New device at Edinburgh Airport will translate speech into 74 languages

Edinburgh Airport has rolled out a futuristic new device which can translate speech into 74 different languages.

Staff and passengers can speak into a Pocketalk device in one language, and it will play a translation through a speak or display it on screen.

The new equipment, which has been rolled out to security staff as well as other customer-facing staff throughout the airport, will complement the human translation already done by bilingual staff.

Pocketalk uses a WiFi or mobile data connection to translate 55 languages voice-to-voice, 19 languages voice-to-text, and up to 37 more obscure languages voice-to-text.

The machine can translate short bursts of speech of up to 30 seconds at a time.

It also has a camera, which can recognise and translate 55 languages.

Made by Japanese software company SourceNext, Pocketalk was introduced to 50 Japanese airports by Japan’s largest airline, All Nippon Airways, in December 2019.

The device is currently available in the UK for 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.”

Tomoaki Kojima, Managing Director of SourceNext 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.

“We are proud to be partnering with Edinburgh Airport to improve their passenger experience and look forward to developing this partnership in 2020.”