Lingo stars: site-seeing on the World Wide Web? Better take along your translator

Entrepreneur, Sept, 1998 by Cassandra Cavanah

QUICK AND EASY

If you're not interested in investing any money in translation programs or services, you can always turn to the Web to get quick translations. For example, http://babelfish.altavista.digital.com is powered by Systran, one of the biggest names in translation software, and lets users quickly translate information from English into French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish, or the other way around. This makes it easy to translate short messages and cut and paste them into your e-mail program. Best of all, it's free.

If you have a large document that needs translating, check out Systran's online translation service, which is scheduled to be up and running this fall. For one cent per word (with a $2 minimum), you can have an entire document translated. This means there's no need to install another software program on your already crowded hard drive. It also means you can do it from any location. Say, for example, you're on a sales call in Munich and failed to realize that many of the individuals attending the meeting don't read English. You can employ Systran to translate your documents overnight.

It's difficult not to be completely overwhelmed by the power of computers and, more significantly, the Internet. Products like these prove that the time has come to think globally. There's no reason to limit your company to your own small corner of the world. The global economy requires that you think out of the box and experiment with the products and services available to everyone - your competitors included.

RELATED ARTICLE: NEW AND NOTABLE SOFTWARE

* FormTool Express: IMSI (International Microcomputer Software Inc.), the makers of FormTool 97, a high-end form-creating software product, has adapted its program to fit the needs of small-business users. FormTool Express offers premade forms, custom form creation, a fiat file database, and label and report templates. For $39.95, users have access to 250 ready-to-use forms. FormTool Expres' e-mail capability lets users send finished forms, such as proposals, purchase orders and invoices, directly to the people who need them, This product is for use with Windows systems only. For more information, visit www.imsisoft.com or call (415) 257-3000.

* Trellix Trelligram Utility: Have you ever visited a Web site and wished you could send a copy of it to co-workers or friends? Trellix Corp.'s Trellix Trelligram has a solution for you. Trelligram technology lets you package HTML and related files along with the Trelligram Delivery Service into a single file. To open it, the recipient simply doubleclicks on the attachment icon, which launches their browser and lets them read and navigate HTML files on their desktop as they would with any Web site. For the time being, Trelligram is free; download a copy at www.trellix.com.

* Event Planner Plus: Event-planning can be a huge headache. Whether you're planning a press conference, a trade show or a charity event, there are so many details to keep track of: invitations, mailing lists, RSVPs, travel and accommodations, seating and floor plans, name tags and so on. Certain Software addresses these issues with Event Planner Plus. This program is aimed at event and meeting planners working in small businesses; it promises to alleviate the stress of event-planning by supplying all the tools you'll need. This Windows-based product costs $495. Visit www. certain.com or call (415) 353-5330.