Using starter/ free credits in HeyGen Labs, I was keen to see how well it would translate a quick (and sceptical) recording I made. I have to say, I am genuinely amazed by the output, despite the glitch in the middle of the translation. It seems as though this tool has captured people’s imaginations and a LOT of videos slowed down the processing so that it took around 4 days to receive the translation you can see in the second half of this video. It translated most of the English accurately, adjusted my mouth movements and also captured my voice cadences in the translation. The languages on offer are limited (Spanish, French, German, Hindi) for now but I can see this technology being much more than a jaw-dropping novelty! This is where we are now. It really does suggest remarkable potentials going forward and, for me, also suggests we will soon need to reconsider our understandings (and associated requirements) around studying across languages.

Is a universal translator a la Star Trek such a distant dream still?