$249 earphones translate foreign languages in real-time

If trying to order dinner or find your hotel abroad fills you with fear due to your abysmal grasp of foreign languages, don't panic. A new in-ear gadget claims to be able to translate speech like the Babel Fish in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, or the Universal Translator gadget in Star Trek. The system, dubbed the Pilot, will cost $249 and go on sale later this year. It uses two earpieces, one worn by each person in the conversation. The Pilot system comprises two earpieces (shown in three colours above) to be worn by two people who don't speak the same language The Pilot works as a normal set of wireless earphones.