By 2005, certain
analysts expect non-English speakers to make up to 70% of all
netizens. This fragmentation of an hitherto unprecedentedly
homogeneous market - presents both opportunities and costs. It
is much more expensive to market in ten languages than it is
in one. Everything - from e-mail to supply chains has to be
re-tooled or customized.
It is easy to translate text in cyberspace. Various automated,
web-based, and free applications (such as Babylon or Travlang)
cater to the needs of the casual user who doesn't mind the
quality of the end-result. Virtually every search engine,
portal and directory offers access to these or similar
services.
But straightforward translation is only one kind of solution
to the tower of Babel that the Internet is bound to become.
Enter WorldWalla. A while back I used their multi-lingual e-
mail application. It converted text I typed on a virtual
keyboard to images (of characters). My addressees received the
message in any language I selected. It was more than cool. It
was liberating. Along the same vein, WorldWalla's software
allows application and content developers to work in 66
languages.
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