Message translations

• US 20040158471A1
• Filed: 02/10/2003
• Published: 08/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Daniell, W. Todd, Davis, Joel A., Daigle, Brian K., Kent, Larry G. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 8,392,173 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/277
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/263 Language identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/40 Processing or translation of natural language natural language analysis G06F40/20; semantic analysis G06F40/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/58 Use of machine translation, e.g. for multi-lingual retrieval, for server-side translation for client devices or for real-time translation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services

Abstract

Systems for translating text messages in an instant messaging system comprise a translation engine for translating text messages into a preferred language of a recipient of the text messages. The systems are preferably configured to send and receive the text messages and to determine whether the text messages that are received in a source language are in the preferred language of the recipients so that the text messages are displayed in the preferred language of the recipients of the text messages. Other systems and methods are also provided.

Claims

1. A method for translating text messages, comprising:

receiving a text message in a source language;

determining whether the source language is similar to a preferred destination language;

translating the text message into the preferred destination language when the source language is not similar to the preferred destination language; and

outputting the text message in the preferred destination language for display.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising obtaining information on the preferred destination language from a processing device configured to provide language preference information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of translating the text message into the preferred destination language is performed utilizing a dynamic link library and an associated languages database.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of outputting the text message in the preferred destination language is performed utilizing a display device of a processing device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising accessing a storage device to obtain information on language preferences.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising identifying the language preferences for a particular set of users.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising broadcasting the text message to a plurality of users in a chat session.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the accessing a storage device to obtain information on language preferences for a plurality of user is performed by a client processing device.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the accessing a storage device to obtain information on language preferences for a plurality of user is performed by a server processing device.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending a reply text message in the preferred destination language;

determining whether the reply text message is in the same language as the preferred language of the reply text message recipient;

translating the reply text message into the preferred language of the reply text message recipient when the reply text message language is not same as the preferred language of the reply text message recipient; and

displaying the translated reply text message on a display device of the reply text message recipient.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing a set of preferred languages for selection by the user.

11. A method for establishing language preferences, comprising:

receiving an identification of a preferred language from a user; and

saving an indication of the preferred language.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving and providing authorization information for accessing the user'"'"'s IM account.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising providing a default language as the preferred language when the user does not perform a language selection.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of providing a default language as the preferred language is performed by selecting English as the default language.

16. A system for translating text messages, comprising:

a translation engine for translating text messages into a preferred language of recipients of the text messages;

a processing device coupled to the translation engine, the processing device configured to send and receive the text messages and configured to determine whether test messages received in a source language are in a preferred language selected by recipients of the text messages; and

a display device coupled to the processing device, the display device configured to display the text messages in the preferred language selected by the recipients of the text messages.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the processing device is further configured to access language preference information.

18. The system of claim 16, further comprising a communications network coupled to the processing device, the communications network configured to transport the text messages between recipients of the text messages.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising a message router for routing text messages between the processing device and the communications network.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the translation engine further comprises a dynamic link library and a database of languages.

21. The system of claim 16, further comprising a second processing device coupled to the processing device, the second processing device configured to send and receive text messages to the processing device;

a second translation engine coupled to the second processing device, the second translation engine adapted to translate the text messages into a preferred language of recipients of the text messages; and

a second display device coupled to the second processing device, the second display device configured to display the text messages in the preferred language selected by the recipients of the second processing device.