Having grown up with parents who didn’t speak the same language as him, Joshua Gao longed for a way to communicate with his mother and father on a deeper level.
Now the 24-year-old tech entrepreneur has developed an app that he says will help other people in the same position fill the gap.
“I always had an instinctive connection with them,” Gao said of his parents.
“But whenever we’re talking about a heated argument or something important, it just feels awful, just short of words.”
So, at the end of March, Gao gathered his friends Duy Nguyen, Morgen Chen and Tristan Tsvetanov to start exploring app possibilities. The first version of the app was created over the weekend and we are still working on improving it.
“We wanted to test it and see what was possible with the technology that exists today.
Together they came up with Binko Chat, a free translation chat app that uses artificial intelligence to translate messages in dozens of languages, including Chinese.
Gao said that unlike many other translation apps, Binko Chat uses AI for contextual translation. This means you can accurately translate slang and idioms instead of relying on word-by-word translations.
“A lot of Gen Z jargon, words like ‘That’s Cap’ and ‘He’s Liz’ that you see on Tiktok, are translated in a natural tone,” Gao explained.
Since the app was released in early April, Gao said it has been downloaded more than 10,000 times.
How to connect across generations
He also says he’s received feedback from doctors who’ve used it to help communicate with their patients, and from people who date people who speak another language.
“We would love to continue hearing the incredible stories of people talking to their parents, finding love via apps, and more.
Ishtique Ahmed, an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Toronto, says he is currently studying intergenerational relationships within immigrant groups and how technology is changing that dynamic.
He says learning a language is the most ideal way to connect, but technologies like Gao are helping to address the tensions older generations feel of being cut off from their own children. I believe it will help soothe some.
“The disability is this language barrier, which prevents parents and grandparents from communicating with their children the way they want,” he explained.
Ahmed said technologies like Gao have many advantages, but users should also consider privacy concerns that come with some AI applications.
Always check our Privacy Policy: Professor
Binko Chat uses AI that builds on data collected from many sources, Ahmed said.
“This gets a little messy in a tricky way…check your privacy policy and make sure that data was collected in an ethical manner,” he said.
According to the Binko Chat download page, location and content data may be collected, but not tied to a user’s identity.
Ahmed said the number of translation apps using AI will continue to grow in the coming years.
“AI has a lot to offer humanity, and we should expect it,” he said.
Gao said he is excited to continue improving the app.
“I think the really exciting long-term impact on this is what the world would look like if there were no language barriers in collaboration. Sometimes, what does life look like?”
