AI Glasses with Real-Time Subtitles and Dante Debut at Holland FestivalLast week, the Het Nationale Theater, based in The Hague, introduced AI-powered smart glasses capable of converting dialogue spoken by actors into subtitles in 223 languages. Visitors to the Holland Festival -- the largest international performing arts festival in the Netherlands -- were the first to experience LiveText technology. Non-Dutch speakers and people with hearing loss used the glasses while watching The Seasons, a theatrical marathon based on books by Scottish author Ali Smith. The launch was met with great enthusiasm, with visitors expressing surprise and appreciation for the possibilities offered by real-time subtitling and translation. "I am very enthusiastic and positive about the glasses, especially about the speed and accuracy of the subtitles. As someone who is severely hard of hearing and a great lover of theatre, this is the first time I've felt like I've truly experienced a play in its entirety. I'm absolutely delighted with this discovery," says John Retel Helmrich, a visitor. Currently, surtitles are rarely used in theatres due to the labor-intensive process of preloading scripts and showing the text. LiveText delivers subtitles in 223 languages, including those with different reading directions, characters, or alphabets. Since an estimated one in five people worldwide experiences some degree of hearing loss, the product's relevance is obvious. Initially developed for theatre, the technology has broader potential applications, such as multilingual conferences or international live events. What makes this solution unique, the company says, is that the subtitles are generated directly from the actors' voices. The sound (spoken or sung) is transmitted via each actor's individual microphone to the audio mixing console and then to the software, which converts the spoken words into real-time text -- translated if necessary -- and sends it directly to the smart glasses worn by audience members. The text appears at the same visual distance as the actors onstage, creating what is billed as a calm and seamless viewing experience. Different colors are used to indicate which character is speaking. Het Nationale Theater created the concept, developing the technology in collaboration with XRAI, a specialist in this technology, using Dante. "Partnering with Het Nationale Theater to bring LiveText to life has been an extraordinary milestone for us", says Dan Scarfe, XRAI founder and CEO. "Seeing our AI and smart glasses used in such a creative and meaningful way shows the true power of inclusive technology. With the integration of Dante by Audinate, we've been able to ensure audio precision and reliability at a professional theatre level -- making seamless, multilingual live subtitling not just possible, but beautifully effortless. This project exemplifies how innovation, when paired with purpose, can break barriers and open doors for everyone." "We're proud to have launched our world-first innovation, LiveText, at the internationally renowned Holland Festival," adds Cees Debets, managing director of the Het Natiionale Theater. "It marks a major step toward making theatre truly accessible to all. The National Theatre actively shares the knowledge behind this innovation with theatres and producers both in the Netherlands and abroad. The broader its adoption across the industry, the more people can enjoy the performing arts without barriers." "Being able to offer this technology at the Holland Festival is a meaningful step toward a more inclusive performing arts experience, says Emily Ansenk, the festival's managing director. "As a festival, we are committed to being accessible to as many different people as possible, in as many different ways as possible." The project builds on its existing services and was developed with support from Cultuurloket DigitALL, which helps cultural institutions to strengthen contact through digital technology. Over the past five years, the technology has been tested and refined in close collaboration with its target audience, the company says. Het Nationale Theater will continue to improve the service in the coming period to meet user needs. LiveText will be offered at no additional fees at Het Nationale Theater's venues and on tour starting this fall. For more information on the Het Nationale Theater, visit www.hnt.nl. 
|
