If trying to order dinner or find your hotel abroad fills you with fear due to your abysmal grasp of foreign languages, don't panic.

A forthcoming in-ear gadget is claimed to be able to translate speech like the Babel Fish in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, or the Universal Translator gadget in Star Trek.

The system, dubbed the Pilot, comprises two earpieces to be worn by two people who do not speak the same language and uses an app so the duo can converse with ease.

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The Pilot system comprises two earpieces (shown in three colours above) to be worn by two people who don't speak the same language

It is claimed to be the first 'smart earpiece' capable of translating between two languages.

The company behind the technology, Waverly Labs, said: 'This little wearable uses translation technology to allow two people to speak different languages but still clearly understand each other.'

Information about how the technology works is thin on the ground, with Waverly Labs simply claiming it uses 'translation technology' embedded in an app. MailOnline has asked for clarification.

It is thought an accompanying app enables both earpieces to toggle between languages and a video shows the Pilot translating a conversation between French and English with only a small lag.

The forthcoming in-ear gadget is claimed to be able to translate speech like the Babelfish in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (illustrated in a sreenshot) or the Universal Translator gadget in Star Trek

While the first generation device works only when speaking to someone wearing an earpiece, future generations could listen to everything happening nearby, so pairs of devices won't be needed.

It is designed to work offline so it won't incur data charges when used overseas.

The New York- based company behind the Pilot said both wireless earpieces can be used by one person for listening to music.

The gadget was invented by Waverly Labs founder Andrew Ochoa who said he had the idea for it 'after meeting a French girl'.

The company behind the device (pictured above) said: 'This little wearable uses translation technology to allow two people to speak different languages but still clearly understand each other'

It's thought an accompanying app (shown) enables both earpieces to toggle between languages and a video shows the Pilot translating a conversation between French and English with only a small lag.

At launch, it will support English, Spanish, French and Italian, with additional languages available 'soon after', including 'East Asian, Hindi, Semitic, Arabic, Slavic, and African.'

Some users will have to pay to get additional language packs.

The firm warned: 'Every language has various dialects and the earpiece is designed to translate common dialects, although thick accents could disrupt this.'

Waverly Labs plans to launch a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo where interested people will be able to pre-order the Pilot for between $129 (£90) and $179 (£125) but it's expected to retail for between $250 (£174) and $300 (£209).

Pre-orders are expected to open from 25 May, with the earpieces shipping between autumn and next spring, on a first-come-first-served basis. They will come in three colours.

While the first generation device works only when speaking to someone wearing an earpiece, future generations could listen to everything happening nearby, so pairs of devices won't be needed. It could be likened to the Universal Translator device (shown above) in Star Trek

UNIVERSAL TRANSLATORS MAY NO LONGER BY A THING OF SCIENCE FICTION The universal translator (UT) is a device used in Star Trek to translate alien languages. In the early series of Star Trek, the UTs were shaped like tubes. In Star Trek: Enterprise the UTs looked similar to a flip phone. In Star Trek: Next Generation, UTs are built into the communication pins on Starfleet uniforms. Ferengis, including Quark from Deep Space Nine, have implants in their ear from birth. One exception is the Klingon language, which mostly can't be translated. C-3PO from Star Wars has the capability to understand millions of languages. High-tech translation devices also include the Babel Fish in The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy. In the Douglas Adam book a small fish is inserted into the ear of a person, allowing all alien languages to be translated into English Professor Farnsworth of Futurama also created a similar device - though it translated only French. Advertisement

The product will include two earpieces, a portable charger and access to the app, where languages can be downloaded for the earpiece.

The device is not the only one to aim to provide next-generation translation services to users.

The chief envisioning officer of Microsoft UK recently said that in the next five years, advanced technology will allow people of different nationalities to sit down and freely converse with just a smartphone between them, instantly translating their language in real-time.

Dave Coplin told The Times: 'At the moment we're at schoolboy French.

He added: 'In five years, two people will be able to sit down, put a smartphone between them, and as they're talking, the phone will translate their conversation seamlessly.'

Current technology, such as the Microsoft-owned Skype Translator, already allows for near-real-time translation of voice and video calls, in seven languages and instant messages in over 50, from Arabic to Yucatec Maya.

Launched last October, it records what the speaker says, uses a speech recognition system to convert the file to text, before relaying it through a robotic voice box.

Skype Translator currently works for English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Chinese Mandarin. Skype plans to add new languages in the coming months.

While modern systems analyse accents, idiosyncrasies, and dialects, over the next five years Skype plans to refine its technology even further, and asks users for feedback online in order to help it do so.

According to Microsoft, advanced technology will allow people of different nationalities to sit down and freely converse with just a smartphone between them, instantly translating their language

Leading companies are pushing the barriers of technological innovation, and looking to develop more advanced translation systems that will 'seamlessly' translate conversations in real time (Skype shot shown)

Skype says in its blog: 'With the continued adoption of Skype Translator, we are working on rolling out new languages and platforms—bringing the translation feature to more Skype apps and implementing an even wider selection of languages.

'We are dedicated to continue the growth of this new chapter in communication which has enabled people to connect globally, for free.'

The Google Translate App, launched last year, allows users to use their camera to translate text instantly in 26 languages, and offers two-way automatic speech translation in 40 languages.