Timothy Post.com

As a user of Google Apps, I’m glad to read that Google is rolling out a premium version of the service. One suggestion. I would like to see Google incorporate Google Language Tools (Translator) into the Gmail piece of Google Apps. Make this translation feature only available in the premium Google Apps version.

How amazing would it be for businesses with operations and customers worldwide to have conversations where everyone is writing in her/his native language? You send an email to your sales rep in Japan in English. He opens your email, clicks the translate to Japanse button and reads your email. He then clicks the Respond button and writes back to you in Japanese.

You receive his reply and click the translate to English button and read his email. You then decide to forward this email exchange to your boss in Germany. When your boss receives your email she clicks the translate to German button and rereads the Japanese sales rep reply to your original email.

This type of translation feature would be revolutionary. All the pieces are now place for it to be a reality. I use Google translate browser bookmarklet button daily when reading through different Russian websites. For example, my mother-in-law sent us an email with specifications on the type of DSL modem we will need to buy for our apartment in Krasnodar. I did a Google search on the local DSL provider and went to its website. I then clicked the Google translate button and read through its FAQ section on installing DSL modems. This would have been simply impossible without the Google translate button.

After Gmail maybe they will incorporate this feature into Google Reader? The world is getting smaller!

UPDATE: Here’s the Translation Browser Buttons page from Google.

// 02.22.2007 at 8:56 am // Tagged Uncategorized