Overcoming The Language Barrier With A Software That Can Translate Words

By Author: Joshua Cadens
Total Articles: 1
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The Internet has helped make the world a smaller place. The geographical distance between people may not have changed, but we are able to communicate with people from countries with which most of us would never have dreamed of having easy contact. Today, we visit web sites from countries all over the world, send emails to people around the globe, and gain exposure to new ideas 24 hours a day thanks to our technological connections.

No matter how connected the Internet makes us, however, it can't erase completely the one barrier that still separates us: language. Even though some search engines can translate words for us, differences in language can still be a major obstacle to clear communication.

Learning the Language

Although knowing more than one language is definitely a positive skill to have for many reasons, learning all of the languages of all the people you might want to work with on the Internet would be quite challenging. Even if you do know the language, you may not know all of the words and may still occasionally be stumped. What do you do then?

Traditionally, Internet users have relied ...
... on sites like BabelFish or built-in translators in their browsers to help them decipher foreign languages with which they are not familiar. While that is one answer, there are limitations. For one, the accuracy of these services is sometimes very poor. Plus, you either have to cut and paste the copy into the translation site (and, of course, open more windows) or translate an entire web page. These options are very limiting and time-consuming. If you're reading content and want to translate words, you want the translation immediately.

A Solution to the Problem

TranslateIt! is a program for your computer that eliminates these problems and helps reduce that language barrier. Once installed, the program allows you to use an innovative technology known as mouse over translation. If you're reading a message and need to translate words, you simply move your mouse over the word and the translation appears right there on the screen almost instantly. You don't have to open any additional Windows nor do you have to do any cutting and pasting. If you need to translate verbs or expressions, the software also supports a highlight and translate function that works in much the same way and only requires that you highlight the unknown portion of the text to get the translation.

While TranslateIt! is a great software, it doesn't work with all of the languages in the world. The software does translate English, German, Spanish, and Russian. Plus, the program works with a large number of other programs, including Internet browsers Explorer, FireFox, and Opera. You can also use the software to translate words in Outlook Express, ICQ, and Microsoft Word.

Additionally, TranslateIt! can work on words other translation options cannot. The advanced technology of the program allows it to break down the words and find the meaning that way so you won't end up getting no response the next time you need to translate words from English, German, Spanish, or Russian.