Photocopier becomes Asian language genius

A new Fuji Xerox prototype photocopier can translate Japanese into English, Korean and Chinese. Photo / Carolyn Robertson

Fuji Xerox have managed to stuff several Asian language translators into a photocopier.

Not literally, but the company's new prototype being displayed in Japan can scan a page of Japanese text and quickly translate it into Chinese, English or Korean.

Lumpy web-based translation packages have never really cut the wasabi, but by teaming the clever photocopier with a dedicated server and using algorithms to recognise objects like photographs and ignore them, the layout doesn't even need to change.

It looks just like any other ordinary photocopier but the flick of switch will turn it from beige box to linguistic genius. Clever stuff, as long as its abilities are sharper than the likes of BabelFish.

- NZ HERALD STAFF

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