Visually Impaired Transcript for Transtac Video

Visually Impaired Transcript for Breaking the Language Barrier: NIST Tests Afghan Language Translation Devices for U.S. Troops Story

VISUAL:  Fade up from black to scene from the Star Trek television series. Captain Kirk is speaking to an alien energy being using a universal translator. Mr. Spock is standing next to him. As alien speaks, the translator flashes colored lights indicating that it is working.  Text appears at the bottom of the screen that reads: "STAR TREK "Metamorphosis" footage courtesy of CBS Television Studios."

Captain Kirk: "We wish to talk with you."

Alien Being: "How can we communicate? My thoughts ... you are hearing them? This is interesting."

Narrator:  SOMETIMES THE FUTURE ISN'T AS FAR AWAY AS WE THINK ...

VISUAL:  Scene dissolves from Star Trek video to location outside an old concrete building. Marine speaks into a smart phone translation device and then hands it to an Afghani man dressed in native clothes. The man hears the machine translation in Pashto of the Marine's question and then responds using the device.

Marine [in English]:  "Good morning, it's nice to see you again."

Pashto translation heard from cell phone

Native speaker [in Pashto]: "Thank you."

VISUAL:  Conversation between Marine and Pashto speaker outside building continues.

Narrator:  IT MAY NOT BE AS SOPHISTICATED AS THE UNIVERSAL TRANSLATOR ON "STAR TREK," BUT THE TRANSTAC SMART PHONE TECHNOLOGY IS HELPING BRIDGE THE LANGUAGE GAP BETWEEN U.S. SOLDIERS AND THE PEOPLE OF AFGHANISTAN.

VISUAL:  Scene switches to inside of Afghani truck with a male Pashto speaker behind wheel. Marine standing outside the truck speaks into the smart phone translation device.

Marine [in English]:  "I need to see your ID."

Pashto translation heard from cell phone

Narrator: SMART PHONES USING THE LATEST GENERATION OF TWO-WAY, REAL-TIME VOICE TRANSLATION  TECHNOLOGY CONVERT ENGLISH INTO THE AFGHAN LANGUAGE OF PASHTO (pash-toe) AND PASHTO BACK INTO ENGLISH.

VISUAL:  Marine opens door of Afghani truck and the Pashto speaker gets out. Marine speaks into the translation device.

Marine [in English]:  "I need to take a look in the back."

Pashto translation heard from cell

VISUAL:  NIST evaluation team member seen taking notes as the translation device testing takes place. Cut to wide shot of the test site over which the logos for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and NIST are superimposed as they are mentioned in the narration.

Narrator:  TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THREE TRANSLATION SYSTEMS FROM DIFFERENT MANUFACTURERS ... THE  DEFENSE DEPARTMENT RECENTLY TEAMED UP WITH  EXPERTS FROM THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY.

VISUAL:  Closeup of NIST logo on shirt worn by test evaluator. Pull out to scene showing evaluator videotaping the test. Scene then switches to close up of Marine using translation device as evaluator takes notes.

Narrator: THE NIST ENGINEERS PUT THE TRANSLATION DEVICES THROUGH A RUGGED SERIES OF TESTS ... 25 DIFFERENT SITUATIONS THAT MIGHT BE ENCOUNTERED BY TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN.

VISUAL:  Cut to wide shot of Marine and Pashto speaker at back of truck during test scenario. Evaluators watch the testing and take notes.

Narrator: TESTING INVOLVED BOTH ENGLISH AND PASHTO SPEAKERS.  THE SCENARIOS INCLUDED VEHICLE CHECKS AND BUILDING INSPECTIONS.

VISUAL:  Cut to wide shot of native Pashto speakers at table being asked questions by NIST test evaluator sitting across from them.

Narrator: ONCE THE TESTING WAS COMPLETED, PARTICIPANTS WEIGHED IN ON THE RESULTS.

VISUAL:  Craig Schlenoff on camera at test site. Graphic appears at bottom of screen identifying him as "Craig Schlenoff, Project Leader, NIST TRANSTAC Evaluation Team."

Craig Schlenoff: "We ask them to fill out surveys and we have a panel of judges that will come in a few weeks to review the videos and more quantitatively assess the performance by counting concepts and seeing how much information was actually passed back and forth."

VISUAL:  Cut to closeup of computer screen showing video recorded at NIST field test and then cut to various scenes of native Pashto speakers reviewing the videos.

Narrator: BASED ON THE IMPRESSIONS FROM THE FIELD AND THE REVIEW BY THE JUDGES ... THE NIST TEAM IS PREPARING A DETAILED EVALUATION OF THE THREE TRANSLATION DEVICES.

VISUAL:  Brian Weiss on camera at test site. Graphic appears at bottom of screen identifying him as "Brian Weiss, Member, NIST TRANSTAC Evaluation Team."

Brian Weiss: "So, the importance of machine translation is it's another tool for U.S. military personnel to use in the field. Unfortunately, there is a shortage of interpreters ... a shortage of very reliable interpreters ... and machine translation offers a unique tool in the sense that machines don't get tired, people do."

VISUAL:  Cut to wide shot of test scenario at back of Afghani truck as Marine converses with native Pashto speaker and NIST test evaluator takes notes.

Narrator: WITH NIST AND DARPA TEAMING UP TO ADVANCE THE TRANSLATION TECHNOLOGY OF TODAY ...

VISUAL:  Dissolve to scene from the Star Trek television series. Mr. Spock is working on the universal translator while Captain Kirk and Zefram Cochrane stand behind him. Text appears at the bottom of the screen that reads: "STAR TREK "Metamorphosis" footage courtesy of CBS Television Studios."

Narrator:  PERHAPS WE WON'T HAVE TO WAIT 300 YEARS FOR THE VISION OF "STAR TREK" TO BECOME REALITY ...

Mr. Spock: "It simply translates its findings into English."

Cochrane: "You mean it speaks?"

Captain Kirk: "A voice ... or the approximation of whatever the creature is sending in. Not 100 percent efficient, of course, but then nothing ever is.  Ready, Mr. Spock."

Mr. Spock: "Quite ready, Captain."

VISUAL:  Dissolve to credits (six pages). Text on screens read as follows:

For more information
www.nist.gov
inquiries [at] nist.gov (inquiries[at]nist[dot]gov)

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Produced by
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Public Affairs Office
July 2010

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STAR TREK "Metamorphosis" footage courtesy of CBS Television Studios

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TRANSTAC (Spoken Language Communication and TRANSlation System for TACtical Use) is a program of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). 

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NIST wishes to thank the U.S. military personnel and the native Pashto speakers who participated in the making of this video.

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The display of products and services in this program is for demonstration purposes only and does not imply an endorsement by NIST

VISUAL:  Fade to black.