Instant translator on its way

A new device could spell the end of learning to speak French - in fact learning to speak any language!

A machine is being worked on that will instantly translate from one language to another.

You'd simply attach some wires to your neck and silently mouth a word in your own language for it to be translated and read out in another.

But the device is still being developed so don't throw away all your school text books just yet!

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Experts are working on two language translators at the moment: one that can translate Chinese into English and another that can translate English into Spanish or German.

It works with technology that's set up to to recognise the language being spoken and at the same time translate it and convert it into computerised speech.

Expert Professor Tanja Schultz said: "The idea is that you can mouth words in English and they will come out in Chinese or another language."