Mobilizing English

It was an early morning at King's Cross, where I live. Well, used to live would probably be the right term. You see I don't live in a nice flat or in a big house. I live on the streets. Actually I was a normal hardworking guy just like you. But all that changed when I lost my job earlier this year. But like most people with no home I don't like sleeping on the ground. So I do like most of us and go to one of those shelters the Government made for us. So I packed my stuff and went to the nearest shelter. This was a shelter near my old home so I knew the way. I quickly brushed my hair; a good impression is everything. But it turned out that even a bum like myself was in better shape than the shelter. It seemed nice on the outside though. Most of the windows had been smashed but most of the buildings around here had smashed windows so what did it matter? At least I cou... (more)

Does Google Translate Suck?

Before I get into the main part of the blog post, I want to preface this whole thing by saying that I am well aware of the problems of doing language translation by a machine. It's an inherently difficult problem. My issue here isn't so much with Google Translate as it is with the public perception of Google. I've read a few reviews of Google Translate and seen some blog posts. The general consensus is that because Google built it, its awesome and flawless. People think that Google is building this massive, soon-to-become-self-aware giant brain in the cloud that is sucking intel... (more)

Say That Again... (In a Different Language)

The phenomenon of globalization has unearthed a major question. With a huge market of non-English speaking customers, how can we facilitate communication to such a large subset of individuals without paying an arm and a leg for translation? In this article, we'll introduce you to IBM WebSphere Translation Server (WTS) for Multiplatforms v5.0. As you will see, WTS can address the translation needs for an enterprise organization. This product can deliver content to end users in their native languages. The delivery is performed at a fraction of the cost of professional human transla... (more)

Gmail Now Translates

Google Translate now works in Gmail. In 41 languages; 98% of web users reportedly speak one of them. Google Translate is better than Babelfish, but machine translation still has a ways to go, as Google admits. "Message Translation" is under "settings" in the "Lab" section in standalone Gmail and Gmail in the standard edition of Google Apps. App Premier and Apps Education users need to see their administrators. Other e-mail doesn't have the feature. Google Translate product manager Jeff Chin attributes being able to scale the feature to all Gmail users to the "power of cloud comp... (more)

Translation in the Cloud: Google Translation Center Launches in Beta

A new beta test of a document translation service called Google Translation Center is being launched this week. Users will be able to upload a document and request translations into over 40 languages. They can choose between professional or volunteer translators. If the translator accepts, a user will receive the translated document back once it is ready, at a price agreed independently of Google. Sign in to Google Translation Center with your Account To attract translators, Google is running the following appeal: "Passionate about bringing content into your language? Browse throu... (more)