Who needs Star Trek? Nashua bus system has developed its own Universal Translator

The Nashua bus system is using Google Translate on a tablet computer to help drivers deal with non-English-speaking riders. Brilliant idea.

NHPR has the story.

Speaking as somebody who has tried and failed to learn a second language most of my life – I can’t even do it with Spanish, generally regarded as the easiest language for an English-speaker to learn – I find the possibility of a hand-held universal translator (smartphone & software) to be delightful.

But I’d still love to speak another language. It must be so cool to be multi-lingual and feel what it does to your brain as you switch between languages.