Translating languages in response to device motion

• US 8,775,156 B2
• Filed: 08/05/2010
• Issued: 07/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Lebeau, Michael J., Jitkoff, John Nicholas
• Primary Examiner(s): He, Jialong
• Application Number:
  US12/851,083
• Publication Number:
  US 20120035907A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,433 Days
• Field of Search: 704/2, 704/3, 704/4, 704/5, 704/8
• US Class Current: 704/3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/40 Processing or translation of natural language natural language analysis G06F40/20; semantic analysis G06F40/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/58 Use of machine translation, e.g. for multi-lingual retrieval, for server-side translation for client devices or for real-time translation
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2061 Language aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/12 Language recognition, selection or translation arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/58 including a multilanguage function
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42348 Location-based services which utilize the location information of a target

Abstract

A method, performed on a server, of translating between languages includes receiving first audio data for a first language from a mobile device, translating the first audio data to second audio data for a second language, receiving an indication that the mobile device has moved between two locations, and sending the second audio data to the mobile device in response to the indication.

Claims

1. A method, performed on a mobile device, which is part of a process for translating between languages, the method comprising:

sending, to a server, data corresponding to a first language;

sending, to the server, data corresponding to a second language;

generating initial audio data based on input speech, the initial audio data being in an initial language;

sending the initial audio data to the server;

receiving translation data that corresponds to a translation of the initial audio data, the translation data corresponding to a target language;

storing the translation data in memory on the mobile device;

identifying movement of the mobile device between first and second users, wherein movement of the mobile device comprises at least moving the mobile device angularly relative to a predefined reference; and

in response to the movement of the mobile device;

(a) retrieving the translation data from the memory; and

(b) generating output audio data from the translation data, the output audio data comprising a translation of the input speech into the target language;

wherein, in a case that the mobile device is in a first location, the initial language is the first language and the target language is the second language and, in a case that the mobile device is in a second location, the initial language is the second language and the target language is the first language; and

wherein subsequent operations of the mobile device relating to translation between the first language and the second language are triggered automatically by subsequent movement of the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving first text or second text corresponding, respectively, to either the input speech in the first language or the input speech in the second language.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the data corresponding to the first language or the data corresponding to the second language comprises a geographic location of the mobile device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending a request for a different translation of the initial audio data.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving language options on the mobile device; and

outputting one or more selections from among the language options;

wherein at least one of the initial language and the target language are based on the one or more selections.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein outputting is performed via a voice command.

7. One or more non-transitory machine-readable media storing instructions that are executable by one or more processing devices for translating between languages, the instructions being executable to perform operations comprising:

sending, to a server, data corresponding to a first language;

sending, to the server, data corresponding to a second language;

generating initial audio data based on input speech, the initial audio data being in an initial language;

sending the initial audio data to the server;

receiving translation data that corresponds to a translation of the initial audio data, the translation data corresponding to a target language;

storing the translation data in memory on the mobile device;

identifying movement of the mobile device between first and second users, wherein movement of the mobile device comprises at least moving the mobile device angularly relative to a predefined reference; and

in response to the movement of the mobile device;

(a) retrieving the translation data from the memory; and

(b) generating output audio data from the translation data, the output audio data comprising a translation of the input speech into the target language;

wherein, in a case that the mobile device is in a first location, the initial language is the first language and the target language is the second language and, in a case that the mobile device is in a second location, the initial language is the second language and the target language is the first language; and

wherein subsequent operations of the mobile device relating to translation between the first language and the second language are triggered automatically by subsequent movement of the mobile device.

8. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 7, wherein the operations comprise:

receiving first text or second text corresponding, respectively, to either the input speech in the first language or the input speech in the second language.

9. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 7, wherein at least one of the data corresponding to the first language or the data corresponding to the second language comprises a geographic location of the mobile device.

10. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 7, wherein the operations comprise:

sending a request for a different translation of the initial audio data.

11. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 7, wherein the operations comprise:

receiving language options on the mobile device; and

outputting one or more selections from among the language options;

wherein at least one of the initial language and the target language are based on the one or more selections.

12. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 11, wherein outputting is performed via a voice command.

13. An electronic system for translating between languages, the electronic system comprising:

one or more processing devices; and

one or more machine-readable media storing instructions that are executable by the one or more processing devices to perform operations comprising;

sending, to a server, data corresponding to a first language;

sending, to the server, data corresponding to a second language;

generating initial audio data based on input speech, the initial audio data being in an initial language;

sending the initial audio data to the server;

receiving translation data that corresponds to a translation of the initial audio data, the translation data corresponding to a target language;

storing the translation data in memory on the mobile device;

identifying movement of the mobile device between first and second users, wherein movement of the mobile device comprises at least moving the mobile device angularly relative to a predefined reference; and

in response to the movement of the mobile device;

(a) retrieving the translation data from the memory; and

(b) generating output audio data from the translation data, the output audio data comprising a translation of the input speech into the target language;

wherein, in a case that the mobile device is in a first location, the initial language is the first language and the target language is the second language and, in a case that the mobile device is in a second location, the initial language is the second language and the target language is the first language; and

wherein subsequent operations of the mobile device relating to translation between the first language and the second language are triggered automatically by subsequent movement of the mobile device.

14. The electronic system of claim 13, wherein the operations comprise:

receiving first text or second text corresponding, respectively, to either the input speech in the first language or the input speech in the second language.

15. The electronic system of claim 13, wherein at least one of the data corresponding to the first language or the data corresponding to the second language comprises a geographic location of the mobile device.

16. The electronic system of claim 13, wherein the operations comprise sending a request for a different translation of the initial audio data.

17. The electronic system of claim 13, wherein the operations comprise:

receiving language options on the mobile device; and

outputting one or more selections from among the language options;

wherein at least one of the initial language and the target language are based on the one or more selections.

18. The electronic system of claim 17, wherein outputting is performed via a voice command.

19. An electronic system for translating between languages, the electronic system comprising:

means for sending, to a server, data corresponding to a first language and data corresponding to a second language;

means for generating initial audio data based on input speech, the initial audio data being in an initial language;

means for sending the initial audio data to the server;

means for receiving translation data that corresponds to a translation of the initial audio data, the translation data corresponding to a target language;

means for storing the translation data in memory on the mobile device;

means for identifying movement of the mobile device between first and second users, wherein movement of the mobile device comprises at least moving the mobile device angularly relative to a predefined reference; and

means for, in response to the movement of the mobile device;

(a) retrieving the translation data from the memory; and

(b) generating output audio data from the translation data, the output audio data comprising a translation of the input speech into the target language;

wherein, in a case that the mobile device is in a first location, the initial language is the first language and the target language is the second language and, in a case that the mobile device is in a second location, the initial language is the second language and the target language is the first language; and

wherein subsequent operations of the mobile device relating to translation between the first language and the second language are triggered automatically by subsequent movement of the mobile device.