CN104169872A - Translating application resources - Google Patents

Abstract

According to one general aspect, a system includes an identification module, a translation module, and a display module. The identification module is configured to identify when an application running within the system attempts to display a work to a user of the application in a first language. The translation module is configured to translate the word from the first language to a second language different than the first language. The display module is configured to display the word in the second language to the user.

Description

Translate application resources

technical field

The present invention relates generally to translation of computer applications.

Background technique

Many computer applications or computer programs are commercially available to users. For example, many people own mobile devices, such as smart phones, that are capable of running computer applications.

However, many computer applications or computer programs are available in only a few languages. For example, many computer applications or computer programs are only available in the native language of the developer of the particular program. Accordingly, not all computer applications or computer programs may be readily available to all. For example, a person who does not understand English may not use a computer program or computer application that requires the user to use or interact with the user only in English.

Therefore, there is a need to provide a system for translating computer applications for use by users of different languages.

Contents of the invention

According to one general aspect, a system includes a recognition module, a translation module, and a display module. The recognition module is configured to recognize when an application running within the system attempts to display a word in a first language to a user of the application. The translation module is configured to translate the word from the first language to a second language different from the first language. The display module is configured to display words to the user in the second language.

According to another general aspect, a method comprises: (1) identifying when an application attempts to display a word to a user of the application, the word being in a first language; (2) identifying when an application attempts to display to the user translating the word from the first language to a second language, the second language being different from the first language; and (3) displaying the word to the user in the second language.

According to another general aspect, a computer program product tangibly embodied on a computer-readable medium and comprising instructions that, when executed, are configured to cause at least one processor to: (1) identify an application When a program attempts to display a word to a user of the application, the word is in a first language; (2) translates the word that is attempting to display to the user from the first language to a second language, so the second language is different from the first language; and (3) displaying the word to the user in the second language. According to another general aspect, a method performed by a computing device having at least one processor and a memory includes receiving from an application being executed by the at least one processor to provide a first word for use by the at least one processor. a request for application usage, wherein the application is issued by an entity and the application is associated with one or more resources stored in the memory of the computing device and issued by the entity; determining that the computing a default language of the device; accessing the one or more resources in the memory of the computing device; determining whether the one or more resources include the first word in the default language; if the one or more resources include the first word in the default language, providing the first word to the application; and if the one or more resources do not include all the words in the default language said first word, then: transmitting said first word and an indication of said default language to a translation server; receiving from said translation server a second word obtained by translating said first word into said default language ; and providing the second word to the application.

According to another general aspect, a computing device having at least one processor and a memory includes a receiving module configured to receive a request from an application to provide a first word for use by the application, the The application is published by an entity and is associated with one or more resources stored in the memory of the computing device and published by the entity; a first determining module configured to determine a default of the computing device a language; an access module configured to access the one or more resources; a second determination module configured to determine whether the one or more resources include the first word in the default language and a transmission module, a display module configured to: transmit the first word in the default language to the application if the one or more resources include the first word in the default language a program, the transmission module configured to transmit the first word and an indication of the default language to a translation server, receive from the translation server a second word obtained by translating the first word into the default language two words and transmitting the second word to the application.

According to another general aspect, a computer program product is tangibly embodied on a computer-readable medium and includes instructions that, if executed, cause at least one processor of a computing device to: An application receives a request to provide a first word for use by the application, wherein the application is issued by an entity and the application is identical to a program stored in memory of the computing device and issued by the entity One or more resources are associated; determining a default language of the computing device; accessing the one or more resources in the memory of the computing device; determining whether the one or more resources include the the first word in a default language; if the one or more resources include the first word in the default language, providing the first word to the application; and if the one or a plurality of resources do not contain the first word in the default language, then: transmit the first word and an indication of the default language to a translation server; a second word translated into the default language; and providing the second word to the application.

According to another general aspect, a method is performed by a computing device. The method includes: identifying, by the computing device, a preferred language for an application executing on the computing device, wherein the application utilizes words; accessing one or more resources of the application; determining the one or more resources of the application or more resources do not include the word in the preferred language; and transmitting the word and an indication of the preferred language to a computing system.

