Chương 67: Bonus Story : The Kingdom's Phone : Part 6 : Translators

Several days had passed since their conversation about the battery. Aldric had gotten into the habit of charging his phone every evening before going to bed. Just as he had once maintained his armor or checked the condition of his sword before a mission, this new ritual had become part of his daily routine. Every morning, he left his apartment with a fully charged phone, pleased to know that his strange traveling companion would have all the energy it needed for the day.

"I'd like to show you another feature."

"I'm beginning to believe this artifact is incapable of exhausting its surprises."

"Just wait until you see this one." They stopped beside a bench. Emma took out her phone and opened an app Aldric had never seen before. Two boxes filled the screen. Above the first was written French, while the second was labeled Spanish. Between them was a small icon for swapping the two languages.

"What is the purpose of this artifact?"

"It translates languages."

"Like the interpreters of the royal courts." In his world, interpreters held an essential role. When a king received ambassadors from distant lands, several men sometimes spent years studying their language to ensure that negotiations took place without misunderstanding. The most talented traveled from kingdom to kingdom, and their knowledge was considered extraordinarily valuable.

"Our finest interpreters were held in the highest regard. They often devoted much of their lives to mastering a single foreign language."

"Even today, learning several languages requires a great deal of work. But this app can help. Do you remember when I told you that my family came from Spain? Then let me speak to you in Spanish."

"Hola. Me llamo Emma. ¿Cómo estás? Espero que estés teniendo un buen día." The sounds were completely unfamiliar to him. Now and then he recognized an intonation or a syllable that vaguely reminded him of languages he had heard in his own world, but he could not grasp a single word.

"I didn't understand a single word."

"That was to be expected." Emma brought the phone close to her mouth and tapped the microphone icon. She repeated the same sentence in Spanish. The moment she finished speaking, words began appearing on the screen: Hello. My name is Emma. How are you? I hope you're having a wonderful day.

"Is that... what you just said?"

"Yes."

"The meaning is the same?"

"The translation isn't always perfect, but it's usually very close to what was actually said."

"So the artifact has understood a foreign language."

"It recognized it first, then translated it. And what I've just shown you is only one of its abilities."

"It can do more?"

"Much more." Emma cleared the previous translation before typing a sentence in French: Le château est magnifique. She then tapped a button beneath the text. The sentence disappeared and was replaced by its English translation: The castle is magnificent.

"This time, you didn't say anything. You simply wrote it."

"Exactly."

"So the artifact can translate written text as well. Without hearing a single voice. That would be invaluable to merchants receiving letters from foreign kingdoms or scholars studying ancient manuscripts."

"That's one of the main reasons so many people use it." She returned to the main screen before selecting the option with the two microphones.

"This one is even more impressive. It can translate an entire conversation. Say something in French."

"Thank you for your patience." The moment he finished speaking, the sentence appeared in Spanish. Emma read it aloud before replying in her native language.

"You're welcome. It's my pleasure."

"So we've just spoken in two different languages... and yet we understood each other without any difficulty. In my kingdom, such a conversation would have required the presence of an interpreter."

"Wait, we're still not finished." She held the phone up in front of a poster attached to the window of a nearby shop. Then she opened the camera through Google Translate. On the screen, the words began to be replaced by their Spanish equivalents.

"So a traveler can read a sign without knowing the language it's written in. A menu. A letter. Even a map."

"Anything the camera sees can be translated."

"That would prevent many mistakes. And a great number of embarrassing situations while traveling."

"I have no doubt of that."

"How does this artifact know all these languages?"

"Engineers built it using an enormous collection of texts and translations. There are also databases containing words, phrases, and their equivalents in many different languages."

"Who taught it those words?"

"No one directly. Well... not in the way you teach a student. Specialists provided it with examples. Then an artificial intelligence learned to recognize the relationships between languages and produce the most likely translation."

"An... artificial intelligence."

"Imagine an enormous library filled with books written in every language in the world. Artificial intelligence can study that gigantic collection much faster than a human being. It compares texts, identifies similarities, and learns how to translate sentences."

