Thanks to researchers at the University of East Anglia in England, you may not be able to get away with cursing at those security cameras in the break room anymore.

Recent breakthroughs in the technology of lip reading have led to the development of software that can translate facial and lip movements directly into text. For those of us who used to take out our silent frustrations on the security cameras in hallways or elevators, this may come as a bit of bad news.

But researchers and engineers say the new technology has a world of applications, including use by those who have problems writing, or are physically incapable of typing or holding a pen. Not only can the software determine what you’re saying based on the movements of your mouth, but it has also been designed to take different languages into account.

Creators say the programs can decipher up to nine languages currently, including English, Polish, Arabic, German, Russian, Mandarin, Cantonese, Italian, and French, with more languages on the way.

What may seem like bad news for those in the translation business could be a huge breakthrough for the rest of us. Conceivably, this could mean that the software could be paired with translation software to allow real time communication between two parties that speak different languages.

The program uses a map of an individual’s face to recognize signature movements that are made when certain words are pronounced. This could mean a future breakthrough in the way we learn languages, by way of demonstrations on computers to pronounce certain words. Imagine sitting down in front of a computer screen that has an image of your face, pronouncing difficult to speak words. You could then mimic the movements in an effort to improve your accent and fluidity.

Though researchers say there are still numerous bugs to fix before a perfected version is available, they are also quick to point out the many potential uses, including security applications and use by the military.

As the new software is still in preliminary stages of development, no release date for any public version is expected any time soon.

This post was contributed by Claire Webber, who writes about the best online schools. She welcomes your feedback at Claire.Webber1223 at gmail.com

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 6th, 2009 at 8:16 am and is filed under Language News, Languages and Medias, Languages and Society, Learning Methods. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.