There’s nothing like a good old fashioned viral video (and by “old” we mean “this fairly new concept that has become a central part of our internet-adoring modern culture”). These videos cover everything from people accidentally hurting themselves to astonishing new music videos to auto-tuned mixes of news reports to annoying fruit to people hurting themselves. One of the more interesting video trends of late, however, has been to use Google Translate.
Translate is being used as the voice actor and singer for a number of video projects in Taiwan, as well as elsewhere in East Asia. The videos are sometimes very simple (a few statements or a small scene, all being played out by the voice of Google Translate) to immensely complex projects such as the “Google Translate Song.” This song uses Google Translate for the key musical portions of the song and is accompanied on the piano by Wiwi Kuan. Check out this video here; it’s well worth getting stuck in your head. This song has already reached over 500,000 views, and it’s only been on the web for a couple weeks.
This isn’t the first time that Google Translate has been featured in a popular video. Other noteworthy projects include the “Extra Spicy” Demo Slam, the “Beatbox” Demo Slam, and the “Google Translate for Animals App” released on April Fools’ 2010 by Google. You can also see a huge number of other videos from East Asia that, while less popular, also feature the smooth sounds of Google Translate.
Can’t get your fill of Taiwanese viral videos? Check out the Bobee Dance and the numerous imitators that have been popular in Taiwan since January of this year.