According to another general aspect, a computing device includes: an identification module configured to identify a preferred language of an application executing on the computing device, wherein the application utilizes a word; an access module configured to accessing one or more resources of the application; a determining module configured to determine that the one or more resources do not include the word in the preferred language; and a transmitting module configured to transfer the The word and an indication of the preferred language are transmitted to the computing system.

According to another general aspect, a computer program product is tangibly embodied on a computer-readable medium and includes instructions that, if executed, cause at least one processor of a computing device to: identify an application program executing on the computing device wherein the application utilizes a word; accessing one or more resources of the application; determining that the one or more resources do not contain the word in the preferred language; and converting the word and an indication of said preferred language is transmitted to the computing system.

According to another general aspect, a method is performed by a computing device. The method includes: receiving from a first entity an application to be run on a computing device, the application comprising at least one resource comprising words in a first language; receiving from a second entity an application for downloading A request of the application, the second entity has a preferred language, the preferred language is different from the first language; and the word is translated from the first language to the preferred language.

The details of one or more implementations are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

Description of drawings

1 is a block diagram of a system for translating information provided by an application, according to an embodiment.

2 is a flowchart illustrating example operation of a computer program product, according to an implementation.

3 is a flowchart illustrating example operation of a computer program product, according to an implementation.

Figure 4 is a screenshot of the application displaying the user interface.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for displaying text of an application or computer program, according to an implementation.

6 is a block diagram of a system according to an embodiment.

7 is a flowchart illustrating example operation of a computer program product, according to an implementation.

8 is a block diagram of a system according to an embodiment.

9 is a flowchart illustrating example operation of a computer program product, according to an implementation.

10 is a flowchart illustrating example operation of a computer program product, according to an implementation.

Detailed ways

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system 100 for translating information provided by applications, according to one embodiment. System 100 can be used by users or consumers to run or execute programs or applications. For example, system 100 may be or may be incorporated into a computing device such as a handheld computing device or a personal computer.

In some implementations, application and computer program developers may develop applications or computer programs to run or execute on or within the system 100 . In some implementations, the application or computer program is configured to communicate with a user of the application or computer program via a written language or written word. In some implementations, the system 100 is configured to translate words that an application or computer program attempts to provide to a user.

The system 100 includes an identification module 110 , a translation module 120 , a display module 130 and a determination module 140 . In some embodiments, one or more of the components or modules of system 100 or other systems or computing devices disclosed herein may be or include hardware-based modules (e.g., digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate array (FPGA), memory), firmware modules, and/or software-based modules (eg, computer code modules, a set of computer-readable instructions executable by a computer). For example, in some implementations, identification module 110 may be or may include a software module configured for execution by at least one processor (not shown). Similarly, translation module 120 may be or include a software module configured for execution by at least one processor (not shown). In some implementations, the functionality of a module or component may be included in different modules and/or components than those shown in FIG. 1 . For example, although not shown, the functionality of the identification module 110 may be included in a different module than the identification module 110 or may be divided into several different modules.

The identification module 110 is operatively coupled to the application 105 and the determination module 140 . The recognition module 110 is configured to recognize when an application attempts to communicate with the user in a language other than the user's understood or preferred language. For example, if the user prefers to communicate in Japanese and the application 105 is attempting to display words to the user in English, the recognition module will identify this inconsistency or difference.

The translation module 120 is operatively coupled to the recognition module 110 . The translation module 120 is configured to translate the word or words that the application 105 is attempting to display to the user U. For example, in some implementations, translation module 130 is configured to translate the one or several words into several different languages (eg, Chinese, Japanese, German, Spanish, etc.).

In some implementations, translation module 120 includes software configured to translate one or several words. In other implementations, the translation module 120 is configured to communicate with a third party (eg, via a network) to request or otherwise obtain a translation of the word or words.

