The Bible recounts the story of a generation who tried to build a gigantic tower to “reach and usurp God’s throne.” The plot was foiled when the Creator made each man speak a different language than his fellow. Now, modern Israeli technology seeks to bridge the linguistic gaps that remain.
An Israeli language-translation software company called ‘Babylon’ is now offering the most accurate computer translation software on the market, according to a report in Israel21c.org. Babylon is a desktop translation tool offering users access to 25 professional dictionaries in 14 languages, each containing more than three million words and phrases.
The available languages include Hebrew, English, French, German, Italian, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, traditional and modern Chinese, Korean and Swedish.
Most services offering translations of text until now provide only the general idea of a given sentence or document. Without an exact translation, critical errors can occur, sometimes changing the entire meaning of a sentence or paragraph.
Babylon offers a host of information from some 2,000 glossaries that users can obtain with just a click of their mouse. These glossaries offer professional information ranging from computing and law to chemistry and music. When a user runs into a word he does not understand he can click on it and receive an instant explanation.
Consumers pay $29 for a year's online subscription or $49.50 for perpetual use. Once the software is loaded, users can click on any text in any desktop application and a small pop-up window appears with the relevant translation of a particular word or of an expression such as 'wild goose chase.' Babylon also tries to help people correctly pronounce foreign words. Clicking an icon called Say-It produces an audio recording of the word.
For every English term one needs translated, Babylon's software also displays a complete list of conjugations in possible tenses and forms, together with their description in the user's native language. The user can then directly paste the appropriate conjugation into the edited document.
The company currently has about 24 million users worldwide. Many signed up when Babylon gave away the software for free starting in 1997. In 2001, the company switched to a pay-per-use model and has since sold hundreds of thousands of licenses.
An Israeli language-translation software company called ‘Babylon’ is now offering the most accurate computer translation software on the market, according to a report in Israel21c.org. Babylon is a desktop translation tool offering users access to 25 professional dictionaries in 14 languages, each containing more than three million words and phrases.
The available languages include Hebrew, English, French, German, Italian, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, traditional and modern Chinese, Korean and Swedish.
Most services offering translations of text until now provide only the general idea of a given sentence or document. Without an exact translation, critical errors can occur, sometimes changing the entire meaning of a sentence or paragraph.
Babylon offers a host of information from some 2,000 glossaries that users can obtain with just a click of their mouse. These glossaries offer professional information ranging from computing and law to chemistry and music. When a user runs into a word he does not understand he can click on it and receive an instant explanation.
Consumers pay $29 for a year's online subscription or $49.50 for perpetual use. Once the software is loaded, users can click on any text in any desktop application and a small pop-up window appears with the relevant translation of a particular word or of an expression such as 'wild goose chase.' Babylon also tries to help people correctly pronounce foreign words. Clicking an icon called Say-It produces an audio recording of the word.
For every English term one needs translated, Babylon's software also displays a complete list of conjugations in possible tenses and forms, together with their description in the user's native language. The user can then directly paste the appropriate conjugation into the edited document.
The company currently has about 24 million users worldwide. Many signed up when Babylon gave away the software for free starting in 1997. In 2001, the company switched to a pay-per-use model and has since sold hundreds of thousands of licenses.