{"id":43,"date":"2009-03-07T22:06:15","date_gmt":"2009-03-08T06:06:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.avatarplanet.com\/blog\/?p=43"},"modified":"2009-03-07T22:06:15","modified_gmt":"2009-03-08T06:06:15","slug":"review-of-seven-second-life-language-translators","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.avatarplanet.com\/blog\/2009\/03\/07\/review-of-seven-second-life-language-translators\/","title":{"rendered":"Review of seven Second Life language translators"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Recently I met a beautiful woman in <a href=\"http:\/\/secondlife.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Second Life<\/a>.\u00a0Ok, she was someone\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/avatar\" target=\"_blank\">avatar<\/a>, but still  beautiful.\u00a0When I tried talking with her, however, I learned she was  Romanian and knew little English.\u00a0I had similar experiences with two other <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/avatar\" target=\"_blank\">avatars<\/a> the  same morning.\u00a0One was Swiss and the other Brazilian, but none of us knew  enough of the other\u2019s language to speak.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">About 54% of <a href=\"http:\/\/secondlife.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Second Life<\/a> members live in non-English speaking countries.\u00a0Most speak widely used  languages like German, French, and Spanish, but others speak languages such as  Portuguese, Turkish, and Korean.\u00a0Many also speak English, but often not  well.\u00a0How do we communicate with them when we meet them?\u00a0We can and  should learn foreign languages, but no one can learn them all.\u00a0Is there  another way?<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Yes.\u00a0Over a half dozen automatic language translating <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/HUD_%28video_gaming%29\" target=\"_blank\">HUD<\/a>\u2019s are  available in <a href=\"http:\/\/secondlife.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Second Life<\/a>.\u00a0Some of  them are free. Each of them translates at least 32 languages.\u00a0The odds are  that one of them will work for you.\u00a0They only translate typed text at  present \u2013 automatic translation of speech will be a major technical challenge \u2013  but they should allow you to hold a basic conversation in a wide variety of  languages.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_45\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-45\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-45\" title=\"20090305_001_cropped_300px\" src=\"http:\/\/www.avatarplanet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/03\/20090305_001_cropped_300px-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"20090305_001_cropped_300px\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.avatarplanet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/03\/20090305_001_cropped_300px-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.avatarplanet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/03\/20090305_001_cropped_300px.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-45\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Second Life&#39;s Czechoslovakia sim<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">I\u2019ve tested seven of the automatic translators that are most  commonly available in <a href=\"http:\/\/secondlife.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Second Life<\/a> They range in price from free to 500  Lindens.\u00a0 One of the free translators  rivals the most expensive for quality in basic functionality.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">The translators I tested are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Ferd\u2019s Free Translator (free)<\/li>\n<li>Simbolic\u00a0\u00a0 (free)<\/li>\n<li>AF Translator Basic (aka Translator Box) (180 Lindens)<\/li>\n<li>AF Translator Pro\u00a0(340 Lindens)<\/li>\n<li>MH Translator (370 Lindens)<\/li>\n<li>Q-Translator\u00a0(390 Lindens)<\/li>\n<li>X-Lang (500 Lindens)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Before buying any translator, be sure to test its <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/HUD\" target=\"_blank\">HUD<\/a> on  your screen in ALL positions.\u00a0 I found this a particularly aggravating  weakness of a few translators.\u00a0 For  example, I might specify that I wanted it in the upper right, but some translators  would either position it elsewhere on the screen, or not at all. Also be  certain that the <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/HUD\" target=\"_blank\">HUD<\/a> isn\u2019t partially covered by the side or bottom of the  screen, as happens in a few translators.  Check all screen positions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Some  other key features to look for:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Toggling between automatic       language detection and a specified language.<\/li>\n<li>Toggling object translation       on and off.<\/li>\n<li>Spell checker<\/li>\n<li>Anti-spam filter to block       repeating statements when you speak in the target language.<\/li>\n<li>Displaying your current       language settings<\/li>\n<li>If you are not a native English       speaker, does it offer a <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/HUD\" target=\"_blank\">HUD<\/a> or help in your native language?