Microsoft Patenting IM Translation?

theodp writes "The USPTO just published Microsoft's patent application for a Method and system for translating instant messages, in which the software giant demonstrates how an English-speaking sender can type 'Hi' in an IM and it will be translated to 'Hola' for a Spanish-speaking recipient."

Comments

A couple thoughts

[Raindance]

Now, that this is a patent grab exploiting a broken system, is fairly evident. However, two thoughts:

1. This patent is described as setting forth "A method and system translating instant messages between users who communicate in different languages"
Notice that it's only one method being patented; there's nothing stopping me from coming up with my own method. This is not a good patent, but there are worse (one-click shopping comes to mind).

2. This patent, if worded a bit differently, could set forth a way to transparently translate between the native languages of devices, not users, which would perhaps be a more interesting patent considering IPv6, pervasive intercommunication between devices, et cetera; did Microsoft drop the ball on this one?

Re:A couple thoughts

[OwnerOfWhinyCat]

This was probably a marketing department patent.

They're probably out to launch some kind of "We're so much better than AOL campaign and wanted to make sure that this bullet point on their list of features could be unique to them.

The fact that they did it poorly is unsurprising.

Given the way babel fish treats documents with whole paragraphs worth of context, It's hard to imagine that IM language translation is going to be remotely useful.

Claude: Hi, Ivan, that vaccuum cleaner you left is on the fritz again, it doesn't suck.

Brrrring! You have a new translated message from: buddy_claude "Hello, I use recreational vehicles. The space you left was cleansed by Fritz repeatedly. It is great.

Bite the wax tadpole

[jkeegan]

This should be interesting.. I wonder how many international incidents will be caused by poor translation once we're used to assuming it works well.

What do you want to say today?

[mao che minh]

I don't know if I want Microsoft in charge of semantics.

User one types: "I use Linux, how about you?"
.....translater.....
User two's screen: "I am a communist with viral ideas towards intellectual property"

User one types: "Have you heard about Microsoft's monopoly and their under-handed business tactics?"
....translater....
User two's screen: "Have you heard about how Microsoft's masterful innovation in information technology has made it the industry leader?"

Or if Stallman coded such a utility/library:

User one types: "I want some pizza"
.....translater.....
User two's screen: "I (as in "self") want (as in "desire") some GNU\Pizza"

Cool

[Anonymous Coward]

My hovercraft is full of eels!

Code!

[zebs]

Heres the code!

char *translate()
{
char *str;
int i;
i = rand() % 5;
switch( i ) {
case 0: str = "What r u wearing?"; break;
case 1: str = "Want 2 cyber?"; break;
case 2: str = "All your base are belong to us"; break;
case 3: str = "I'm a stripper"; break;
case 4: str = "Bill Gates is great :)"; break;
default: str = "lol";
}
return str;
}

Can't see it working to well, babelfish has a hard enough job dealing with... generally.. well written websites. How will it handle, "how u 2 day?"?

(Sorry for the bad code... its been a while...)

Re:Prior art?

[Anonymous Coward]

Even more obvious prior art: Kopete (kde instant messenger) has a plug-in that already does this.

Translations

[Ananee]

I have gotten messages sent to me in other languages, and using every wonderful translator that I could find, I still have had no idea what the messages are actually about. If the translating method Microsoft is planning is like all the others I have found then there's really no need to fret in my opinion, because they will not make the messagung any clearer. But if it is more advanced then that's a totally different situation...

Oh, I can just see it now.

[packethead]

Translating isn't the same as replacing the verbatum text word-for-word. There are idiomatic and grammatical nuances to take into account.

Language1: May I buy you dinner?
Translation: Can I offer you money to eat you?

Bad Headline

[donutello]

This is below par for Slashdot. I would have expected the headline to read "Microsoft patents IM" or "Microsoft patents translation".

How are we supposed to come up with knee-jerk reactions without reading the article if Slashdot doesn't help us?

Prior Art

[bflong]

Kopete has a plugin for this already in CVS. I've been using it for the past few days. Kopete is really comming along nicely.

�Recepci�n!

[spoonyfork]

What they type...

a/s/l por favor Hola, cómo va? Qué usted está usando? Desee al cyber? Satisfágame en los Juguetes R Nosotros en la cañería. Traeré un vino de la botella y dos condoms.

What your kids see...

a/s/l please Hi, how goes? What you are using? Wish when cyber? Meet in Toys R We in the pipe. I will bring a wine of bottle and two condoms.

Prior Art?

[VValdo]

This patent was filed on December 28, 2001. Version 0.29.a of the fantastic GPL'd instant messenger Fire introduced "Automatic, inline foreign language translation" on December 12, 2001.

I would also imagine that the feature was in CVS and publically downloadable before that.

W

Re:Prior art?

[I_Want_This_ID]

Prior art doesn't appear to matter any longer. The patent office doesn't have the capacity, capabitlity or the subject matter knowledge to search for, find, and apply prior art. Just approve it and let the courts find the prior art.

Re:1337?

[katsushiro]

Let me help you out here: Normal to 733t5p34k translator.

Re:Prior art?

[Citizen of Earth]

Prior art doesn't appear to matter any longer. The patent office doesn't have the capacity, capabitlity or the subject matter knowledge to search for, find, and apply prior art. Just approve it and let the courts find the prior art.

This is why we need to change the system so that patents are published upon submission. The public can submit comments and prior art to the patent office and they can act more as administrators, like they are doing now. If a company doesn't want to risk giving up trade secrets in failed submissions, then they will only submit material that is worthy of a patent.

Been available for Mac OS X for over an year

[pedroziviani]

I've been using for a few years a fantastic multi-protocol IM client for Mac OS X called Fire.

It has had automatic translation capabilities in several languages for well over an year, and it works very well. Further more, Fire also supports AIM, ICQ, Jabber, MSN, Yahoo, IRC protocols.

some more translations

[abhisarda]

Secure computing is our focus-

we are as insecure as hell can be.

automatic windowsupdate-

we don't need anymore embarassments.

US legal system-

we gotta check which pocket it is in.

We are optimistic about china-

Bill will not be alive to see MS china turn a profit.

aids program africa-

You will be given 60 million $. 40 million will come
back to the US in inflated drug profits.

windows eula-

you've handed your ass to us on a gold plate.

xbox-

we gotta blow that 40 billion somewhere ya know.

pocket pc -

Its just happy to see you.

WindowsME-

We got that one done by monkeys. The ones who rivalled
Shakespeare. Our real engineers were trying to figure out
if their muffins were y2k compliant.

Microsoft Test Labs-

Have you rebooted your toaster today?

Hotmail-

We haven't gotten to the bottom yet. But we're getting there

Outlook Express-

Your gateway to the wonderful world of viruses.

Clippy-

The result of years of hard research at our lame labs.

Apple-

Our *real* research labs.