NEWS: Institute working on Universal computer language

[janet paterson <janet313@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Institute working on Universal computer language

UNITED NATIONS (November 23, 1998 6:39 p.m. EST ) - 
More than 120 computer and linguistics experts are working on a computer 
language to enable people to communicate over the Internet in their mother 
tongues with people who speak other languages.

The Universal Networking Language (UNL) is being perfected at the Institute of 
Advanced Studies of the Tokyo-based United Nations University.

Unlike machine translations, which translate one language into another, a text 
in one language would go through a software application called an "editor" that 
"enconverted" it into UNL and could then be "deconverted" into other languages.

"It is not for translating Shakespeare or poetry or even a philosophical text," 
said Professor Tarcisio Della Senta of Brazil, director of the Institute.

But it would be useful for a logical text, such as that used in science or 
commerce.

When a person wrote something in his mother tongue, its UNL version would first 
be played back to him in his own language, enabling him to make changes to 
ensure it reflected his precise meaning.

One intended benefit of UNL is that people who speak relatively little-used 
languages could understand texts originally written in other languages. They 
would also be able to give wider dissemination to texts written in their own 
languages.

"The whole philosophy is to try to give a voice or access to those languages or 
ethnic groups that are left out," Della Senta said.

The first stage of the UNL project, launched in April 1996, is to create 
conversion modules for 16 languages. Those include the six official U.N. 
languages -- Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish -- as well 
as German, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Latvian, Mongolian, 
Portuguese, Swahili and Thai.

Conversion software for each language is being developed in partnership with 
governments, research institutes, universities and participating companies.

The aim is for the languages used by all U.N. members -- now 185 countries -- 
to be supported by UNL by the year 2005.

Copyright 1998 Nando Media
Copyright 1998 Reuters News Service

janet paterson - 51 now /41 dx /37 onset - almonte/ontario/canada
janet313@xxxxxxxxxxx