In Douglas Adams’ iconic book The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, one of the more interesting objects (besides the famous towel), was the Babel fish. When inserted into the ear, the Babel fish could translate any of the alien languages that the wearer came across while traveling the galaxy. The Babel fish, of course, was conjured up by Adams as a hand-waving measure to move the plot along. But, the usefulness of a Babel fish-like device in the real world is obvious.

That may no longer be science fiction, with a new device called WT2 that promises near real-time audio translation. WT2 resembles a pair of Bluetooth headphones, and looks very similar to Apple’s AirPods. As you travel, simply carry them with you and when you’d like to talk to someone, put one in your ear and have your conversation partner put one in theirs. The headphones then connect to an app on your phone, and translate between languages as you speak to each other.

As it stands, WT2 supports translation between five languages: English, French, German, Chinese, and Japanese. However, more languages should be added in the near future. Three different modes are supported: “auto mode” for normal conversations and speaking naturally, “manual mode” for noisy environments, and “ask mode” where only you wear one (for quick questions). The carrying case also charges the headphones, so the battery should last for quite a while.

WT2 is currently in the crowd funding stage, and can be ordered right now on Kickstarter for $99 if you get the Super Early Bird special. The campaign lasts until October 26th, and is well on it’s way to being funded. Kickstarter orders are scheduled to be shipped in February of 2018.