many of them contain code.  We can add additional cells for text entry as needed.

The translations update each time the speaker hits the Enter key.  For a live conference, simultaneous translation could be projected onto a screen.  For a web conference, it could be included on the speaker's screen, or on individual computers for people desiring the service.  If you like, log into Polyglot and type some text into the  yellow box. You can also save a copy for yourself and experiment with your own translations and layout.

Link to Polyglot (Polyglot is the spreadsheet, Polyglotte.am is the nice tool:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1eDToEG7fA7POh3GXHGV2na0bK9NvWTyoTVpZkb3GUdQ/edit#gid=0

 For info or suggestions, please contact  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

--Jerry Manoukian  

Notes

Oct 2024 - update to the Google API

December 2023 - Polyglotte prototype online.  Creating talks is cumbersome with invited speaker etc.  Fantasy Space creates a "Demo" option.  The "Sign in" version allows for "live updates" at bottom of screen, e.g. Coffee break in 5 minutes

July 2023 - prototype Polyglot demonstrated at 6IMCA

31 October 2021:  New user interface will hopefully make this user friendly, prototype is called Polyglot 2022.  Updated Dragon software (version 15 pro) allows very rapid (and accurate) text entry but doesn't always work. It looks like it has to be enabled as a Google Chrome extension.  Today it worked pretty well.

12 July 2020:  Trial went well.  Voice recognition (Dragon) froze up a few times. Much of the input was entered by hand.   It was very helpful that we'd had some conversations with one of the speakers (LL) prior to the conference, so I could more easily keep up.  Armenian reader felt it was helpful.  

 22 July 2020: 

I know that the translation is sometimes not good. So I try to use short sentences.
Sometimes the voice recognition and the computer slow down and freeze. Then it is difficult to catch up.
If the speaker changes the subject quickly, then rapid translation is more difficult.
If I make a small spelling error while typing, then the computer will not recognize it.
You may see other problems, Please help me identify them.

It is pointed out that Microsoft has translation tools for PowerPoint and live presentation.  The live presentation tool (Microsoft Translator) does not yet support Armenian, but looks very promising.  It does support Klingon.  

This technology is very exciting, and it's wonderful to see what is already replacing it!

-Jerry