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><strong>X-Lang  6.0 (500 Lindens):<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">This  is one of only two translators to position its <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/HUD\" target=\"_blank\">HUD<\/a> without any problems. Its  features include:<\/p>\n<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\">Translates 41 languages<\/li>\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\">Help in 9 languages<\/li>\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\"><a href=\"http:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/HUD\" target=\"_blank\">HUD<\/a> interface in 15 languages<\/li>\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\">Toggles object translation on       and off<\/li>\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\">Displays your current       language selections<\/li>\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\">Auto language       detection.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><strong>Q-Translator  2.1 (390 Lindens):<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">This  is the Cadillac of translators.\u00a0 The only HUD positioning problems were very minor and don&#8217;t affect usage.\u00a0\u00a0  Its features include:<\/p>\n<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\">Translates 41 languages<\/li>\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\">Help in 34 languages<\/li>\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\"><a href=\"http:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/HUD\" target=\"_blank\">HUD<\/a> interface in eight       languages<\/li>\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\">Spellchecker in 17 languages\u00a0 (a really useful feature)<\/li>\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\">Toggles object translation on       and off<\/li>\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\">Displays your current       language selections<\/li>\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\">Auto-detects languages<\/li>\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\">Can search Wikipedia from the       <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/HUD\" target=\"_blank\">HUD<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><strong>MH  Translator 3.6 (370 Lindens)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">I  found MH Translator extremely frustrating.\u00a0 The <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/HUD\" target=\"_blank\">HUD<\/a> position was wrong or  simply didn\u2019t work for most positions, and I sometimes had trouble getting it  to translate, probably because in certain positions, some HUD menu choices are  hidden from view.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Translates 42 languages<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/HUD\" target=\"_blank\">HUD<\/a> and help are English only<\/li>\n<li>Toggles object translation on and off<\/li>\n<li>Does not display current language selections<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><strong>AF  Pro 1.4 (340 Lindens)<br \/>\nAF Basic 2.4 (180 Lindens) <\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">These both offer a very nice compromise between the more  complex <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/HUD\" target=\"_blank\">HUD<\/a> of X-Lang and Q-Translator and the streamlined <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/HUD\" target=\"_blank\">HUD<\/a> of Ferd\u2019s Free and  Simbolic Translators.\u00a0 Of all the  translators, this is the one that was easiest to use without experience and  without reading help.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">As much as I like these two translators, I do have two  complaints.\u00a0 One is that when the <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/HUD\" target=\"_blank\">HUD<\/a> is  placed on the left and center bottom of the screen, Second Life\u2019s chat bar  partially covers it.\u00a0 The other complaint  is that neither version displays your current language selections.\u00a0\u00a0 This is not a problem if you always use the  same languages, but if you or the people you are listening to use more than one  language, it can be a nuisance.<\/p>\n<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\">Pro version has HUD in 6       languages<\/li>\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\">Translates 34 languages (Pro       version translates 41 languages)<\/li>\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\">Help in 34 languages<\/li>\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\">Toggles object translation on       and off<\/li>\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\">Auto-detection of languages<\/li>\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\">Anti-spam option on Pro       version.<\/li>\n<li class=\"MsoNormal\">Does not display current language selections<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><strong>Simbolic 2.0\u00a0 (free)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">This otherwise really nice free translator has one big  problem: HUD positioning is terrible.\u00a0  For most positions I tried, the HUD either ended up in the wrong  position or vanished completely.\u00a0 It\u2019s  compounded by the fact that when its position in the center or bottom of the  screen, the drop down menu is cut off and several languages become impossible  to select.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Translates 32 languages<\/li>\n<li>Displays current language selection<\/li>\n<li>Does not toggle object translation on and off<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><strong>Ferd\u2019s Free Translator 7.3\u00a0  (free)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">If you don\u2019t need non-English help or HUD, or other features  of more full-featured translators, this one is for you.