IBM unveils translation software

IBM has developed a tool that instantly translates web pages, email messages and chat conversation into different languages.

WebSphere Translation Server supports bi-directional text translation from English into French, German, Spanish, Italian, Chinese (both simplified and traditional), Japanese and Korean.

The initial software release, which translates words at a rate of 500 per second and runs on Microsoft Windows NT, IBM AIX and Sun Solaris, will be available in March. Connectivity plug-ins will also be available for the IBM WebSphere Application Server, Lotus Domino and Lotus Sametime through Lotus Translation Components.

Big Blue plans to target the tool at ecommerce companies for online transactions, as well as customer service and technical support companies.

Steve McClure, an analyst at researcher IDC, pointed out that machine translation allows for dynamic business content to be created at a fraction of the cost of professional translation services.

"At present, the machine translation industry consists mainly of small segmented players with no clear leader. IBM's entry signifies a major turning point and will help validate and accelerate the adoption of machine translation," he said.