After researching the product by reading and watching some of the reviews and testimonials, we wanted to try Pilot Translator for our scheduled interviews. We knew that the product was not meant to be used in interviews, but we wanted to give it a try anyway since there is only a handful of device that can translate.
When we received the product, we did not know what to expect. We had hopes that this device could be a solution to our translation issue. We were tasked to conduct interviews in countries where English is not the native language. Thus, for translation, we had to rely on the national partners from those countries, who are not a professional translator. During these type of interviews, time was a big constraint for us. So, the verbatim sequential translation was not an option, which cost us some opportunities to probe unscripted questions. This is exactly why we wanted to use device Pilot Translator: to not compromise from the interview length and to not miss improvised moments.
Upon receiving the product, we noticed that synching up the device was a little confusing. We mixed up the devices, so one of the researchers ended with hearing the translation, but not getting his speech translated. The synching up the earbuds with the application was not intuitive and took some time to figure out. Another issue was the translation of the long, chain sentences. The product started to translate in the middle of the sentence, while the other person was still speaking. Because of this, it either picked up random words and translated incorrectly or translated only a part of the sentence. A suggestion would be to include a button or an indicator that the speaker can press to signal the end of the sentence. Other than these technical details, speech translation accuracy varied based on the language. However, the common issue was the translation of the informal speech. It seems that the accuracy would have been much better if the speaker was reading a text. It would be safe to say that the product functioned around 75% accuracy when it had to translate the slowly and formally spoken, short sentences.
Although the requirement of having two phones for the synchronization is an important obstacle that increases the time that it needs to transition from the set-up phase to action phase, in a setup event like interviews, this synchronization can be done prior to the event. However, the requirement of two phones with two applications is an inconvenience that needs to be resolved. Even though the product is not meant for formal interviews, it seems that it is more suitable for these type of arranged events since the odds of two random people having the Pilot application is pretty low. In the arranged circumstances, phones can be uploaded with the application, and the synchronization can be completed prior to the event.
Overall, the Pilot Translator is promising but should be improved at certain areas in order to be usable. At this stage, it seems to bring a resolution to only fundamental translation issues under specific and controlled circumstances. Compared to other translators, the Pilot has the potential to be the complete product that solves an important challenge, if the kinks are worked out.
