Development of in-ear translation technology could put Language students out of a job

Waverly Labs have recently released plans for an in-ear translation device that is due to be released next year.

The ‘Pilot’ is going to be launched next week, making language students across the country question whether they should have invested those 9k-a-year fees elsewhere.

Photo: Waverly Labs

The ‘Pilot’ is set to bridge the gap created by language barriers. Understandably, those interested in pursuing a career interpreting or translating are a little concerned about the effect this may have on their future prospects.

But how real is the threat of this new tech?

Fortunately enough, Waverly Labs are only releasing the ear piece’s accompanying app next week. The actual earpiece isn’t set to follow until Spring 2017, giving aspiring interpreters a little time to benefit from their chosen career prior to the impending doom.

My own immediate reaction was that the ear-piece would be extortionately priced and thus pose no immediate danger to the interpreter labour market. But it seems I was mistaken. At a provisional price of $299 USD, the reality is that this new tech is surprisingly cheap.

Before you cash-strapped students begin criticising me for having a deluded perception of value for money, the average fee for the first hour of an interpreter’s time in the UK is £48, according to gov.uk. When put into perspective, this tech is actually incredibly cheap, particularly if you require interpreting services on a regular basis.

So who’s most at risk here? For those of you clever enough to pursue a more unusual language degree such as Russian, Chinese Mandarin or Japanese, you can take a deep sigh of relief. At present, the Pilot only supports European based Romance and Germanic languages. Yes that’s you, French, German and Spanish students.

But is this really the end of the incessant gloating of linguistically talented students? Or will the value of face-to-face services prevail? Only time will tell. But I don’t think there’s any reason for languages students to drop out of uni just yet.