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WEARABLE TRANSLATOR- ARTICLE

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At our Digital Media class on Thursday (Jan 14) we were show the website next nature. I thought I would take a look and I came across this article that caught my eye, not only because it was about wearable tech but because I was just in China over the holidays, and I definitely wish I had this product!

The ili, is the first wearable translator, breaking the language barrier and making communication more accessible. It's design makes it simple to use: just press the button before saying something and the device will immediately provide the translation. It does not require wifi or 3G which makes it accessible for people travelling to foreign countries, without the extra cost. It is currently available in English, Chinese and Japanese, but later on more will be added.

I think this is a brilliant piece of technology. As people are travelling more, and discovering new places and cultures, sometimes it is hard to get to know the "locals" due to the language barrier, this will allow smooth communication between the two. My only question is how do you know how accurate the translations are I have experienced this first hand, with my family living in China at the moment. I go visit them during our holidays, and it really is a struggle to communicate with people, including the taxi drivers, retail staff, and cashiers. Which can at times be very frustrating, and it is also not safe- if you were to get into an accident, or lost, you would not be able to communicate with anyone around you for help. A simple device like this seems extremely convenient to own.

I really do think it's a shame to not be able to communicate with the locals when travelling to exotic destinations, purely because of the language barrier. The people are what keeps the culture and history of the country alive, and it is important to get to know who they are in order to better understand their culture.

And this is what technology is about, bringing people together.

Olivo, Margherita. "Breaking Language Barriers | Next Nature Network." Next Nature Network. 13 Jan. 2016. Web. 14 Jan. 2016.