Ron gets a no-prize that'll whinny at him and beg for apples for bringing us news of a rather novel attempt at translation software:

The Equine Vocalization Project is compiling a database of horse talk and behavior in an attempt to correlate nuances in their whinnies with differences in their stress levels.

The information could help shed light on the communication styles of other equines, such as donkeys and zebras, and even improve how veterinarians, behaviorists, breeders or other animal handlers relate to horses.

According to The Economist, the whole field of translation software is very hot right now. Scientists seem very optimistic that within a decade devices that won't even need to be programmed will be able to accurately translate human languages just by listening to them. Pointing it at animals is merely the next step.