The translation module 120 is operatively coupled to the display module 130 . The display module 130 is configured to provide output to the user U. For example, in some implementations, the display module 130 is configured to provide visual output to the user U, eg, via a display screen. In some implementations, the display module 130 is configured to output the word or words that have been translated by the translation module 120 .

The determination module 140 is configured to determine the user U's preferred language. For example, in some implementations, the determination module 140 is configured to determine the native language of the user U. In some implementations, the determination module 140 is configured to determine the user's preferred language by determining the user's location (eg, country) and basing the preferred language determination on the language used in the location or country. In some implementations, the determination module 140 is configured to determine the user U's preferred language based on device, system, or application settings as set by the user U.

In some implementations, the determining module 140 includes a querying module 142 and a receiving module 144 . The query module 142 is configured to provide queries to users. In some embodiments, the query requests user U to provide an indication of user U's preferred language. In such implementations, the receiving module 144 is configured to receive responses to queries as provided by user U.

In some implementations, the operating system or platform of the device or system 100 is configured to recognize or recognize when a program or application uses written words to communicate with a user. For example, in some implementations, the operating system is configured to recognize when a program or application 105 attempts to provide a menu or other user interface item to the user. The operating system or platform can then be configured to recognize the language of the menu or other user interface item and can provide the translated menu or other user interface item to the application (for presentation to the user) or directly to the user. In some implementations, the operating system or platform is configured to communicate with a third-party translation service to obtain the necessary translations of menus or other user interface items. In other implementations, the operating system or platform itself may be configured to translate menus or other user interface items.

In other implementations, the program or application 105 may be configured to provide a request to provide a translation of a menu or other user interface item to the operating system or to the platform.

In other implementations, a secondary program or application may be active and may be configured to recognize or recognize when a primary program or application attempts to communicate with a user of the device using written words. In such implementations, the secondary program or application can be configured to interrupt communication between the primary program and the user. The helper program may then communicate with the third-party translation service to obtain any necessary translations or may provide translation functionality. The secondary application may then provide the translated menu or other user interface item to the main program or application 105 (for provision to the user) or may provide the translation directly to the user.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method 200 according to an embodiment. In some embodiments, method 200 allows a user of the application or computer program to communicate or interact with the application or computer program in the user's preferred language. For example, if an application or computer program attempts to communicate with a user via a display that will contain one or several words in a language that is not the user's preferred or user's native language, the method 200 can be used to translate the word or words into the user's preferred language before displaying the word to the user.

In some implementations, a computer program product is tangibly embodied on a computer-readable medium and includes instructions that, when executed, are configured to cause at least one processor to implement the method 200 .

At 210, a determination is made as to whether the application or computer program product is attempting to provide a display to the user. For example, at 210, the method identifies when an application or computer program product attempts to provide a display comprising a word or group of words to a user. For example, at 210, the method identifies if the application or computer program is attempting to communicate or interact with the user by providing queries to the user or if the application or computer program product is providing verbal instructions or information to the user. .

At 220, the application or computer program product is prevented from providing a display to the user. For example, in some implementations, an application or computer program product is interrupted. Specifically, in some implementations, the system of the user's device (eg, a handheld device or personal computer) or another application or computer program may interrupt or intercept an attempt by the application or computer program product to provide a display to the user.

At 230, a determination is made as to whether the language of the word or words that the application is attempting to display to the user is in the user's preferred language. For example, a determination may be made as to whether the language of the word or words is the user's native language. In some implementations, publicly available resources may be used to determine the language of one or several words.

If the word or words displayed are not in the user's language, then at 240, it is determined whether the user allows translation of the word or words. If the user allows translation of the search results, then at 250 the word or words are translated and at 260 a translated display (with the translated word or words) is provided to the user. If the user does not allow translation of the word or words, no translation is performed and the word or words in the original language are provided to the user.

