Val Cowan's Web World

HERE'S a nice saying: the e in e-business doesn't stand for English.

That's the catchphrase of Aston Fallon, the man in charge of software company Systran, which has a mission to translate the web.

If you've ever used Alta Vista's Babelfish site (babelfish.av.com), you'll know the kind of clever things Systran can do.

Babelfish was named after the small creature created by Douglas Adams for his Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy novels, which once inserted into the ear provided a useful translation service for its owner, enabling him or her to traverse the galaxy with ease.

While not quite as extraordinary as that, the Babelfish web page has earned a great reputation as a way of getting the gist of something written in a foreign language.

While its translations wouldn't exactly win any literacy awards, they are perfectly good enough to give you a good idea of what the foreign language page is trying to say.

When launched on the web a couple of years ago, the service attracted rave reviews from geeks and linguists alike. And for all that, it was free. Systran now has new plans. At a technology trade show in Germany next month, it will unveil a new software package for the likes of you and me - translation in-a-box. It will cost as little as £25 and be able to translate any text between two languages. It won't be as perfect as a human translator, but it will be pretty close and much cheaper.

Why is Systran on to a good thing?

Because as the net gets bigger (which it is doing at an exponential rate), there are going to be fewer and fewer English-speaking users out there.

English is the language of business and of the internet, they say. Well, probably not for much longer.

TWIN Stuff is a website designed "by twins, for twins", packed with information for all who come in pairs. Features include films with twin characters and advice on how to decide which twin's name should come first when signing letters.

http://www.twinstuff.com/

TWO students from New York have put begging on a new level - by doing it on the internet. Most net users will be familiar with polite online requests from charities for cash, but the Two Academic Beggars don't bother with such niceties.

They blatantly ask people to send them money, and admit they will just use it to buy CDs, videos and food for themselves. You have to admire their honesty - although I wouldn't count on them getting a lot of cash!

http://www.geocities.com/two_beggars/

Chat with Zeta's guy

ACTOR Michael Douglas chose to use the internet to announce his engagement to Catherine Zeta Jones, and the news that she is pregnant with his child.

His official website was due to be re-launched yesterday, offering the opportunity to join his fan club for $39.99 a year - around £25. Profits from the club will go to various charities, and members will receive access to exclusive photographs and video clips, monthly chat sessions with the man himself and more.

http://www.michaeldouglas.com

Just between God and your computer...

CHRISTIANS can now confess their sins without leaving the privacy of their own homes today. An online confessional, believed to be the world's first, has been opened by London-based Premier Christian Radio.

Visitors to the page, called The Confessor, are invited to make confessions, either in their own words or in the form of set texts used by Christians around the world.

They can consider their sins silently or type them confidentially into a space provided. The information inputted will remain on their own computers.

Station managing director Peter Kerridge said the aim was to give people a chance to reflect on their actions and examine their consciences in the presence of God alone.

He said: "You are assured that all your type remains on your computer and will not be transmitted in any way to anyone else. This is between you and God, and your privacy is totally respected.

"When people allocate a little time in their lives to review what they are doing and how it will impact upon others, it is undoubtedly of considerable spiritual benefit, and the Confessor should perhaps be viewed as a focal point for such contemplation."

http://www.theconfessor.co.uk

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.