Star Trek Universal Translator....patented!
So, I work as an IP Specialist in a patent law firm. We do quite a bit of work with the US government, and my group had a part in one of the many patents that went in to the creation of this "Trekkish" piece of technology. Both of the patent attorneys in my group are as much a Trekkie as I am (though I did beat them both on trivia) and we've been lucky enough to work on a few patents that cover technology first seen on the starship Enterprise, most of which we can't talk about yet (one of which is absolutely FANTASTIC).
Most of the time my job is a stress-inducing pain in the ass. Sometimes, it's awesome.
From the article - click to read more:
Imagine being able to turn up in any city anywhere in the world and speak freely with the locals. It was fiction as Star Trek’s Universal Translator, in the hands of Lieutenant Uhura, chief communications officer on the USS Enterprise who kept Captain Kirk in touch with both Starfleet Command and the universe at large.