Whether it be for vacation or work, travel is usually, even in a pandemic, a normal part of life. One thing that can hinder the experience is the language barrier if you don’t speak the language of the country you’re visiting. Waverly Labs specializes in products dedicated to breaking down those language barriers. These products include the Ambassador Interpreter, Subtitles, and Audience.Â
Ambassador Interpreter is an over-the-ear device that can translate 20 languages and 42 dialects. The languages it can translate are English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Arabic, Greek, Russian, Hindi, Turkish, Polish, Chinese Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, Cantonese, Hebrew, Thai, Vietnamese, and Dutch. More languages will be added soon, said Waverly Labs CEO Andrew Ochoa, in an interview with Dealerscope, though he did not specify which ones. This shows that the company listens to its customers on what languages are needed to improve the device. Global communication can be done without the need for a human interpreter. Users can get a live translation while wearing the device and can have conversations with anyone else who wears the device. This offers an advantage over, say, the Pixel buds, which have a translation feature that only works with Android phones; the Ambassador is compatible with any iOS or Android device. Up to four Ambassador devices can be connected through one smartphone and each user can receive a translation in the language they desire. The Ambassador Interpreter was released at CES 2022 and is currently available for $179.
Aimed at more of a B2B customer, Waverly has created Subtitles for face-to-face interactions so that businesses can improve their customer service quality. Subtitles is a two-sided customer service counter display with a selection of languages that can be translated so employees are able to help customers. Now language barriers won’t prevent companies from providing customer service. When interacting, users can select the language they speak on the touchscreen and have a conversation with staff. While the person is speaking, a translation will be provided on the screen of the Subtitle device. This is useful for organizations that receive a large number of travelers such as airports, hotels, restaurants, and more. Subtitles has two screens and is equipped with a mic array that captures conversations and sends them to the cloud. Not only is this device helpful for translating conversations, but it can also help people with hearing impediments; they can use the subtitles as another way to communicate.
Lastly, Waverly Labs has unveiled an app called Audience that allows consumers to translate lectures, conferences, or speeches in real-time. The audio will be captured in the speakers’ mic and uploaded and translated to the cloud. Attendees can use a QR code that is provided by the speaker to join the event. After choosing a target language, users can decide if they would like to receive their translation through text or audio.
Subtitles and Audience will be available in late spring or early summer 2022.
