Microsoft Translator Hub, where automatic translation helps endangered languages

Beyond finely-tuned marketing slogans (“Where language meets the world”, “Bridging languages, cultures and technology”) and laudable intentions (“Microsoft Translator Hub is helping smaller languages thrive by putting the power to build machine translation systems in the hands of local communities”), What could be Microsoft's and its new Translator Hub's goals?

Kurrently, social search engine

If the big search engines try to put their hand in the social search cookie jar, it is still quite difficult to keep an eye on what is said and what is done on social networks.

How to translate idioms

Translating idioms is an exercise that cannot be improvised. A word-by-word translation is in the best case unsavory, and most of the time a complete nonsense.

For example, how can you translate the idiom to have a frog in one's throat?

Meet Volunia, a new search engine

Launched yesterday (on February 7) in its test phase, Volunia, the new search engine which is a true hybrid of social network and search engine, brings some fresh air and innovative concepts in the world of on-line search.

Seet & Meek, or a Power User experience feedback in a connected mode.

Star Wars languages

© Dark Lens, by Cédric Delsaux

The Star Wars linguistic universe counts many languages, either original or pidgins, most of them developed by Ben Burtt, sound designer for the Star Wars movies, from real languages recordings (English, Quechua, Tibetan, Zulu). Thus we find Bocce, Ewokese, Gunganese, Huttese, Jawaese, Neimoidian, and Shyriiwook. Mandalorian, or Mando’a, is an exception as it has a real grammar developed by the author Karen Traviss, as well as a writing system.