"So the databases contain the knowledge. The artificial intelligence learns how to use that knowledge to produce a translation that makes sense."

"So this artifact knows every language in the world..." This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Several days after their discovery of automatic translators, Emma met Aldric in a park. The knight now seemed perfectly at ease with his phone. He used it to find directions, look up information, or translate an unfamiliar word with a confidence that would have seemed unimaginable when they had first met. Emma smiled as she noticed how much progress he had made. Even so, there was still one invention she believed would leave a lasting impression on him.

"Today, I'd like to show you something that billions of people use."

"Another library?"

"Yes... but one very different from any you've ever known." She took out her phone and opened YouTube. Instantly, the screen filled with countless colorful thumbnails arranged one beneath another. Each was accompanied by a title, the creator's name, and its duration. Some showed a cook holding a saucepan. Others displayed a mountain landscape, a musician on stage, a scientist standing before a blackboard, a medieval castle, or even a man wearing a spacesuit.

"How many are there?"

"Millions." Emma continued scrolling. The list seemed endless. Every swipe revealed new subjects, new faces, and new thumbnails. To Aldric, it was like gazing upon a library whose shelves stretched into infinity.

"So this collection has no limits. And each of these images represents a different kind of knowledge."

"Often, yes." At last, Emma slowed her scrolling and pointed to a few videos.

"Look. This one explains how to prepare a meal." She moved to another thumbnail.

"This one tells the story of a journey through Japan." Another swipe.

"Here, a historian is talking about Ancient Egypt." Then another.

"Over here, a scientist explains how volcanoes work." And finally, one last example.

"And here, a musician teaches people how to play the piano." The more Emma scrolled through the recommendations, the more subjects Aldric discovered. Animals, astronomy, painting, woodworking, medicine, foreign languages, photography, mathematics, plants, and architecture all seemed to have their place within this collection.

"So there are videos for almost every subject. How does one choose which to watch?"

"That's actually one of the biggest challenges of this app." Emma typed into the search bar: Medieval swords Dozens of videos appeared. Some presented reproductions of historical weapons. Others explained how they were forged, how they were used, or how they evolved over the centuries. Several thumbnails showed men in armor performing combat demonstrations.

"So people still study weapons in your era?"

"Some people even devote a large part of their lives to them." Emma played the first video. A historian presented several medieval swords laid out on a table. He explained their weight, their balance, and some of the most common misconceptions about them. When he stated that a real sword usually weighed far less than most people imagined, Aldric nodded.

"That is correct. Many people believe a warrior could barely lift his weapon after a few minutes. That is false. A sword that heavy would be useless on a battlefield." The video continued. The historian then demonstrated how to hold a longsword.

"His hand placement is correct." A few moments later, another segment demonstrated a combat technique. This time, the knight frowned.

"His balance is poor. His rear foot is too far back. In that position, he would lose power and risk falling if he were pushed. That technique might work during a demonstration. Far less so against an opponent who is trying to survive." Emma smiled.

"It's amusing. I'm watching a knight analyze a video made by a historian who specializes in knights."

"That is a rather unusual situation." Emma then started another video about everyday life in medieval castles. A historian explained how the kitchens were organized, the role of the servants, how food was stored, and how the fortifications functioned. Several times, Aldric nodded in agreement. The video eventually turned to the banquets held in castle halls.

"The tables were rarely arranged quite so perfectly. Before a great feast, perhaps. An hour later, much less so. Chroniclers often liked to portray banquets as more elegant than they truly were." Emma laughed.

"So, in the end, historians sometimes romanticize history a little."

"Chroniclers already did that in my world." Emma played one final video. This time, an enthusiast presented several manuscripts devoted to medieval swordsmanship. He explained the different guards, demonstrated certain techniques, and quoted the texts that described them.

"This man has worked tremendously hard. He has studied the manuscripts. Compared the different schools. His work deserves respect. In my kingdom, a master could teach only a handful of students at a time. He had to gather them in the same hall, repeat the same demonstrations, and devote years to their training. Sometimes his knowledge disappeared with him if no one continued his work. Here, a master can pass on all of his knowledge without ever leaving his home. Thousands... hundreds of thousands...

sometimes even millions of people can learn from him. Your world allows masters to pass on their knowledge to millions of students without ever leaving their homes."

