For the language challenged, as am I.

[Edessa]

"Google showed off a set of eyeglasses that translate and transcribe in real time during their 2022 developer’s conference. The augmented reality display works with Google Translate. The Google AR glasses and their translation capabilities could revolutionize how people communicate when they don’t share a common language. The company didn’t announce a price point or how soon the technology goes on sale in the video below. But it’s a promising step in connecting the world."

https://nerdist.com/article/google-ar-glasses-live-translation-real-time-transcription/#:~:text=Google showed off a set,display works with Google Translate.

So don't throw away or delete those old European language catalogs and files that have been cluttering up your collecting world. Using Google Translate for single page pictures on my phone works great, but this promises to make the process much more natural. Perhaps a plug-in that can recognize circular inscriptions and abbreviations in Greek and Latin? Then you can just look at your coins and read the inscription in your native language!

[Pellinore]

Maybe I don't quite understand your message (being a Dutchman), but I'm using Google Translate now photographing the text and instantly translating, for instance for Greek or Russian language books about coins. It's very useful and simple. Often the translations are ludicrous, but you get the idea and it really helps.

[John Conduitt]

I’m still waiting for something that can read even a word of Arabic on a medieval coin…

[Furryfrog02]

Google translate isn't terrible but it will never compare to a properly trained linguist. There are many linguistic nuances that machine translation just can't do.  As someone who spent a large portion of their previous career as a linguist, I know all too well the limitations of machine translation. 
That being said, I love the idea of a google glass type thing that can provide text translation in some sort of HUD. The more opportunities people around the world have to communicate with each other, the more we will see just how similar we all are and that is never a bad thing.

[Edessa]

1 hour ago, Pellinore said:

Maybe I don't quite understand your message (being a Dutchman), but I'm using Google Translate now photographing the text and instantly translating, for instance for Greek or Russian language books about coins. It's very useful and simple. Often the translations are ludicrous, but you get the idea and it really helps.

I do use it all the time, but photographing each page is still much more time consuming than simply turning a page and "seeing" the text in your native language. Or perhaps go for a drive in France and be able to understand all the street signs!

[JeandAcre]

It was a numismatist (now long retired, alas) who turned me on to an easy technique for damage limitation with Google Translate.  Especially if you're trying to compose, you can take the initial Google translation to the other language and retranslate it.  At that stage, as long as you have a two-language dictionary, you can look up the most problemmatic parts of the translation and tweak them, effectively word by word.

Personally, I can only do this with French, which I can grope around with a little, thanks to all of the Latinate cognates.  For me, it doesn't work with anything Germanic, or (yipes) further east.  So yeah, probably not much help.  ...Anyway, I feel your pain!

Edited April 27 by JeandAcre

[kirispupis]

The technology has been around for some time. One of my friends created this.

From here, it's not overly difficult to add translation.

[John Conduitt]

28 minutes ago, Edessa said:

I do use it all the time, but photographing each page is still much more time consuming than simply turning a page and "seeing" the text in your native language. Or perhaps go for a drive in France and be able to understand all the street signs!

You don't actually have to photograph the text. It works 'live' through the phone camera. But knowing how that appears I can imagine the glasses are hard work.

[JeandAcre]

...Yike.  For this long, I've been holding out on getting any kind of cell phone ...until  it becomes an act of treason not to have one.  This is starting to push me further toward taking the prospect seriously.  At least.

[Simon]

I use google translate all the time now. I was working with a piece of art from the 16th century and it had unusual text on the bottom of the image. We used our phones with live google translate and it translated the Latin text, It was a warning to others not to copy the artwork. That blew me away. 

Now I use it regularly on biographies not written in English and the occasional coin book. 

[Pellinore]

On 4/28/2023 at 2:15 AM, John Conduitt said:

You don't actually have to photograph the text. It works 'live' through the phone camera. But knowing how that appears I can imagine the glasses are hard work.

I know, but reading a text that's longer than a few lines is very uncomfortable if you have to keep peering through your iphone camera. For a catalogue entry, a title page or a few lines it's o.k. 

I tried to translate an Ottoman coin, but it didn't really work.