In some implementations, the user may adjust or set a setting indicating whether the user desires or allows translation of search results. Additionally, in some implementations, the user may provide an indication of the user's preferred language. In other implementations, a prompt or request may be provided to the user to allow the user to indicate whether the user wishes to translate the search results.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method 300 according to an embodiment. In some embodiments, the method 300 allows a user of the application or computer program to communicate or interact with the application or computer program in the preferred language of the user of the device. Figure 4 illustrates a screenshot of an application that provides words or communicates with a user of the device in multiple languages that the user of the device may not understand. For example, if an application or computer program attempts to communicate with a user via a display that will contain one or several words in a language that is not the user's preferred or understood or the user's native language, the method 300 can be used to The word or words are translated into the user's preferred language before the word or words are displayed to the user.

In some implementations, a computer program product is tangibly embodied on a computer-readable medium and includes instructions that, when executed, are configured to cause at least one processor to implement the method 300 .

At 310, the method includes identifying when an application or computer program attempts to provide a display to a user that includes words in a language other than the user's preferred or native language. In some implementations, publicly available resources, such as those available via the Internet, are used to determine the language of the word or words that the application or computer program is attempting to display to the user.

In some implementations, the operating system or platform of the device is configured to recognize or recognize when a program or application uses written words to communicate with a user. For example, in some implementations, the operating system is configured to recognize when a program or application attempts to provide a menu or other user interface item to the user. The operating system or platform can then be configured to recognize the language of the menu or other user interface item and can provide the translated menu or other user interface item to the application (for presentation to the user) or directly to the user. In some implementations, the operating system or platform is configured to communicate with a third-party translation service to obtain the necessary translations of menus or other user interface items. In other implementations, the operating system or platform itself may be configured to translate menus or other user interface items.

In other implementations, a program or application may be configured to provide a request to provide a translation of a menu or other user interface item to the operating system or to the platform.

In other implementations, a secondary program or application may be active and may be configured to recognize or recognize when a primary program or application attempts to communicate with a user of the device using written words. In such implementations, the secondary program or application can be configured to interrupt communication between the primary program and the user. The helper program may then communicate with the third-party translation service to obtain any necessary translations or may provide translation functionality. The secondary application may then provide the translated menu or other user interface item to the main program or application for provision to the user or may provide the translation directly to the user.

In some embodiments, the user provides an indication of the user's preferred language. For example, in some implementations, method 300 includes requesting an indication of a preferred language from a user. In some embodiments, the preferred language is the user's native language.

In some implementations, the application or computer program is interrupted from providing a display with words in its original language to the user. For example, in some implementations, the operating system or other program of the user's device interrupts the application or computer program from providing a display with words in its original language to the user.

At 320, words in the display that are not in the user's preferred language are translated. For example, if the user's preferred language is Chinese and the original language of the word is English, then the word will be translated into Chinese. In some implementations, words can be translated using publicly available translation services. For example, translation services available via the Internet may be used to translate words into the user's preferred language. At 330, a display including the translated word is provided to the user.

5 is a flowchart of a method 500 for displaying text (eg, menus) of an application or computer program in different languages, according to an implementation. In this example, the resource-based text string can be translated and displayed to the user of the device.

For example, in some implementations, the following is an implementation of a menu item and the display of this menu item.

Override

public boolean onCreateOptionsMenu(final Menu menu){

final boolean result = super.onCreateOptionsMenu(menu);

String menuTitle = getString(R.string.menu_title);

MenuItem item = menu.add(menuTitle);

return result && item! = null;

In addition, the string resource directory containing R.string.menu_title can be as follows.

values/string.xml

values-mcc232-de/strings.xml

values-en/string.xml

values-fr-rCA/string.xml

values-en-port/string.xml

values-en-notouch-12key/string.xml

Method 500 may be used to display menus in the preferred language of a user of the device. In the illustrated embodiment, at 510, a local resource, such as values/string.xml, is determined. Specifically, at 512, all resource directories for a given resource are located. At 514, resource files that contradict the device configuration are eliminated. At 516, a qualifier is identified. At 518, resource directories that do not contain the specified qualifier are eliminated. Items 516 and 518 are repeated until only one directory remains (eg, values/string.xml).

