Manikantan is a keen (Python and) Flash developer and has produced a prototype app, Translator, for S60 3rd Edition phones that leverages Google's recently updated language translation engine. A nice Web 2.0 example, even if it's not very polished yet. See below for screenshot and link.
Read on in the full article.
Sounds great, and I guess the key to this article is 'Flash' in relation to what I'm about to say, which is, that Tagalog would be *really* useful for me! The only really useful (and incredibly clever - and free) translator of 'less popular' languages seems to be in the Apple App Store for iPod Touch (and iPhone). Shame that there is not that kind of depth with S60 apps yet. Maybe Ovi App Store (or whatever it's called) will open up things for us Symbian types! That's the kind of thing that it seems that there's *somebody* out there in Appleland writing for the minority for (as well as the Apple-fan masses, of course, with many Apps).
The case in point is that I've just received visitors from The Philippines who are staying for a while and they don't speak a word of English. The iPod Touch has been my saviour as this free app called 'Translator' is really very clever - all I have to do is type in my phrase (in 'ordinary' English) and it comes up with the perfect Tagalog (dubbed 'Filipino' in Translator) to show them. And I've checked it with people who speak both languages and they confirm that it really is *very* good - because you can construct 'ordinary' sentences). And it seems to have 34 languages. If all the languages as well executed as the one I need, it's worth a bunch of money - not a freebie! I'll look forward to this kind of *really* useful App coming out of the forthcoming Symbian App Store thing.
Tim
Ah, here is a link with more details + Source code
croozeus.com/blogs/?p=650
Thanks, added that link to the news item.
Hi,
I am the creator of the Application and thanks to add this news item to your forum. Yes, As you said the application is not completely perfect and I hope to improve soon.
Manikantan
recently I have been thinking about such a good-to-have feature in mobiles...
now thats awesome someone has been thinking parallely as me and has comeup with the solutions.. awesome 😊
Good Work Manikantan! Keep updating the app and hope it will come out nice....
Regards
Gopal
timsalmon wrote:Sounds great, and I guess the key to this article is 'Flash' in relation to what I'm about to say, which is, that Tagalog would be *really* useful for me! The only really useful (and incredibly clever - and free) translator of 'less popular' languages seems to be in the Apple App Store for iPod Touch (and iPhone). Shame that there is not that kind of depth with S60 apps yet.
While not free, Tagalog-English dictionaries/translators are available for S60.
tym79m wrote:While not free, Tagalog-English dictionaries/translators are available for S60.
Thanks. I take the point and realise that but I guess Free is Key! And the iPhone one just works brilliantly in real English sentences - I haven't tried an S60 one, but I'd be surprised (and delighted) if it was as clever. Will check...
Tim
timsalmon wrote:Thanks. I take the point and realise that but I guess Free is Key! And the iPhone one just works brilliantly in real English sentences - I haven't tried an S60 one, but I'd be surprised (and delighted) if it was as clever. Will check...Tim
Both of the top-rated translation/dictionary iPhone applications, iTranslate and gTranslate, are just interfaces to Google's translate.google.com site, just like the Flash application featured here. As such, it shouldn't take much for the author to add Tagalog to it. There's also this free widget for S60 that does the same: http://www.symbian-freak.com/downloads/freeware/cat_s60_5th/descriptions/widgets/google_translator_widget_for_s60.htm
(I haven't come across any free iPhone Tagalog-English dictionaries/translators that aren't interfaces to Google or Dictionary.com translation sites. Which one are you using?)