Charleston - Huntington, West Virginia -- WOWK -- 13NewsInternet sites go global with free language translations

By Elaine Zimmermann

Gerri: I do business in several foreign countries. I would like to have my Internet site appeal to foreign buyers. I would also like to sharpen my foreign language skills in my correspondence and on the phone. Do you have any suggestions?

Elaine: Many sites that wish to appeal to customers worldwide have added translation capabilities to their sites. It is relatively inexpensive to add. It changes the content from one language to another with merely a click of a mouse on the foreign flag icon for which language you wish to view the site.

Some companies purchase the dot country designations for their websites such as co.uk (United Kingdom) or co.cn (China) thinking this will give them an advantage in some countries. Most experts believe this is unnecessary. The dot com designations are universally accepted and used worldwide.

The Internet has become a wonderful tool for translating from/into a foreign language. It has also become an anytime classroom to learn or get a refresher lesson in a foreign language.

FreeTranslation.com gives individuals and companies access to "on the fly" translations for more than fifty languages. Type in a sentence or two. Choose the language you would like it translated into or from. The translation appears a nanosecond later.

The first 750 words of translation are free. An annual fee allows you unlimited access to translations daily of standard letter writing and speech.

If you need industry specific translations: medical terminology, technical terms etc., that capability is also available. For a fee, you can have scientific, legal, medical and technical documents translated accurately into an array of languages.

They also provide software services that instantly translate Word documents and emails to/from different languages. Once the software is installed, you can immediately translate all documents and correspondence without having to learn the language.

With the explosion of social networking, it was only a matter of time before someone developed a site for people to speak to others around the world in foreign languages. Italki.com has filled that void.

Registrants can select which language they would like to practice and find willing teachers. Using webcams, students and instructors can see each other as they carry on conversations.

Instructors are compensated by the students who pay half-hour or hourly fees to practice with instructors around the world. Headquartered in Shanghai, China, many Chinese students are anxious to practice their English with Americans.

Italki.com has courses and instructors fluent in more than one hundred languages. Prior to choosing an instructor, you can see their faces and where they live. If you plan to travel to a specific city in a foreign country, you can practice the language with someone who lives there and get inside tips about restaurants, places to see and stay and transportation that only a "local" would know.

If you chose to be an instructor for someone who wants to practice English, "favorite movies" is a conversation starter worldwide.

Elaine Zimmermann is a personal finance expert who was written about everyday ways to save money on cars, homes, vacations and more. For information on investing in foreclosed real estate you can visit her website at www.AskElaineZ.com.