Anand has helped us in getting the web cam and the necessary software installed in my laptop. Today perhaps we are connected in best possible manner. Every week more than once we can talk and see each other on real time basis with help of the web camera. With Skype, the picture quality is better than what we used get through Yahoo. Perhaps with a better speed of broadband Internet, it will further improve.
Shannon and Yamuna have the language as the hurdle to communicate all that they wish to share with each other as mother (-in-law) and daughter. Both Shannon as Yamuna have attempted to learn the language of each other, but couldn’t take it to the point of success. It is really difficult task. One can learn it easily in childhood, but it is very difficult at advanced stage of life with no great fear of certain loss or incentive great enough to put in the right effort of endeavour. Few days ago NDTV Imagine announced a new serial ‘Angrezi mein kahate hain’ to teach English. It started on March 24. We missed the first session, but Yamuna remain awake to watch it at 11PM on that night. It is a nice programme, if followed religiously with self -practicing session. However, she has failed to continue doing that.
However, perhaps very soon technology will find the answer. I was going through the latest issue of ‘India Today’ and came across what Sunil Mittal informed the audience at the ‘India Today conclave 2008’ on technological breakthroughs for better connectivity through voice recognition.
“Speech recognition is becoming very good. Today, the American troops in Iraq are constantly conversing with their local Iraqi counterparts. Online real time, he speaks in Iraqi, he speaks back in English, this is happening now. Give it two to three years, a Chinese will converse with anybody in India and he will blabber in Hindi, you will get a response from him back in Hindi although he will be speaking in Chinese.”
A lot of work is going on voice recognition that will make the life of the business executive from all corners of world easy and efficient. I still remember the arduous irritating translating sessions when dealing with Japanese. I am sure, if once the ‘voice recognition’ software is available commercially; we shall have it loaded at both ends. Shannon then will be able too conveniently converse with Yamuna. She could get the tips on cooking and other religious rituals. However, perhaps it will still be difficult for Shannon to appreciate the dialects such as those in Bhojpuri songs and sayings that Yamuna is best at.
Perhaps it will be this technology of voice recognition that will integrate the world. One can with any one with one to one basis with no translator required.
दृष्टिकोण - Indra's Viewpoint 