Could AI translate animal sounds into words? Tech experts hope so

AI能否将动物声音转化为人类语言？科技专家对此满怀期待

A Chinese tech company has revealed it is exploring whether it is possible to use AI to translate animal sounds into human language.

近日，一家中国科技公司透露，正在探索利用AI技术，把动物声音转化为人类语言的可能性。

Baidu, the owner of China's largest search engine, has filed a patent with the China National Intellectual Property Administration. The plans were revealed in a patent document published this week.

这家公司便是中国最大搜索引擎的拥有者——百度。百度已向中国国家知识产权局提交了一项专利申请。本周公布的一份专利文件，披露了相关计划的具体内容。

The patent is for a system that collects animal data like vocal sounds, behaviour and physiological signals. It would then be processed and merged, before an AI-powered analysis designed to recognise the animal's emotional state.

该专利所涉及的是一个系统，该系统能够收集动物的数据，包括叫声、行为以及生理信号等。收集到的数据会先经过处理和整合，随后借助AI进行分析，以识别动物的情绪状态。

Those emotional states could then be translated into human language and could improve "the accuracy and efficiency of cross-species communication", according to Baidu in the document.

百度在文件中提到，识别出的这些情绪状态，后续可转化为人类语言，进而“提升跨物种交流的准确性和效率”。

The translator is "still in the research stage", according to a Baidu spokesperson who said there had been a "lot of interest in the filing".

据百度一位发言人介绍，这款翻译器目前“仍处于研究阶段”。该发言人还表示，此次专利申请“引发了广泛关注”。

Although animal translation has long fascinated humans, technological advances have made it seem more possible recently.

尽管动物翻译这一课题长期以来一直吸引着人类，但最近的技术进步，让这一设想看起来更具实现的可能。

Videos on social media frequently go viral of dogs appearing to use buttons on hexagonal mats, known as Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) boards, to communicate with their owners.

在社交媒体上，经常能看到一些狗狗似乎在利用六边形垫子上的按钮与主人交流的视频。这些垫子被称为辅助和替代交流（AAC）板。

Whether these dogs are actually communicating is the subject of much discussion and scientists at UC San Diego are running a study on 2,000 dogs to try and settle the debate.

关于这些狗狗是否真的在交流，引发了大量的讨论。加州大学圣地亚哥分校的科学家正在对2000只狗狗展开研究，试图为这场争论画上句号。

Baidu's new technique of leveraging AI could offer a new option to understand pets, but some on Chinese social media remain unconvinced.

百度利用AI的新技术，或许为人类理解宠物提供了一种全新的途径。然而，在中国社交媒体上，仍有一些人对这一技术持怀疑态度。

"While it sounds impressive, we'll need to see how it performs in real-world applications," commented one user on Weibo.

一位微博用户评论道：“虽然这个想法听起来很了不起，但我们还得看看它在现实应用中的实际效果如何。”