CES proves fruitful for Chinese inventor

LAS VEGAS－The 2022 Consumer Electronics Show wrapped up on Friday amid soaring COVID-19 cases in the United States.

Ran Lingyan, a woman from Central China's Henan province, was one of the young entrepreneurs who took the tech show by storm.

Held from Jan 5-7, CES, one of the world's premier tech shows, drew more than 2,300 exhibiting companies from around the world, including over 800 startups.

In a tiny booth away from the bustling hub of the central hall, the young businesswoman, whose English name is Tess, welcomed a continuous stream of buyers and curious show attendees to her crowded booth, all looking to check out her product by Zhongshan Tess Gift Co.

For many Americans, the device was a reminder of the "universal translator" device used in the famous sci-fi TV show Star Trek.

Tess Gift is a sleek, ergonomically-designed, wireless smart mouse that can automatically transcribe whatever users say to it into text on their computers and can also instantly translate the words into 150 languages, says Ran.

The gadget combines voice activation, voice recognition, voice-to-text transcription, language-to-language translation, and many more practical features, Ran adds.

Ran says she has seen countless office workers and government employees struggling to do business and communicate in a global marketplace where different languages and dialects are spoken, with no easy or affordable way to bridge the gap. So she wanted to produce a device to help.

"Whether it is Steve Jobs or me, all entrepreneurs share the same dream: to build something new and special, to create opportunity and wealth and to leave something behind that might make a difference or even change the world. Right?" Ran says.

Born in a poor family, she says she dreamed of starting her own company and becoming wealthy and independent.

Once she identified the glaring need to facilitate business communication and productivity, she formed her idea and set about figuring out how to invent it.

She found out what she would need to build the product, drew up a comprehensive bill of materials, hired programmers, and obtained international software and artificial intelligence technology licenses, she recalls.

"I worked hard for years, saved my money and invested it in myself," says Ran, who had worked in the field of import and export for 14 years. "This mouse can help everyone. People are buried in too much paperwork, it takes too long and causes health problems, such as carpal tunnel syndrome from too much typing. Now your voice can complete the paperwork for you."

She learned by trial and error how to launch and grow a business and started sharing what she knew with others online.

"For me, business is not work. It's my life. It's what I love," she says, expressing her thanks to, and love for, her parents and her twins, a son and daughter.

"When I have to travel for business, they understand I am building a future for us," she says. "My mother can't decide if I am crazy or a star, but she is proud I did this on my own. In the end, you must depend on yourself and your own abilities, as well as having a commitment to succeed."

After testing her invention in 60 countries and regions and making several updates and improvements, she says the time was right to attend this year's CES in person.

"CES is a perfect match for my product. I had to be there. When you come in person, people can see your product with their own eyes and try it for themselves. Then naturally, when they see it's good, they want to buy," she says, smiling, revealing that several large, potential clients approached her at the show to discuss volume deals.

"I found a huge market here," Ran says after the three-day event. "I will come back next year."

Xinhua