The Raspberry Pi is a remarkably capable portable computer, but Dave Conroy found a use for it we couldn't have imagined: He turned his into a translation device capable of translating over 60 languages. It supports speech recognition and playback, and is all done with free software.


You'll have to hit the link below for the full how-to, but Conroy also includes all of the code (also available up at GitHub) and components you'll need to turn your Raspian-powered Pi into a personal translator, including the headset you'll need and all of the code for speech recognition and playback. You'll also need a persistent internet connection, since it uses Microsoft's translation engine (only because Google Translate's API is $20, and he wanted to do it all for free) and Google's text-to-speech engine to work.

He also used a Logitech USB headset to make it all work—not the cheapest option available, but a plug-and-play one for sure—as long as you have the appropriate Linux drivers for your headset or you have a plug-and-play model, you'll be fine. Once it's all set up and working, it should function like the video above.


Turn your Raspberry Pi into a Translator with Speech Recognition and Playback (60+ languages) | Dave Conroy