Will translation software sound the death knell for interpreters?

If, as the Chinese proverb goes, "to learn a language is to have one more window from which to look at the world", Chinese search engine Baidu has provided the country with a portal to the entire planet at their fingertips. Earlier last month, the Baidu Translate app was given a top national science award for their work advancing automated translations in a rarely seen honor for internet companies.

"It earned the honor for its technological merit and social significance," Wang Haifeng, vice-president of Baidu, said.

"The Baidu Translate App can recognize text, voices and even pictures. For example, travellers can take a photo of the menu and the app will read the menu and do the translation."