There are lot of aspects that divides humans from each other! Undoubtedly, the term ‘Language’ tops the list. Some of us have experienced ourselves in an uncomfortable situation, trying to communicate in the foreign language sometimes when in a foreign country. Unless, if we learn a few common languages like English, Mandarin, French and Spanish, we might end up downright disastrous.
Unfortunately, if you are an adult, educating yourself, a second language is difficult, as the brain lacks the neural plasticity that lets you modify its connections or rewire itself. On top of that, it could take a longer time to master the language. Having said that, now the rapidly growing technology has a solution for it.
Travis Touch!
With ‘Travis Touch‘, the struggle of speaking a foreign language will soon be a thing of past. Travis, a Dutch pocket translator manufacturer from Rotterdam has already been news in the past for its magical device and now the startup has announced the launch of its third crowdfunding project dubbed as Travis Touch.
The successor comes with major upgrades!
The successor of Travis One comes with hardware and usability improvements after lots of feedback from its customers. There are a couple of major upgrades to this device and it includes a large touchscreen and a wireless charging.
Offers translation in 110 languages!
At present, the Travis Touch offers translation in 110 languages, where the majority is the speech-to-speech translation. In order to use it smoothly without any glitch or lag, users need to have a fast Internet connection as well. Furthermore, the Travis Touch continuously searches and integrates translation engines, as it currently uses sixteen engines including Google, IBM, and Microsoft. Till now, the Rotterdam startup has raised a total funding of € 1.1 million on Indiegogo.
Google Pixel Buds!
When it comes to translation, Google remains the elephant in the room. The search engine giant has launched Pixel Buds a few months back with the integration of Google Assistant and Translation.
While the Travis Touch offers translation in 110 languages, the Pixel Buds, on the other hand, offers just 40 languages at $159. Having said that, the Pixel Buds has lots of limitations, unlike Travis Touch, where the live translation just works with Pixel series of devices.
In addition to it, the user needs to have the Google Translate app running on the smartphone. But to get it going, one needs to live in Google’s ecosystem. Comparing both Travis Touch and Google Pixel buds, one can easily make out, which fares well.
Discount for early backers!
The Travis Touch will be available starting from July 31st carrying a price tag of $149 for early backers with a $100 discount on the future retail price. You can pre-order one for you through the crowdfunding platform Indiegogo and the shipping will start in early September 2018.
Brend Kouwenhoven, co-founder, and CEO of Travis states: “Our first product gave us the opportunity to get a lot of valuable feedback. We want to elevate understanding around the world and believe our new product will substantially contribute to this, by opening up more conversations and overcoming language barriers.”
Although a hardware manufacturer, Travis primarily sees itself as fixing a human problem. “We provide people with a soft landing in unfamiliar circumstances, regardless of the situation,” says Gregor Noltes, Chief Marketing Officer. “Using a Travis gives you a sense of comfort, ready to turn an insecure moment into a positive experience,” Noltes adds.
Digitizing Tigrinya!
In addition to it, Travis is working on its first project where it aims to create a digital translation for ‘Tigrinya’, the language of Eritrea and northern Ethiopia. With over 10 million speakers, Tigrinya it hasn’t been digitized as it isn’t considered “commercially interesting’’ by larger corporates. If you are a backer of Travis Touch, you also have the option to donate to Travis Foundation as well!
Language digitization provides great opportunities for aid work and refugee communication, as well as for language learning and education. We are excited to see Tigrinya on Travis devices in the future.” – Elissa Glorie – Director, Travis Foundation.
Do you think Travis can compete with the likes of Google Pixel Buds and Google Translation? Do share your opinions in the comments section below.
For more updates, stay tuned to Silicon Canals.