\u00a0 I was amazed by it.\u00a0 It\u2019s intuitive to use, it toggles object  translation, and it works in no-script areas.\u00a0  It\u2019s the one I found most natural to use, and boasts some useful  features not found on the others.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">I found the automatic language detection reliable when its  set to its default of detecting the language of the other speaker\u2019s  viewer.\u00a0 Currently SL has viewers in Chinese,  English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish, so these  are the languages that Ferd will identify most reliably, as long as the  speaker\u2019s viewer is set to the language he\/she is speaking.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Detects 95 languages<\/li>\n<li>Allows 16-way chats in up to 34 languages<\/li>\n<li>Takes up the least screen space when you\u2019re  wearing it<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><strong>Conclusion:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Everyone in Second Life should have a translator. If you  don\u2019t feel like paying for one, get Ferd\u2019s Free Translator or the Simbolic  Translator.\u00a0 They\u2019ll both do a fine job.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_58\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-58\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-58\" title=\"20090306a_003_300px\" src=\"http:\/\/www.avatarplanet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/03\/20090306a_003_300px.jpg\" alt=\"A translator can make exploring foreign language sims easier\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-58\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A translator can make exploring foreign language sims easier<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Everyone in Second Life should have a translator. If you don\u2019t feel like paying  for one, get Ferd\u2019s Free Translator or the Simbolic Translator.\u00a0 I had a problem  with Simbolic HUD placement, but otherwise it worked fine.\u00a0 I loved Ferd\u2019s.\u00a0  It\u2019s the one I\u2019ll be using most of the time myself.\u00a0 I\u2019ll also use X-Lang for  those occasions when its features are useful.\u00a0 But Q-Translator and AF  Translator both deserve consideration.\u00a0 AF-Translator Basic was initially my  favorite, but its inability to display the current lanugage settings became a  nuisance for me.\u00a0 Still, for the price, it merits consideration.\u00a0 The  Q-Translator&#8217;s numerous features make it a formidable competitor.\u00a0 Try all of  them before making a decision.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Where can you get these translators?\u00a0 Here are the places where I got mine:<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">\n<ul>\n<li>X-Lang: <a href=\"http:\/\/slurl.com\/secondlife\/Olexandrovich\/214\/17\/601\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/slurl.com\/secondlife\/Olexandrovich\/214\/17\/601<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Q-Translator: \u00a0\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/slurl.com\/secondlife\/Shipwreck%20Bay\/239\/234\/24\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/slurl.com\/secondlife\/Shipwreck%20Bay\/239\/234\/24<\/a><\/li>\n<li>MH Translator: <a href=\"http:\/\/slurl.com\/secondlife\/Donohue\/133\/245\/1030\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/slurl.com\/secondlife\/Donohue\/133\/245\/1030<\/a><\/li>\n<li>AF Translators (Pro and Basic): <a href=\"http:\/\/slurl.com\/secondlife\/Milaniovic\/18\/136\/57\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/slurl.com\/secondlife\/Milaniovic\/18\/136\/57<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Simbolic: <a href=\"http:\/\/slurl.com\/secondlife\/Cupo\/105\/120\/36\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/slurl.com\/secondlife\/Cupo\/105\/120\/36<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Ferd\u2019s Free: <a href=\"http:\/\/slurl.com\/secondlife\/Phaze%20Demesnes\/218\/209\/24\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/slurl.com\/secondlife\/Phaze%20Demesnes\/218\/209\/24<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Recently I met a beautiful woman in Second Life.\u00a0Ok, she was someone\u2019s avatar, but still beautiful.\u00a0When I tried talking with her, however, I learned she was Romanian and knew little English.\u00a0I had similar experiences with two other avatars the same morning.\u00a0One was Swiss and the other Brazilian, but none of us knew enough of the &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.avatarplanet.com\/blog\/2009\/03\/07\/review-of-seven-second-life-language-translators\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Review of seven Second Life language translators&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[100,123,136,146],"class_list":["post-43","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-metaverse","tag-second-life","tag-translator","tag-virtual-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.avatarplanet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.avatarplanet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.avatarplanet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.avatarplanet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.avatarplanet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.avatarplanet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.avatarplanet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.avatarplanet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.avatarplanet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}