Resources Menu
TraduceloAhora FAQs for Parent Centers
Some information is adapted from IBM’s TraduceloAhora FAQs posted on their Web site at http://www.traduceloahora.org/faq.
Other questions are from the TraduceloAhora Webinar held for Parent Centers on July 22, 2008.
TraduceloAhora uses IBM’s translation software to provide autmotic:
- English-Spanish web page translation
- bi-directional English-Spanish email translation
- Spanish-English cross-lingual search
Your Parent Center staff can register to use this program and also share access with families and professionals you serve.
- Using TraduceloAhora at Your Parent Center
- IBM Software – General Information
- Web Site Translation
- Smart Search Translation
- Email Translation
Using TraduceloAhora At Your Parent Center
Does our Parent Center have to receive our own grant to share this software with families and professionals we work with?
No, through PACER’s national grant from IBM, all Parent Centers have access to TraduceloAhora and can share the project passcode and registration information with families and professionals who could benefit from the program.
Is there a limit to how many people we can give access to?
No, feel free to share the passcode with any family you work with and encourage them to share the passcode with any teachers or professionals with whom they frequently communicate.
If, however, a school you work with would like to use TraduceloAhora at an organizational level, they should contact IBM about applying for their own TraduceloAhora grant. Schools can express their interest in becoming a grant site through the TraduceloAhora “Contact Us” page:
http://www.traduceloahora.org/contact. Ask them to include in their message that they heard about the program through the Alliance.
Are Parent Centers allowed to include the registration process on our Web site or in newsletters?
Yes! Feel free to publicize the availability of the TraduceloAhora program through your Web site, emails, or newsletters.
May we list IBM's TraduceloAhora software as an in-kind grant to our individual center?
Yes, IBM has set a value of $20,000 for use of the TraduceloAhora software, no matter how many users sign-up from your Parent Center. Please note this is the value of the software; grant recipients do not receive any cash as part of the program.
How long will we have access to this program?
As of now, registered users have indefinite access to the TraduceloAhora software.
What if families we work with do not have a computer or internet access at home?
Encourage families to seek out libraries or other community centers that provide free access to public computers. There are a variety of free web-based email services where parents can sign up for a free email account, such as Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail, and others.
IBM Translation Software – General Information
What are the technical requirements for the TraduceloAhora software?
The IBM TraduceloAhora software is completely Web-based and does not require you to download anything to your computer. Once you register, you can sign-in and use the software from any computer with internet access. This makes the program especially appealing to families that do not have a computer at home and rely on libraries or other locations for internet and email access.
How do we install upgrades or updates?
Because TraduceloAhora is completely web-based and does not require you to download or install any software, users are not required to install any updates themselves.
Will IBM be expanding this capability to other languages?
IBM’s Websphere Translation Server, which is used by the TraduceloAhora program, supports nine languages, however Spanish-English is the only language pair available through a grant program. More information about WebSphere Translation Server at http://www-306.ibm.com/software/pervasive/ws_translation_server/.
How accurate is the Web site and email translation?
Automatic translation is not perfect and does not produce texts with the same fluency that human translators have. The TraduceloAhora software is as good or better than other available programs; Spanish speakers using the software can easily gain a sense of the content of Web sites and emails. IBM’s software is contstantly improving based on user feedback and technology enhancements.
Would this program work to help English speakers "learn" Spanish as well?
The TraduceloAhora program was developed to help Spanish speakers bridge the digital divide by providing them increased access to information on the internet and enhance communication between English and Spanish speakers through bi-directional email translation. It is not meant to be a tool for English speakers to learn Spanish.
Registration
http://www.traduceloahora.org/registration
When I register, what should I enter for School/Organization and Project Passcode?
Parent Ceters and those affiliated with them should select “Alliance Parent Center” from the School/Organization dropdown menu.
For the Project Passcode, enter your 2-letter state postal abbreviation followed by “TRADUCELO”, entered in all caps. (I.e., if you live in New York, the project passcode = NYTRADUCELO).
Once I register, how long will I have access to the program? Do I need to sign-up annually to use the TraduceloAhora program?
All registered users have indefinite access to the software through PACER’s TraduceloAhora grant and do not need to re-register.
Web Site Translation
Why isn’t all the text on the Web site translated?
Graphics and dynamic content cannot be translated by the TraduceloAhora software. This includes text that is embedded in a graphic (often occurs in logos or banners), Flash (often used in animation), Java applets, or dynamic HTML scripts. If alternate text was embedded in a graphic, you can move the cursor over the image and that text will be translated to Spanish.
Web forms or web pages produced in response to a web form (i.e., searches) are also not translated by the software. (Click here for information on translating Web searches.)
