Ectaco Releases Communication System with Fodor's Travel Guide

Ectaco yesterday released a new two-way, nine-language communication system, the iTRAVL NTL-9C, a hands-free/eyes-free speech recognition device with a travel guide for 50 major destinations on five continents.

Using proprietary speech recognition, speech analysis, and voice output technology, iTRAVL NTL-9C allows travelers to communicate thoroughly in a multitude of languages without the assistance of a human translator. The new iTRAVL series affords users the ability to manipulate the interface without using their hands or taking their eyes off their subjects.

"English speaking people can input anything they want to say into iTRAVL device now and have it repeated for them in the target language," said Ectaco CEO David Lubinitsky.

Language Teacher, an audio-visual language learning tool, has been implemented into iTRAVL to help users learn to speak languages independent of electronic devices or translators.

"Now everyone can deal with emergencies, speak to business partners, and find the nearest restaurant as easily as they do in their own language," adds Lubinitsky. "Those that have beta tested the new iTRAVL have been overwhelmed by how quickly they learned basic phrases and commands beyond English."

The system supports two-way full text translation from English to Chinese, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish, and contains 1.6 million words, including general words, idioms, and medical, technical, legal, and business terms, as well as slang and useful expressions, in an audio dictionary. It also includes additional travel resources, like the Fodor's Travel Guide, CIA World Factbook, Audio Phrasebooks, an audio player for Mp3 files, calendar/planner, voice recorder, and other travel necessities. Updates and battery charging can be accomplished by connecting units via mini-USB to any PC or laptop computer. A pen-scanner for numerous languages and a video camera will be available soon.