X

MeGlobe does in-browser IM with real-time translation

Chat with real-time translation using MeGlobe. You don't even need to install software, since it runs right in your browser.

Josh Lowensohn Former Senior Writer
Josh Lowensohn joined CNET in 2006 and now covers Apple. Before that, Josh wrote about everything from new Web start-ups, to remote-controlled robots that watch your house. Prior to joining CNET, Josh covered breaking video game news, as well as reviewing game software. His current console favorite is the Xbox 360.
Josh Lowensohn

If you've been on the hunt for a tool that lets you chat with friends or clients that speak a different language, MeGlobe is a really simple solution that does all the work for you. Like Meebo, it will turn a single open browser window in a Webtop where you can manage your buddy list and chat windows. There's no software to install, and it handles 15 languages with relative ease.

I gave it a spin using French to English, and as advertised it translates in real time. You see what the person wrote in small letters, with the translation showing up right above. It doesn't matter what language the other user is typing in--everything gets converted to your default language. Changing it with a quick drop down will go back and reverse-translate previous chat items--it's very cool.

Other solutions for real-time chat translation have come from many places including Google. However, Google's system required using chat bots that act as a middle-man. MeGlobe's solution is far simpler, putting the entire process behind what the user sees.

In the future, I'd like to see MeGlobe tap into existing IM networks instead of requiring you to plug into its own, something I'm expecting based on a rather cryptic blog entry from earlier this week.

Embedded below is a video of the tool in action.


Related:
How to translate RSS feeds
I can has lolcat translator?