Copier translates languages on the fly

(Credit: Fuji Xerox)

OK, so maybe wood engraving isn't exactly the kind of advancement in desktop printers that we've all been waiting for. This one is esoteric as well, but there are probably a few more people who will find it a bit more useful: It translates while making copies.

Fuji Xerox has developed a prototype that can scan Japanese text and print it out in translated English, Chinese or Korean without changing the layout of the original page. "Fuji Xerox's secret lies in networking the unnamed copier to a dedicated translation server and combining this with algorithms that can distinguish between text, drawings and lines for maintaining page layouts," according to Digital Tokyo World.

The translation works in the opposite direction too. But we pray that they won't use the same translators as those who work for Iron Chef.