More mobile language services: BuzzCity introduces community translation to mobile social network

BuzzCity today announced a new “community translation” service for its mobile social network, myGamma. The service is aimed towards bringing less-spoke languages, as well as local dialects, into the larger mobile community.

Community translation:

The service will be maintained through a wikipedia style structure, where the translations are edited and updated by members of the myGamma community - this means that indigenous speakers will be creating the translations. The actual translation will take the form of a list of terms that users can choose from: navigational terms, phrases and instructional messages. The service has been in beta since April, and has already attracted over 1,400 voluntary translators - who have created a pool of 77 different languages and dialects for the site.

The translations will also be used by BuzzCity to fuel international advertising across it’s network.

From the release:

“The rapid adoption of our community translation service demonstrates the willingness of our members to help connect new communities to the myGamma network,” said KF Lai, BuzzCity CEO. “Collectively, these communities account for a large number of people whose primary language is not catered for by other media. As consumers, they also represent a significant part of mobile advertising’s long tail. The service is a real example of a community working to benefit its users. We have been delighted with the response since it launched and look forward to its ongoing development – which will not only benefit the users directly but those wanting to reach them.”

What we think?

Translations and dialects seem to be becoming big business now, with mKhoj looking at it for advertising, and SpinVox launching it’s voice-to-text across 17 more Latin American countries. And why shouldn’t it be big business? Mobile Internet services desperately need to grow in as many markets as possible, and they don’t have the luxury of growing as slowly as the on-line web did years ago. It has to be pushed, and pushed hard, and better translation services means more international mobile services.