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BabelGopher

Real-time, low-latency interpretation, right in your browser. It uses Chrome's built-in AI for local STT, translation, & TTS. This ensures zero network lag & total privacy for seamless conversations.

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BabelGopher 🌐🗣️

Inspiration: Breaking the Wall of Silence

Our journey began with a profound observation: in our daily lives and business, we are constantly surrounded by a 'Wall of Silence'. Language barriers don't just prevent communication—they silence critical moments, misunderstand nuanced information, and rob us of the simple joy of shared understanding.

Deeply inspired by Douglas Adams' "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" and its legendary Babel fish—a creature that enables instant universal translation—we set out to transform this science fiction dream into reality. But with one critical prerequisite: Privacy.

We didn't want just another translation tool. We wanted a solution that not only breaks down language barriers but does so with an unwavering commitment to protecting personal and sensitive conversation content.

What it does

BabelGopher is a multimodal web application that provides real-time, simultaneous interpretation for multi-user voice calls. But we're more than just a translation service—we're a privacy-first communication platform.

Imagine seamless, real-time communication across languages, where you're free from the worry that your sensitive conversations are being analyzed by cloud AI services. This is the true privacy-first connection we propose.

Our Core Privacy Advantage: 100% On-Device AI Processing

Unlike traditional translation services that send your speech to remote servers, BabelGopher processes everything locally. The magic happens entirely inside your device.

  • Audio streams are relayed for speed
  • Translation and transcription happen directly on your local machine
  • The content of personal conversations and company secrets never leave your device

How We Built It

Our architecture is 100% client-centric, with all AI processing performed inside the browser. Our key engineering accomplishment is the "real-time audio pipeline" built from scratch.

We leveraged Chrome's built-in AI technologies:

  • Web Speech API for on-device speech recognition
  • Language Detector API for real-time language identification
  • Chrome Translator API for 100% local translation

Our Philosophy: Connect, Understand, Trust

Connect (Connection)

  • Break down language barriers
  • Connect people across geographical, cultural, and linguistic boundaries
  • Create a platform that respects diversity and amplifies every voice

Understand (Understanding)

  • Go beyond surface-level translations
  • Convey context, emotions, and intentions
  • Enable deeper, more empathetic cross-cultural communication

Trust (Reliability)

  • Prioritize user privacy and data protection
  • Provide transparent, secure technological solutions
  • Build trust through technological integrity

Roadmap: From Translation to Interpretation

Phase 1 (Current)

  • Completing the foundation for low-latency, private translation using Chrome's built-in AI
  • 100% client-side AI interpretation
  • Real-time text subtitling

Phase 2 (Upcoming)

  • Move beyond simple translation to 'interpretation' that understands context
  • Scale to support over 1,000 users in large conferences
  • Adopt WebRTC architectures like the SFU bot pattern
  • Presenting full technical architecture at GopherCon Korea

Ultimate Vision

Our vision is ambitious yet simple: A world where a thousand voices in a single conference can be understood by all—not just by reading, but by hearing, as if each conversation were in their own native language.

BabelGopher isn't just a technology. It's a bridge between people, a tool that transforms how we communicate across linguistic boundaries.

Breaking Barriers in Key Domains

Our powerful privacy-first approach can immediately break down barriers in various fields:

  • Healthcare: Enabling sensitive medical consultations
  • Education: Providing an inclusive learning environment
  • Business: Supporting secure communication for confidential meetings

Technical Architecture

Core Components

  • Frontend: React, Next.js
  • Real-time Communication: WebRTC, LiveKit
  • AI Processing: Chrome Prompt API, Web Speech API
  • Backend: Go (Golang)
  • Deployment: Google Cloud Run

Unique Processing Pipeline

  1. Stream Management via LiveKit
  2. Real-time Audio Buffering
  3. Client-side STT, Translation, and TTS

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