BBC 6 minute English-Computer glasses

Transcript of the podcast

Finn: Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English, I’m Finn and with me is Neil

Neil: Hello

Finn: And, we have a technology theme today – Neil, you carry a smartphone, don’t you

Neil: Yes – my phone can take photos and search the internet, I can watch videos, send messages and even… hang on

Finn: Even make phone calls

Neil: Sorry about that

Finn: Very good. And – I can see that you are wearing a very fine pair of glasses

Neil: Why thank you. They do make me quite… handsome, don’t you think

Finn: Of course. But how would you like to combine the two things – put them together

Neil: Combine my smartphone and glasses

Finn: That’s what Google hope people will do. Their new product Google Glass is a kind of small computer you wear on your face

Neil: Yes, several companies are now developing wearable tech – that’s technology you can wear – just like my glasses. With Google Glass, when you wear them you can see the real world, as normal, but also a small kind of computer screen, hanging in space

Finn: Interesting, isn’t it? And it makes me think of an action movie. Neil, which action movie character had special eyes that were like computers – giving information about the world around him

Neil: That’s a difficult question. I’m not sure, science-fiction is not my favourite type of movie. I will say, though, Terminator

Finn: Ok, you’re not a science fiction fan. We’ll find out at the end of the programme if that was right. First, let’s take a closer look at these specs – or glasses – themselves. Neil: We don’t have a pair, but our BBC colleague Rory Cellan-Jones went to Google to try a pair out. Listen carefully – which three different things does he do with them

BBC technology correspondent, Rory Cellan-Jones

Ok Glass. Take a picture! There, I’ve got a picture of the cameraman. I’m going to go back. OK Glass. Let’s record a video. I’m now recording everybody that’s in this room. And I’m going to stop that. How do I say ‘thank you for the flowers’ in Japanese? Hana arigatou gozaimashita. Excellent, so I can now speak Japanese via these glasses

Finn: So, which different things did Rory Cellan-Jones do

Neil: Did you hear them? Number one – he took a picture

BBC technology correspondent, Rory Cellan-Jones

Take a picture

Finn: Number two – he recorded a video

BBC technology correspondent, Rory Cellan-Jones

Let’s record a video

Neil: And three

BBC technology correspondent, Rory Cellan-Jones

How do I say ‘thank you for the flowers’ in Japanese

Neil: He learned how to say a phrase in Japanese

Finn: Very good, yes. Neil, I know you speak Japanese, what was the phrase

Neil: Oh right. It was: hana arigatou gozaimashita

Finn: Wonderful pronunciation

Google Glass

Hana arigatou gozaimashita

Finn: Which means ‘thank you for the flowers’. But anyway let’s get back to English

Neil: With all the things these glasses can do, some people find them creepy – a bit strange and scary

Finn: Yes, because you can use them while walking along the street, for example, nobody will know what you’re doing, and some people are worried that they might be used to find out information about their private, or personal lives

Neil: Some are concerned about drivers using the glasses – saying it could be dangerous when driving

Finn: And casinos – places where people play games – like card games – to win money, are concerned they could be used to cheat. Anyway, what do you think about them Neil

Neil: I have to say I don’t like the idea

Finn: OK, why

Neil: Because I like to be separate from technology sometimes. I’m worried that my brain will stop working if I have a computer on my head

Finn: If there’s a computer in your head, you might become a cyborg, which is part man, part machine. Which takes me back to the question I asked you earlier, what was the name of the action movie where there was a character with a robot eye

Neil: I said Terminator

Finn: That was absolutely correct, very good. The Terminator with ‘Terminator vision’. So, what do you think of Google Glass and wearable tech in general? Let us know on the BBC Learning English Facebook page. Now, Neil, could you remind us of some of today’s language

Neil: smartphone to combine wearable tech specs creepy private casino cyborg

Finn: OK that’s it for this programme. Do join us again soon for more 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English

Both: Bye