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PSP goes multilingual

Who says the PSP is just for games? Sony's portable console will soon be able to double as a language phrasebook thanks to TalkMan.

Randolph Ramsay
Randolph was previously a member of the CNET Australia team and now works for Gamespot.
Randolph Ramsay

Who says the PSP is just for games? Sony's portable console will soon be able to double as a language phrasebook thanks to TalkMan.

Talkman, which is due for release this May, is a multilingual interactive phrase book and language tutor that ships with a special microphone that allows users to directly talk into their PSP. The Talkman UMD will feature 3000 phrases in six languages -- French, English, German, Spanish, Italian and Japanese.

To use Talkman, users simply need to select a language and then choose the social situation they are in (such as hotel foyer, restaurant, nightclub and ski slope). Talkman will then present a selection of relevant phrases, or users can simply say the phrase they want translated directly into the microphone. Max, a blue bird which acts as Talkman's main avatar, will then translate the phrase into your selected language.

As well as the normal Talk Mode. Talkman also features two mini-games which aim to help users perfect their accent and understanding of different languages. The Pronunciation Game sees Max don his mortar board to challenge players to imitate the pronunciation of essential phrases, whilst the Listening Game challenges players to listen to the phrase and then identify the right translation.

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