Worldwide Lexicon and Volunteer Translation

This week, Worldwide Lexicon launched its long-awaited Universal Translator plugin for Firefox. There are still a few kinks to work out, but don't wait to install this one. It's a glimpse into the future of the Internet.

Worldwide Lexicon combines translation engines like Babel Fish and Google Translate with user-contributed translations and edits. WWL maintains a database of user contributions and uses its own ratings system to give higher priority to better translators. One thing I love about WWL is that there's no signup: to start translating (or to start reading other people's translations), simply install the plugin.

A few days ago, I had the opportunity to meet Brian McConnell, head developer at WWL. Brian has big ideas about reducing language barriers on the Internet, and his enthusiasm is nothing if not contagious. In a time when more and more nonprofits are blurring the line between local and global, I think that services like WWL can make a huge difference in how we communicate and collaborate. Using WWL, you can encourage bilingual volunteers to translate your own content so that a broader audience can find it. Simply have them install the plugin, or better yet, customize your website with Javascript code provided by WWL.

Last month, Google launched their own engine for collaborating on translations, Google Translator Toolkit. It's an interesting service that's definitely worth a look, but for ductility and incorporation into your own website, WWL is the more compelling offering.

Last week, TechSoup published our new guide, The Resilient Organization: A Guide for Disaster Planning and Recovery. Before the guide even officially launched, TechSoup Taiwan had already begun an ambitious project to translate it into Chinese Traditional. I've been checking the group wiki every few days to see how the effort is going, and it's coming along rapidly. It's exciting to watch, and it demonstrates how much volunteer energy is ready to help you spread your nonprofit's message.

Photo: gcbb, CC license

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