I need some help with a bilingual form… Scenario: I have form that will have Japanese and English users. The Japanese inputs data into the fields using Japanese, the form then gets sent to the US users mail. My questions are will Notes transulate these values to English? If so can you give me the steps on how to do this? Next question is there any way to transulate Japanese to English using Java, LotusScript or Formula language… Thanks
Subject: Help wanted: bilingual form
Larry,
IBM has a product called Domino Global Workbench. Here → http://www-10.lotus.com/ldd/notesua.nsf/0b345eb9d127270b8525665d006bc355/739977041a06b141852569810054b60c?OpenDocument?OpenDocument is a link to the product site and here → Hybrid cloud software for a smarter business | IBM is a link to a Global Workbench page.
Interestingly enough, in the Global Workbench page, IBM predicts that 80%(?!?!?!?!) of worldwide B2x sites will be multilingual by 2005. That seems, er, stunningly and unrealistically high in my opinion.
Subject: Help wanted: bilingual form
To translate from one language to another, you need translation software. Notes does not contain translation software. If you write your own translation software, you can use LotusScript or Java.
If you buy translation software, then you must check the software’s API to be sure that you can use it from Notes. For example, a Java API is uaually OK, but it depends on the version of Java. A simple C API is usually OK – you can call it directly from LotusScript. If the software can be used from Visual Basic, then you can usually use it from LotusScript in the same way.
Even if you buy translation software, the translation might not be very good.
By the way, there is no need to use mail to exchange information between Notes users. Notes users can share databases, and Domino servers can replicate with other servers.
Subject: Help wanted: bilingual form
Translation algorythm are a whole area of Artificial Intelligence… Notes doesn’t provide automatic translation.
Of course if, as a designer, you are setting up a form for a specific language, and the form’s content is built entierly out of predefined value choices, you can prepare a table of corresponding translated values and open the proper term depending on your client’s language. But if you client is typing in some japanese text, don’t expect Notes to magically translate it!
There ARE automated 3rd party solutions you could run on top of Notes (or other IBM products) for automated translation: check http://www.alis.com for instance. But expect a significant investment.
Hope this helps,
Nicolas Abesdris
Quintessence e-solutions Inc.