At 520, the platform of the device may determine or detect whether an automatic translation has been requested. If not already requested, the process is completed. If automatic translation has been requested, then at 530, it is determined or detected whether the language of the local resource is the same as the user's preferred language. If yes, then complete the process. If not, then at 540, the resource can be translated using a translation service. For example, a translation service may be used to translate strings of resources (which are in any language) into the user's preferred language (any other language).

In some implementations, the translation service can be a program running on the device itself, or the device can communicate with a third-party translation service, such as a translation service accessible via the Internet.

In some implementations, the device is configured to recognize or detect the user's preferred language. For example, in some implementations, the user may be asked to provide a preferred language. In other implementations, the device is configured to detect the user's location or locale and select the language of the user's location or locale as the user's preferred language.

In some embodiments, an application programming interface (API) may be changed or modified to support method 500 . For example, the API can be modified as follows.

"String getString(int resourceId)" can be changed to "String getString(int resourceId,booleanautoTranslateWhenNeeded)".

Therefore, according to the above example, "String menuTitle=getString(R.string.menu_title)" can be changed to "String menuTitle=getString(R.string.menu_title,true)".

In some implementations, a text string or resource identifies a language. For example, in some implementations, a text string or resource identifies the language of the text string. In other implementations, the device, application or program includes an identifier configured to recognize a default language of the text string.

In some implementations, the application or program includes a cache of language translations for the application's text strings. In such implementations, translated text strings may be looked up or identified rather than performing new translations of the text strings.

In some implementations, the device's application or platform includes an option to enable or disable the automatic translation feature. In such implementations, a user can determine whether an application or program should provide translated text strings.

In some implementations, a developer of an application or program may specify a target language or more than one target language. Then, resources and text strings can be fully translated into all target languages. In such implementations, no actual translation of resources or text strings need be done during runtime of the application.

In some implementations, text strings located within the code of an application or computer program may be translated. For example, the text string to be displayed can be as follows.

myTextView.setText("Hello World");

The API may be modified as follows.

TextView::setText(String text,Language language,Boolean autoTranslateWhenNeeded);

The parameter "language" may specify the language of the given string. If the language of the string is not specified, the translation service can analyze the string and provide that language. If the language of the string is not the same as the user's preferred language, the application or computer program can contact a translation service (eg, via the Internet) to translate the string into the preferred language. The string in the user's preferred language may then be displayed or presented to the user.

In some implementations, the following pseudocode can be used.

String text = "hello world";

String textTranslated＝getTranslateService().translate(text,

originalLanguage, targetLanguage);

myTextView.setText(textTranslated);

In such implementations, the platform of the device makes the developer of the application or computer program aware of the translation service. Developers of applications or computer programs may use translation services if required.

As illustrated in FIG. 6 , in some implementations, a system 600 such as a computer system or computing device includes a processor 610 and a memory 620 . The system further includes a receiving module 630 , a first determining module 640 , an accessing module 650 , a second determining module 660 and a transmitting module 670 .

The receiving module 630 is configured to receive a request from the application to provide the first word for use by the application. For example, in some implementations, applications may be stored in memory 620 . An application may be requesting the word so that the word may be displayed or presented to a user of the system or device 600 . In some embodiments, applications are published or distributed or otherwise provided to device 600 by an entity. Applications may be associated with resources stored in memory 620 , such as text files or code (eg, compiled code). The first word requested by the application may be a word located in or associated with one of the resources. In some embodiments, resources are also published or allocated by the entity providing the application.

The receiving module 630 is operatively coupled to a first determining module 640 . The first determination module 640 is configured to determine a default language of the system or computing device 600 . In some implementations, the first determination module 640 is configured to identify a default language via a setting in the device or system 600 . In other implementations, the first determination module 640 is configured to provide a query to a user of the device 600 to determine a default or preferred language.

The access module 650 is configured to access resources of an application. The resources may be located in compiled code or stored in text-type files. The second determination module 660 is configured to determine whether the application's resources include one or several words in a default or preferred language.

If one or several words of the resource are in a preferred or default language, transmission module 670 is configured to transmit the one or several words to the application.

