[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/6662\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EStar Trek-style communicator hopes to break down cultural barriers\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMobile phone applications make it possible to translate into many different languages, but imagine giving a thumbs-up to someone from the Middle East or West Africa at the end of a chat \u2013 in most western cultures it is a sign of pleasure, but to them the signal is an outrageous insult.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018It is often much easier to understand someone if you can see them because what is being said in a conversation extends far beyond the spoken word,\u2019 said Professor Leo Wanner, a computational linguistics researcher at the Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, Spain.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018It is about the tone of the voice, the facial expressions and the gestures. But there are social idiosyncrasies that vary between cultures.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EProf. Wanner is leading the EU-funded KRISTINA project which aims to interpret language alongside cultural barriers in order to develop a personal translation assistant. They are working on software that can watch, listen and respond to migrants in ways that are socially appropriate to them or translate their needs for locals.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Helping people overcome barriers when they arrive in an unfamiliar country is not just about translating the language \u2013\u0026nbsp;it is rather about communication that requires social, cultural and background knowledge. This is what our socially intelligent conversation agent is trying to do,\u2019 said Prof. Wanner.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003E\u2018It is about the tone of the voice, the facial expressions and the gestures. But there are social idiosyncrasies that vary between cultures.\u0026#039;\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EProfessor Leo Wanner, Pompeu Fabra University, Spain\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe agent takes the form of a digital platform that can respond to questions from users in their native language. Prof. Wanner said the goal is to develop a system that runs on devices like tablets and laptops.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe overall aim is to make these interactions as normal and natural as possible so users can ask questions, and chat, as if they were talking to another human being, which, for example, would help migrants integrate better when they arrive in a new country.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Migrants who arrive in European countries may not be familiar with the health system at all,\u2019 he said. \u2018Our agent would be able to assess their problem based on their age, location, gender, and other things \u2013 so it can tell them in natural language where they need to go.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022 class=\u0022@alignleft@\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022KRISTINA aims to provide quick translations to make it easier for migrants to integrate. Image credit - KRISTINA\u0022 height=\u0022682\u0022 src=\u0022https:\/\/horizon-magazine.eu\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/KRISTINA%20-%20larger%20image.JPG\u0022 title=\u0022KRISTINA aims to provide quick translations to make it easier for migrants to integrate. Image credit - KRISTINA\u0022 width=\u0022874\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003EKRISTINA aims to provide quick translations to make it easier for migrants to integrate. Image credit - KRISTINA\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA prototype of the system, which can understand English, German, Spanish and Polish, is being evaluated in a healthcare context in Spain and Germany, while Turkish and Arabic will be added later.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn another setting, KRISTINA is being used to help Polish care workers who are looking after elderly patients in Germany.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The caregivers do not know the (German) language that well or the preferences of the elderly person they are looking after, so the agent can be an intermediary,\u2019 said Prof. Wanner.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EVulnerable populations\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAround \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/eurostat\/statistics-explained\/index.php\/People_in_the_EU_%E2%80%93_statistics_on_an_ageing_society#Elderly_population_by_place_of_birth\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003E4.1 % of the elderly population\u003C\/a\u003E in Europe were born outside the EU. Interacting with people from such diverse backgrounds can be difficult and requires a deeper understanding of their background and cultures than most translation software can provide.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EKRISTINA\u2019s digital assistant aims to further help these people by recording sample conversations and building up a bank of basic knowledge. The system then builds on these conversations using machine learning, a type of automated data analysis, to help it recognise facial expressions, gestures and changes in the tone of voice.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EProf. Wanner said: \u2018If we have an elderly person greet the virtual agent in a bit of a depressed voice in the morning, it will recognise that and ask what is wrong.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018It will ask if they slept poorly or look for anything it can do to cheer them up. For example, it might remind them their family are coming to visit later that afternoon.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe idea of communicating with people in ways that are familiar to them is something Professor Mirella Lapata, from the University of Edinburgh, UK, also believes is essential. She has been developing technology that doesn\u2019t simply translate information for people \u2013 it makes it simpler.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EJust think of the often incomprehensible terminology on tax forms and complex phrasing used on other official documents such as customs declarations. Then imagine tackling those in a second language.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EProf. Lapata, who is leading an EU European Research Council project called TransModal, is using machine learning to unravel key information from text, images, video and even computer code so it can be used by anyone.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018What we are proposing is not just something like Google Translate but much more like Google Simplify,\u2019 she explained. \u2018The idea is you press a button or scan a document with your phone and get a simpler version.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/bit.ly\/newsalertsignup\u0022\u003E\u003Cimg class=\u0022@aligncenter@\u0022 src=\u0022https:\/\/horizon-magazine.eu\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/news-alert-final.jpg\u0022 alt width=\u0022983\u0022 height=\u0022222\u0022\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor someone with only a basic understanding of a second language, this could help them access information that has previously been mystifying to them, according to Prof. Lapata.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EShe said: \u2018If you have an immigrant who comes to the UK, for example, they will struggle to do day-to-day stuff like going to the bank or to the post office because they cannot read the language. The idea is to simplify the information they see so they can understand it.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EProf. Lapata hopes the algorithms involved could eventually be used through an application on a mobile phone or a button on a web-browser.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt is still early days, but Prof. Lapata believes the uses could also extend far beyond helping those who struggle with foreign languages.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018People who have poor literacy skills could definitely benefit,\u2019 she said. \u2018Teachers could also use it to produce materials that are aimed at a range of abilities.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022 class=\u0022@alignleft@\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022Using the wrong hand gesture in a new country could open the door to a very unfortunate misunderstanding.\u0022 height=\u00222000\u0022 src=\u0022https:\/\/horizon-magazine.eu\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/hand_gestures-final.jpg\u0022 title=\u0022Using the wrong hand gesture in a new country could open the door to a very unfortunate misunderstanding.\u0022 width=\u0022983\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003EUsing the wrong hand gesture in a new country could open the door to a very unfortunate misunderstanding.\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EIf you liked this article, please consider sharing it on social media.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-ad0gmmwialfrl2fpewpzlr-l98sesodxjsxmknnq8s8\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-AD0gmmWIaLFRL2FPeWpZlR-L98sEsoDxjSXMKNNq8s8\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]