"There is another category of apps as well."

"Do they also help people learn?"

"Not exactly. This time, they're mainly used to share your life with other people."

"Share your life?"

"You'll see." She opened Instagram. The screen displayed a succession of photographs. Some showed a sunset, others a carefully prepared meal, a couple traveling together, an athlete crossing a finish line, an artist standing before a canvas, or even a cat asleep on a couch.

"Here, people share whatever they want others to see. Some share their meals. Others their travels. Others still share their families."

"Why?"

"The reasons vary greatly. Some want to preserve memories. Others enjoy sharing their passions. Some want to tell the story of their day. Others have a profession and use these apps to showcase their work." Emma then opened the profile of a photographer. The screen displayed dozens of landscapes: snow-covered mountains, beaches, forests, and deserts. Every image was accompanied by a caption explaining where it had been taken.

"He's a photographer." Next, she opened the account of a pastry chef. The photographs showed cakes, freshly baked pastries, and brilliantly colored desserts.

"I understand why some people follow this man. His food looks delicious." Emma closed Instagram before opening another app.

"This one is called Facebook." She showed him a post announcing a festival in a nearby village.

"Some people use it to keep their friends and family informed. Others share what happened to them during the day." She scrolled through several examples. One family announced the birth of a child. A craftsman introduced his new workshop. A charity invited local residents to take part in a food drive. A traveler shared several photographs from a recent vacation.

"So anyone can write whatever they wish?"

"As long as it follows certain rules."

"In my kingdom, news spread mainly through travelers or messengers. Here, it is enough to write a few lines... and everyone who follows that person can read them." Finally, Emma opened TikTok. This time, the screen displayed a short video. A young woman was demonstrating a recipe. With a swipe of her finger, Emma moved to the next one. A musician played a few measures on the violin. Then came a comedian telling an amusing story. After that, a gardener explained how to care for a plant.

"They're very short."

"Many people would rather watch several short videos than one long one." Emma continued scrolling. Every swipe revealed a new face, a new subject, and a new story.

"If I understand correctly, every inhabitant of your world can become the chronicler of their own life. This is a kingdom where everyone writes a small part of their own story."

"There's one more category of people I'd like to show you. They're called influencers." Emma opened the first profile. The moment the page appeared, Aldric noticed a number: 18. 7 million followers.

"Eighteen million... Even the greatest kingdoms I have ever known did not always have so many inhabitants. Is this man a king?"

"No."

"A general?"

"No."

"A great scholar?" Emma shook her head.

"No."

"And yet millions of people wish to watch what he does."

"Some enjoy his sense of humor. Others like his personality. And others have followed him for years and are curious to see his newest videos." Emma then switched to another profile. This time, it belonged to a young woman traveling around the world. Her videos showed her in Japan, the Sahara Desert, on mountain summits, and in small remote villages. Beneath each video were comments written in dozens of different languages.

"Fifty-six million views."

"Does that mean fifty-six million people have watched this video?"

"Exactly."

"That is a crowd beyond anything I can imagine. Do all of those people know these creators?"

"Not personally."

"So they've never even met them. And yet they keep coming back to watch their new videos." Emma then opened the comments beneath one of the posts. Some people thanked the creator. Others asked questions. A few shared their own experiences or joked with other readers.

"So they can speak to the creator directly."

"Yes."

"And sometimes the creator even replies."

"That's right."

"It reminds me of the bards."

"When a knight accomplished a remarkable feat, bards traveled from kingdom to kingdom telling his story. Thanks to them, a man could become famous in provinces he would never set foot in. They sang of battles, victories, and great deeds. The people came to know these heroes through their tales. Though, to be fair, some bards did embellish the truth."

"That still happens today."

"So it would seem. And yet... there is one essential difference. The bards told the stories of heroes. Here, the heroes tell their own stories. They choose which events to share. Which journeys they wish to show. Which successes they are proud of. Which hardships they are willing to reveal. They no longer need a chronicler to write their story for them. They become the chroniclers of their own lives."