DYNAMICALLY TRANSLATING A SOFTWARE APPLICATION TO A USER SELECTED TARGET LANGUAGE THAT IS NOT NATIVELY PROVIDED BY THE SOFTWARE APPLICATION

• US 20080077384A1
• Filed: 09/22/2006
• Published: 03/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: AGAPI, CIPRIAN, METZ, BRENT D.
• Application Number:
  US11/534,500
• Publication Number:
  US 20080077384A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/2
• 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: G06F 9/454 Multi-language systems; Localisation; Internationalisation

Abstract

The present solution includes a method for dynamically translating application prompts to internationalize software applications for a non-native language that is not specifically supported by the application. In the solution, application prompts can be identified that are associated with a software application. Each application prompt can include text written in an original language. An attempt of the software application to render one of the application prompts can be intercepted and dynamically translated. The translated text can be substituted for the original text. The application prompt can then be rendered.

Claims

1. A method for dynamically translating application prompts comprising:

identifying a plurality of application prompts associated with a software application, wherein each application prompt comprises text of original language;

detecting an attempt of the software application to render one of the application prompts;

redirecting the attempt to a dynamic translation engine;

the dynamic translation engine dynamically and automatically translating the original text associated with the prompt into translated text of a target language;

substituting the translated text for the original text; and

rendering the application prompt after the substituting step.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using the dynamic translation engine to dynamically transcribe all of the application prompts from the original language to the target language.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

establishing a likelihood threshold for the translation engine;

determining a likelihood value that the translated text is an accurate translation of the original text;

comparing the likelihood threshold and the likelihood value; and

selectively performing the substituting step depending on results of the comparing step.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the target language is a user selected language that the software application does not natively support.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamic translation engine is located in a computing space remotely located from a computing space in which the software application executes.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the software application includes internationalization support for a plurality of languages, and wherein the translation engine operates at an internationalization layer of the software application and simulates an availability of the target language, which is not otherwise available.

7. A method for adapting software applications for new languages comprising:

identifying a software application configured for a first language;

detecting a desired second language for the application, wherein a machine upon which the software application is implemented lacks native support for the second language;

determining a display object including original text written in the first language;

conveying the text to a remotely located networked machine along with an indicator of the second language;

receiving from the networked machine translated text in the second language that corresponds to the original text;

dynamically replacing the original text of the display object with the translated text; and

displaying the display object including the translated text.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

providing a user selectable option for adapting the software application to different languages, said different languages including the second language; and

establishing the second language as a value for the user selectable option based upon a user established setting, wherein the detecting step detects the desired second language based upon the established value of the user selectable option.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the software application comprises a plurality of application specific display objects that contain text, said plurality including said display object, each display object in the plurality being an application prompt, wherein said application prompts are automatically translated into said second language using steps of said method.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the application prompts include application menu items and textual labels for graphical user interface elements of the software application.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

intercepting the display object before it is displayed by the machine; and

performing the determining step after the intercepting step, wherein programmatic instruction resulting in the performance of the conveying, receiving, and replacing steps are implemented in software that operates independent of the software application.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the software application includes local support for multiple languages that are handled by a linguistic engine of the software application, said multiple languages not including said second language, said method further comprising:

the linguistic engine receiving a request to adjust the display object for the second language;

the linguistic engine determining that the second language is not one of the locally supported multiple languages;

the linguistic engine dynamically conveying the text to the networked machine along with an indicator of the second language; and

the linguistic engine dynamically receiving the translated text from the networked machine.

13. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

providing an application program interface that performs said determining, conveying, receiving, and replacing steps, wherein the software application calls the application program interface when a user specified language for the software application is the second language.

14. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining a likelihood that the original text will be correctly translated into the second language;

comparing the likelihood against a previously established threshold; and

selectively translating the original text into the second language depending upon results of the comparing step.

15. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

a presentation object associated with the display object that includes the original text, wherein the presentation object is selectively displayed when the display object has focus.

16. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

providing a user selectable option to dynamically change an enablement state of dynamic translations for the software application, wherein when the option is enabled said determining, conveying, receiving, and replacing steps are automatically performed and when the option is disabled said determining, conveying, receiving, and replacing steps are not automatically performed.

17. A method for adapting software applications for new languages comprising:

receiving a plurality of translation requests from a remotely located software application to dynamically translate application prompts containing text into a language not natively supported by the software application;

dynamically translating the application prompts into the language responsive to the translation requests; and

providing the translated application prompts to the software application, wherein the application prompts include application menu items and textual labels for graphical user interface elements of the software application.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the receiving, translating, and providing steps are performed in at least one of real-time and near-real-time.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the software application is one of a plurality of different software applications supported by a networked machine that performs the receiving, translating, and providing steps.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the local machine upon which the remotely located software application executes includes an application program interface for dynamic translations of application prompts, wherein the receiving, translating, and providing steps are performed by a networked machine, wherein interactions between the local machine and the networked machine that relate to dynamic translation of application prompts are conducted through the application program interface.