Anchor: Traveling to a foreign country can be overwhelming when you can't speak or understand the local language. But such struggles may soon become a thing of the past as new devices are being rolled out that can translate foreign languages in real time. The gadgets also feature an earpiece, which will allow conversations to flow better between two people who speak different languages.
Our Kim Bum-soo has more.

Report: In instances such as when a foreign tourist tries to ask you a question,

[Sound bite: tourist asking for directions (English)]
 "Hi~ I need directions to... " 

or when you are traveling overseas, how useful would real-time language interpretation be?

This wearable translation device is created by a Japanese startup. Without the need for an Internet connection, it can translate Japanese, Chinese and English.

[Sound bite: use of wearable translator by Logbar]
"Excuse me, do you have a second?"
["Oh, no speak English."]
"I have something amazing. [beep] I can speak Japanese." 
[translator device: "私は日本の話すことができます."]

This smart earpiece is another advancement. 

[Sound bite: use of smart earpiece by Waverly Labs]
"Can you hear me in French?"
[translator device: "Pouvez-vous me entendre en français?"]

Smartphone apps with this capability have also been developed in Korea to better communicate with foreigners.

[Sound bite: use of smartphone translation app by Hancom Interfree]
"한국에 대해서 어떻게 생각하십니까?"
[translator device: "What do you think about Korea?"]
"I really like Korea. It's amazing."

A Chinese tourist says she is satisfied with the app.

[Sound bite: Chinese tourist to S. Korea (Chinese)]
"Its voice recognition works well. Although it's not grammatically 100 percent correct, it translates well enough for me to understand it."

The app has been designated as an official automatic language translator for the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games in South Korea.

The head of the program's developer Hancom Interfree claimed that it works better than Google Translate in converting English, Japanese and Chinese into Korean.

[Sound bite: President CEO Shin So-woo - Hancom Interfree (Korean)] 
"As we developed it using grammar and statistics-based translation techniques, it provides very high-level translations."
 
Programming experts said that more natural-sounding translations will be available by 2030.
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News.