This article in New Scientist describes an exciting new device that scientists are desiging to help translate languages. They say it best, so rather than paraphrase:

“Imagine mouthing a phrase in English, only for the words to come out in Spanish. That is the promise of a device that will make anyone appear bilingual, by translating unvoiced words into synthetic speech in another language. The device uses electrodes attached to the face and neck to detect and interpret the unique patterns of electrical signals sent to facial muscles and the tongue as the person mouths words. The effect is like the real-life equivalent of watching a television show that has been dubbed into a foreign language”

Now that would be amazing. I know NASA has been researching some crazy cool technology that measures movements in the muscles surrounding the vocal chords and determines the words you are mouthing, allowing you to talk without actually making any sounds. You just form the words as you sometimes do when you read silently to yourself, and the machine takes it from there. Super useful for talking underwater or during one of your weekly covert operations in Latin America that you aren’t allowed to tell anyone about. Now imagine if the same system could also translate.