Are results from search engines translated?
To translate Web searches, use the TraduceloAhora “SmartSearch” by clicking “Search” after signing in. Here you can type search phrases in Spanish and choose whether to receive search results of Spanish or English Web sites (or both).
Can we place a link on our Web site so that families visiting our Web site know it can be translated?
Visitors to your Web site must be registered with the TraduceloAhora program in order to translate your page into Spanish, so it is not possible to post a direct link to a translated version of your site. You can, however, post information about the TraduceloAhora program with instructions on how to register so that families and professionals can sign-up to have access to the TraduceloAhora software. You may want to post this information in English and Spanish.
What happens if a Web site I enter to translate already contains Spanish text?
The TraduceloAhora software attempts to “re-translate” existing Spanish text into Spanish. IBM is working on fixing this problem so that the software recognizes existing Spanish text on Web sites and does not alter the content.
Can a translated Web site be saved and/or sent to someone else?
There are a couple of ways to save a translated Web page. If you have Adobe Professional or another PDF maker, you can go to File>Print in your Web browser window and select “Adobe PDF” or “Save as PDF” (exact wording will vary depending on your software). You can also select File>Save As, and save the translated Web document that way. Please remember that this will save the Web site as it was on the date and time you saved the file and the content will not be automatically updated.
How can I provide feedback on the quality of Web site translations?
Each time you translate a page through the TraduceloAhora program, there will be a feedback bar on the top of the translated site. You can rate the translation with 0-5 stars and provide written feedback in a comment box.
If I send feedback or a correction for a Web site translation, when can I expect the problem to be fixed?
IBM makes quarterly updates to the automatic translation software based on feedback from users. It is continually being improved and updated, which is why your comments are so important. IBM makes overall changes to the translation software, so they cannot guarantee that all specific errors reported will be fixed.
Does TraduceloAhora translate the contents of documents posted on Web sites (PDF, Word, Ppt, etc.)?
No, documents that must be downloaded and that are not part of the actual web site code are not translated. To translate text from posted documents, copy and paste the text into the body of an email and use the TraduceloAhora bidirectional email translation program.
Smart Search Translation
What is TraduceloAhora Smart Search?
The TraduceloAhora Smart Search feature allows users to enter search queries and receive results in the language selected (English, Spanish, or any). If an English Web site is found, users can click on “en español” next to the search result and TraduceloAhora will translate the site into Spanish.
What options are available when using Smart Search?
You can choose how many results are returned in each page, in what language the returned Web results are written, and whether the search is performed in “word” or “phrase” mode.
What is the difference between searching in “word” mode and searching in “phrase” mode?
In general, fewer search results are returned when using phrase mode. In word mode, each Spanish word entered as part of the query is searched for separately. In phrase mode, the words are submitted together and results must have an exact match with the term entered.
Email Translation
Does TraduceloAhora translate email attachments?
No, attachments are removed from emails by the software and are not translated. The text from attachments must be copied and pasted into the body of the email in order for them to be translated.
Do recipients of my email need to be registered for TraduceloAhora in order for the email to be translated?
No. As long as the email is sent from a registered account, the email will be translated and delivered to the recipient.
Does the software take into account the context of the sentence?
No, the software translates text literally. For example, it can not tell whether the word “glasses” is referring to eyeglasses or a water glass. IBM is working on improving the software’s ability to take into account the context of a sentence.
What can I do to improve the quality of email translations?
You will have the best results if you write in short, simple sentences. Be sure to check the spelling carefully and include accent marks, if writing in Spanish. Avoid the use of jargon, slang, idioms, and abbreviations. Do not include items with complex HTML formatting, such as images or tables.
Is there a limit to how much text can be translated through email?
Yes, TraduceloAhora will translate incoming emails with up to about 3,000 words (approximately 3 single-spaced pages of text).
How long does it take for emails to be translated?
There is an approximate 5 minute lag time between when the email is sent and when the recipient (and sender) receive a copy of the translated email.
How can I provide feedback on the quality of email translations?
Comments can be submitted on the “Contact Us” page of the TraduceloAhora Web site: http://www.traduceloahora.org/contact. It is helpful if you can include the date, time, and subject line of the email you are referring to when submitting comments about a specific message.
|
Visit Related Sites: TA&D Network | ED.Gov | What Works Clearinghouse | FAPE |
Join us on -
Facebook 
YouTube 
Twitter 
|
The ALLIANCE site offers many PDF files for download, which require Adobe Reader to view.This project is supported by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). Opinions expressed herein do not necessarily represent the position of the U.S. Department of Education. |
©2011 PACER Center, Inc.
|