15 July 2024

Translating the universe with Canberra's world-leading tech

| Morgan Kenyon
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Rachel Gately and Tim McLaren receiving the 2024 iAwards

Rachel Gately and Tim McLaren of Trellis Data proudly accepted first place at Canberra’s 2024 iAwards for the company’s Universal Translator submission. Photo: Trellis Data.

High-security environments need high-security technology, especially when it comes to communication.

For government, defence, law enforcement, logistics, financial services and not-for-profits that work regularly with sensitive data, it’s absolutely critical that information remains protected across its entire lifecycle.

Agencies like these must bridge gaps in communication quickly, accurately and securely.

That’s why homegrown specialists Trellis Data are leveraging their expertise in Canberra to deliver world-leading, AI-powered translation and transcription through the company’s Universal Translator.

READ MORE Where does the land of opportunity lie for ICT graduates?

Designed specifically with defence personnel, law enforcement and first responders in mind, Universal Translator empowers people who speak different languages to interact seamlessly with each other in near real-time.

“When you’re in a high-stakes or time-critical environment, being able to accurately traverse language barriers could be the difference between life and death,” Trellis Data’s head of communications Tim McLaren says.

“Universal Translator allows defence forces operating in foreign territories, law enforcement officers patrolling multicultural neighbourhoods and emergency first responders at disaster sites to work more safely and effectively in the field.

“At its core, our technology democratises language. It could even be used to improve accessibility at global events like the Olympic Games or international conferences.”

ADF flood assist

Universal Translator was designed to make the work of defence personnel, law enforcement and first responders safer and more efficient. Photo: ADF.

Universal Translator doesn’t require an internet connection and can operate as a standalone app or be securely integrated into existing hardware, like radios and walkie-talkies.

The technology handles more than 100 languages, distinguishes between multiple voices with ease, and provides both audio and text translation to ensure all sides of a conversation can be understood and recorded.

There are five steps to a successful conversation with Universal Translator:

  1. The subject speaks into your radio handset or device
  2. You hear translated speech in your home language
  3. You respond in your home language
  4. Your response will be translated into the subject’s original language
  5. The conversation can then be displayed as text and text/audio stored for future analysis.

While the benefits of AI for streamlining workflows are well-known, Tim says many industry leaders are still wary of privacy breaches.

“They are reluctant to introduce new technologies or gateways that may open up their classified information and see their IP end up on overseas servers, but since our technology is grounded in security, it surpasses these concerns and allows clients to focus on getting the job done, without worrying about potential breaches.”

READ MORE Canberra-based Trellis Data joins forces with CCL Solutions Group to revolutionise law enforcement through AI

Universal Translator recently scored Trellis Data the top spot at Canberra’s 2024 Shaping Our Future iAwards, thanks to its ability to provide secure, real-time translation across languages without a reliance on the internet. The team will next put their tech to the test at the national iAwards in August.

“We are a homegrown company competing in the big leagues against the likes of OpenAI, Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS),” Tim says.

“There’s a great sense of pride that our Canberra-based technology is performing so highly on the world stage.”

Trellis Data delivers leading-edge machine learning technology on an easy-to-use platform. Jump online to find out more.

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We say in English, “the cow jumped over the moon”. The French say “over the moon the cow jumped” Many languages have verbs switched around. Must be powerful software to differentiate the nuances of language

The Tower of Babel comes tumbling down – unreal. Congratulations Rachel and Tim!!

Star Trek becomes reality again.

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