Task 13: Redesigning and re-instrumentalising activities

I will propose two activities and small redesign of the ideas. One is rather entertaining and the other more practical but they both use Google translator as the platform of the activities.

Google translator for making music

Google translator is a tool to make translations from one language to another.

Some guys have found out that there is possible to make music with the google translator. You might want to try to translate from German to German. One example text could be like this: "tkk ck tkk bsk bssk bsk bsk bssk bsk bsk bsk bsk bssk bsk bsk bsk bssk bsk bsk bcccccccc". While you hit the play button it makes a music that is called "beatboxing". It's a kind of music where rhythms, drums and beats are being made by using human mouth, lips, tongue and voice.

Different languages could be tested for incompatibility if they are good enough to make beatbox music. Those languages could be put into one website specially custom for music lover. With adding new functions such as changing the speed of the translation or making repetitions of it there could be formed new level of beatboxing. If it has a special website produced this sort of musicians community could grow and there could be made singing battles.

Google translator for better learning language

For the second activity lets take again simple google translator. We all know that for some languages it is very useful and could give precise reply's but how to use the tool better for learning languages. At the moment you could view either the original page or translated page by clicking radio button. It's rather hard to know the meaning of some exact word when there is long texts.

Instead with a rollover of right click one could instantly see options for word translation and by clicking the option there could be made sound sample of pronunciation. Under settings one could make a selection if the sound of word translation could be played first or just the word translation could be show. The first option could be quite useful specially for the blind people where voice navigation make everyday surfing the web easier.

Reference:

http://createdigitalmusic.com/2010/11/google-translate-beatboxing/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beatboxing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLN63bRcY5I