IBM has developed a system that translates Arabic into English to improve communication between the U.S Army and Iraqi civilians.

The two-way speech-to-speech translation system, named MASTOR (Multilingual Automatic Speech-to-Speech Translator) has been installed onto the 35 Panasonic Toughbook laptops that are used by the military.

MASTOR aims to bridge the language barrier between Iraqi citizens and security forces, as well as help to ease the tight supply of Arabic translators available to the U.S forces in Iraq.

The system works by the user speaking into a microphone that is interfaced with software, which recognises, translates and broadcasts the speech.

The foreign language speaker can then respond into the microphone in their own language, and MASTOR translates and vocalises their speech back into the former language spoken.

The software will be used in settings such as the hospital and daily interactions with Iraqi citizens.

IBM stated that the MASTOR differs from earlier computer translators, as it recognises individual words rather than phrases, which allows the technology to keep up with a free form conversation.

The software has a database of 50,000 English words and around 100,000 words in Iraqi Arabic.

By searching the library of words, the software can put sentences together in real time, aiming to convey the meaning of what is said, even if the speaker or speech recognizer makes minor errors.

MASTOR also features audio playback, and can create text versions of conversations that can be downloaded to a PDA or other devices.

The software will be tested out by the U.S Army and Marine units, as well as the Army medical personnel and Special Operations Command.

MASTOR is available in two-way English to Iraqi Arabic, English to Modern Standard Arabic and English to Mandarin Chinese with additional languages being planned.

Translation software is also being developed for different fields such as aerospace and defence, medical facilities, law enforcement, banking and travel services.