line.”
“Hello.” The tablet beeped.
“Now repeat the phrase in your language.”
Starling said in English, **Hello.**
The tablet beeped again. A blinking cursor appeared below the word.
Vieve handed Starling a stylus. “Now write it. Please print legibly as the computer will try to simulate what you write.”
Starling wrote out the word and the tablet beeped. What she wrote disappeared and then returned as typed letters. Not typed like she would see on a computer but a computerized version of her own handwriting. She had to be careful to input the letters correctly or else she would teach the computer bad habits.
Vieve asked, “Is that correct?”
Starling nodded.
“You press this button.” Vieve pointed at a blue button at the bottom of the tablet. “And then move on to the next.”
“That’s easy enough.”
“And very boring.”
“Do I have to speak the word and write it at the same time or can I do the spoken part and go back to the written later or vice versa?”
“You can do one or the other or both at the same time. That is entirely up to you. Simply specify to the tablet.”
“ To the tablet?”
Vieve smiled. “Tablet, audio-translation mode only.”
In a voice similar to Vieve’s, the tablet said, “Audio-only mode ready.”
That impressed Starling. She decided to try it. “Tablet, resume audio and written translation.”
“Audio-transcript mode ready,” the tablet said in Starling’s voice.
It was a little eerie but interesting.
Vieve asked, “Any other questions?”
“Can I skip around or do I have to do it in order?”
Vieve directed Starling’s stylus to the side of the tablet and dragged it downward. The page scrolled. “While it’s better to do it in order, you can proceed however you want.”
As the words and phrases zoomed by, Starling stared in amazement at the amount. It made sense because she was inputting her entire language. But seeing it presented as a list made it daunting.
Vieve said, “You can either use the stylus for the scavenger method or specify a particular category, like numbers or colors. In either case, tap the line you wish to translate and proceed as I already showed you.”
“How do I save my progress?”
“That is done automatically. The program is also intuitive. It will try to apply your finished translations to future phrases. You correct its guesses. There will also be times when the program asks for explanations, such as with idioms or if a phrase you translate doesn’t agree with a previous usage.”
Starling nodded as she stared at her new task. At least she knew her job for the next however long. She was stuck with Bekion and needed to establish some sort of routine.
She planned to finish the translation project quickly. It sucked that she wouldn’t be allowed to go off on her little English tirades without fear of punishment once she did, but at least she could let her friends and family know she wasn’t dead. If Bekion kept his word.
She asked, “Do you really think he’ll let me send my letter once I’m done with this? Or is this some way of placating me until I forget, since this is such a long project?”
Vieve shrugged. “It may be a little of both. I cannot be sure. There is only one way to find out though.”
Starling nodded.
“I shall leave you to it.”
Starling watched the woman exit the room then regarded the tablet. Before she could decide if she wanted to start in the middle or at the beginning, someone plucked the tablet from her fingers. She turned to give the person a piece of her mind but stopped.
Furielle smiled as she held the tablet above her head. “Good morning, Lady Starling. Since you are finished eating—”
Starling snorted.
“It’s time for your bath.” Furielle stepped back and waved her hand in the direction of the bathroom. “Afterward, the seamstresses wish to measure you for your wardrobe.”
“Am I going to have some say in what I wear?” Especially since I have no
“Hello.” The tablet beeped.
“Now repeat the phrase in your language.”
Starling said in English, **Hello.**
The tablet beeped again. A blinking cursor appeared below the word.
Vieve handed Starling a stylus. “Now write it. Please print legibly as the computer will try to simulate what you write.”
Starling wrote out the word and the tablet beeped. What she wrote disappeared and then returned as typed letters. Not typed like she would see on a computer but a computerized version of her own handwriting. She had to be careful to input the letters correctly or else she would teach the computer bad habits.
Vieve asked, “Is that correct?”
Starling nodded.
“You press this button.” Vieve pointed at a blue button at the bottom of the tablet. “And then move on to the next.”
“That’s easy enough.”
“And very boring.”
“Do I have to speak the word and write it at the same time or can I do the spoken part and go back to the written later or vice versa?”
“You can do one or the other or both at the same time. That is entirely up to you. Simply specify to the tablet.”
“ To the tablet?”
Vieve smiled. “Tablet, audio-translation mode only.”
In a voice similar to Vieve’s, the tablet said, “Audio-only mode ready.”
That impressed Starling. She decided to try it. “Tablet, resume audio and written translation.”
“Audio-transcript mode ready,” the tablet said in Starling’s voice.
It was a little eerie but interesting.
Vieve asked, “Any other questions?”
“Can I skip around or do I have to do it in order?”
Vieve directed Starling’s stylus to the side of the tablet and dragged it downward. The page scrolled. “While it’s better to do it in order, you can proceed however you want.”
As the words and phrases zoomed by, Starling stared in amazement at the amount. It made sense because she was inputting her entire language. But seeing it presented as a list made it daunting.
Vieve said, “You can either use the stylus for the scavenger method or specify a particular category, like numbers or colors. In either case, tap the line you wish to translate and proceed as I already showed you.”
“How do I save my progress?”
“That is done automatically. The program is also intuitive. It will try to apply your finished translations to future phrases. You correct its guesses. There will also be times when the program asks for explanations, such as with idioms or if a phrase you translate doesn’t agree with a previous usage.”
Starling nodded as she stared at her new task. At least she knew her job for the next however long. She was stuck with Bekion and needed to establish some sort of routine.
She planned to finish the translation project quickly. It sucked that she wouldn’t be allowed to go off on her little English tirades without fear of punishment once she did, but at least she could let her friends and family know she wasn’t dead. If Bekion kept his word.
She asked, “Do you really think he’ll let me send my letter once I’m done with this? Or is this some way of placating me until I forget, since this is such a long project?”
Vieve shrugged. “It may be a little of both. I cannot be sure. There is only one way to find out though.”
Starling nodded.
“I shall leave you to it.”
Starling watched the woman exit the room then regarded the tablet. Before she could decide if she wanted to start in the middle or at the beginning, someone plucked the tablet from her fingers. She turned to give the person a piece of her mind but stopped.
Furielle smiled as she held the tablet above her head. “Good morning, Lady Starling. Since you are finished eating—”
Starling snorted.
“It’s time for your bath.” Furielle stepped back and waved her hand in the direction of the bathroom. “Afterward, the seamstresses wish to measure you for your wardrobe.”
“Am I going to have some say in what I wear?” Especially since I have no
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