New English/Arabic Translation Site Hopes To Promote Citizen Diplomacy

Wired has mention of a new site that hopes to encourage a grassroots "citizen diplomacy" movement by combining English/Arabic translation software with a Facebook-style meeting place. "Meedan, which officially launches Monday, lets users post stories and comments in English and have them automatically translated into Arabic, or the opposite. People who don’t share a common language can have an online discussion in near real time. The name, appropriately, means 'gathering place' or 'town hall'; in Arabic. Think of it as a social network filled with people you don't know, but want to understand."

Comments

Re:My hovercraft is full of eels

[MozeeToby]

My hovercraft is full of eels

Is that some kind of weird Portuguese sequel to Snakes on a Plane?

Re:Listen..

[Red Flayer]

...i have big shit stuck up my fucking asshole.

pls help

This is just like when I had a huge gob of wax stuck in my ear. I went to a medicine man, and he used a candle to melt and suck out the blockage. This fix to your problem works almost the same way.

Well, first you're gonna need a can of WD-40 -- make sure you have the red straw. You're also going to want to have a fuse handy, at least a foot long. You can make your own from black powder, but it may be easier to just buy one at the agricultural store (they sell them with the smoke bombs you use to kill groundhogs). You'll need some duct tape to connect a few fuses -- they only sell them in lengths of a few inches. You'll also need a bucket of water.

Now, make sure the nozzle on the WD-40 can is clear. You're gonna want to shove the straw up there real deep before you spray it. Go ahead, empty the can.

OK, done with that step?

Now you're gonna want to replace the straw with the fuse. Go ahead, you're lubed up -- you should be able to really jam it up there. If you have one of the groundhog smokebombs, might as well shove that up there too. The powder in those is an excellent laxative.

Now here's the key step -- don't lose faith. Make sure you have the bucket of water handy. Now light the fuse.

Now, you should be getting a clear picture of how this will help you unplug your ass.

If you're curious what the bucket of water is for, it's to make cleanup a little easier for the poor sot who has to clean up the fetid pile of crap that used to be you.

Re:All I can think is...

[drinkypoo]

But now I see you're right - after meeting our teabaggers and treehuggers all they'll walk away with is that americans are generally barbaric assholes and ignorant wimps.

So, what are they going to learn from the tree huggers?

Re:Quoting something about not quoting something?

[spun]

As if I'd find an intelligent argument there...