Just as services like Google Maps have made it easier to get around, at home or abroad, some advances in translation tech are making it easier to travel in places where one may not know the language.

Right now this translation tech is still in its infancy and primarily eases logistical complexities. With Google Translate, you can point your camera at a street sign to verify it says “Downtown This Way” and not “There Be Dragons.” The same app can quickly translate a menu—if not always perfectly, then well enough to be sure that you’re ordering chicken.

The article goes on to consider how far this technology might improve, up to a future where we’re all wearing earpieces and hearing or being simultaneously interpreted for in our conversations. Sound familiar?

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What do you think? Will this eventually be a practical possibility?