

“Word lens” is lame because you’re still dumb - mrsierrakilo
http://www.cooper.com/journal/2010/12/word_lens_is_lame_because_your.html
One-way translation, only half a solution
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wmeredith
I think the OP is first drawing a valid if glib opinion I don't agree with
(Word lens is lame) and then mixing up his correlations (because you're still
dumb) as well as vocabulary (it would be more accurate to say ignorant).

Word Lens is a breakthrough mainstream application when it comes to language
barriers. Discounting that because there are still existing problems with
communication in the world is, uh, dumb.

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Semiapies
I think the writer meant "dumb" in the sense of "mute", while going for
provocation since it's an obscure meaning of the word to many people.

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veb
"But, until we get a voice, a way to communicate back, Word Lens is little
more than an amazing party trick."

WTF? A party trick? Okay sorry for the outburst there mate, why don't _you_
make something better?

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kranner
Criticism should not depend on the ability to create.

That said, this critique was crap.

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Klocekian
What didn't work for the critique? I'm the author, and. As someone who does a
lot of global business travel I simply haven't found a huge need for only
translating signs. It might be a good first step but the immediate next step
is to try to communicate about the content of the sign which is where a real-
time translator would be really handy. The question I tried to ask (and might
have put badly) is, what is the need this is serving?

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millerc
OP's blog post reminds me sorely how depressing it is to create something and
get feedback from the world. The most accurate description of Word Lens I've
read is "take a look! This is the future." And still, there are people to
write nasty articles calling it lame because it doesn't fix breakfast as well.

So I found my resolution for the new year. I'll stick to my anonymity when
creating products, and hire somebody to get feedback while filtering out the
nasties. And never, ever ego-search on my products.

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Klocekian
The speed of the translation, the directness of the interface, that you don't
need to fumble about typing with your thumbs THAT is the future... But the
extremely limited application of translation technology which meets an edge-
case need isn't the future. It's a good first step toward solving translation
problems. Criticism is a valuable part of a product's lifecycle. Glowing
praise is fun to get, but it doesn't help you move forward and improve.

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Semiapies
The video isn't all that impresssive, as it's just the same thing in reverse;
they can talk Hindi using the translation, but can't understand it.

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Klocekian
Really good point. I'd intended the video to show the other half of the
solution, but as you point out you still wouldn't have had any idea what the
other person replied, leaving you with another version of the translation
problem.

