qWagmire Cubed: Coalition language barrier

[qb]

No link - heard on NPR's Morning Edition

US soldiers were trying to suppress a violent demonstration in the Polish-controlled area. They requested Polish backup, but Polish troops were delayed by an hour due to a lack of interpreters. Bulgarian backup was delayed even longer.

In another incident, Polish troops nearly fired on US troops due to a misunderstanding.

The "International Coalition", which the US hopes will lend "legitimacy" to its occupation is a hodgepodge of small countries. What a joke.

[RobertSeattle]

1. I like the translator quote.

Something like:
"We need an English-Polish-Arabic-Bulgarian four way translater."

I would suspect the number of people expert enough to do this number in the single digits, if any.

Where's that Star Trek universal translator when we need one?

[JHB]

2. Same place as the non-interference directive...

...about 200 years in the future..

[htuttle]

3. DARPA is working on one

...or rather, more accurately, they are spending a huge amount of money on R&D for one.

Here:
http://www.darpa.mil/iao/Babylon.htm



They don't appear to have anything to show for it yet, however. No surprise there.

I can just imagine how well it will work:

SOLIDER: "Have you seen any Taliban?"
(Babylon decoder states in Farsi: "My hovercraft is full of eels")

CIVILIAN (in Farsi): "What sort of nonsense was that?"
(Babylon decoder states in English: "My cheese is too heavy for now. How about a bunt cake?")