If the word or words of the resource are not in a preferred or default language, transmission module 670 is configured to provide a translation of the word or words to the application. In some implementations, the transmission module 670 is configured to transmit the one or several words and an indication of the default or preferred language to a translation server, such as a translation server or service publicly available via the Internet. In such implementations, the transport module 670 is also configured to receive the results of the translation and provide such results (the translated word or words) to the application.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a method 700 according to an embodiment. Method 700 may be performed by a computing device including at least one processor and a memory. Method 700 includes, at 710, receiving a request to provide a word for use by an application. In some embodiments, the application is executing on a processor of the device. An application is published or distributed by an entity and is associated with resources (such as compiled code or text files) that are also published or provided by the entity. In some implementations, resources associated with the application are stored in memory of device 700 .

At 720, one or more resources including the requested word are accessed in memory of the device. At 730, it is determined whether the requested word is in the default or preferred language of the device. In some implementations, this determination includes determining a default or preferred language of the device. For example, in some implementations, a method includes providing a query to a user of a device that requests or determines a default or preferred language for the device (or a user of the device).

At 740, the word is transmitted or provided to the application. In some implementations, the word is provided to the application if the word is in the default language of the device. In some implementations, if the word is not in the default language, the word is translated into the default language and the word (the second word) is provided to the application. In some implementations, method 700 includes transmitting the first word and an indication of the default language to a translation server or service. For example, an indication of the first word and default language may be provided to a translation service via the Internet. In such implementations, the method 700 also includes receiving a second word (the result of the first word being translated into the default language) from a translation service or server and providing the second word to the application.

As illustrated in FIG. 8 , in some implementations, a system or computing device 800 includes an identification module 810 , an access module 820 , a determination module 830 , and a transmission module 840 . In some implementations, system 800 may also include one or more processors and one or more memories.

Recognition module 810 is configured to recognize a default or preferred language of applications being executed on device 800 . In some implementations, an application utilizes one or several words. For example, an application may communicate with a user of device 800 by displaying one or several words on the device's display. The word or words may be located in the application's code or it may be located and stored in other resources used by the application, such as text files.

Access module 820 is configured to access one or more resources used by applications executing on device 800 . The determination module 830 is configured to determine whether the word or words are in the default or preferred language of the device 800 . If the one or several words are not in the default or preferred language, transmission module 840 is configured to transmit the one or several words and an indication of the preferred language. For example, in some implementations, the one or several words and the preferred or default language may be transmitted to a system, such as a computing system, configured to translate the one or several words into the preferred or default language. In some implementations, the words in the preferred language are stored in memory or cache memory of the computing device.

In some implementations, the system 800 is configured to determine whether one or several words should be automatically translated into the preferred language.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a method 900 according to an embodiment. Method 900 may be performed by a computing device. Method 900 includes, at 910, identifying a preferred language for an application executing on a computing device. In some implementations, the application utilizes words. For example, in some implementations, an application utilizes words to communicate with a user of the computing device (eg, by displaying the words to the user of the computing device).

In some implementations, an application is associated with one or more resources. One or more resources may contain one or several words utilized by the application. For example, in some implementations, the one or more resources are compiled code or text files stored in memory of the device. At 920, one or more resources of the application are accessed.

At 930, a determination is made as to whether the one or more resources contain words in the preferred language of the user or device. In some implementations, the method includes providing a user with a query to determine a preferred language.

At 940, an indication of the word and preferred language is provided to the computing system. In some implementations, an indication of the word and preferred language is provided to allow translation of the word into the preferred language. In some embodiments, the computing system is a local computing system. In other embodiments, the computing system is a remote computing system, and the word and indication of the preferred language can be transmitted via the Internet.

In some implementations, method 900 includes determining whether a computing system's memory or cache contains words in a preferred language.

In some implementations, translation of text or text strings to be displayed to a user of the device may occur at compile time, release time, download time, or management time.

In some embodiments, the translation of the text occurs at compile time. A developer of an application or computer program may provide default resources and their language information. When compiling code, developers can specify several languages. The compiler can then automatically translate the default resource into the specified language and package it into a binary, so that when a user with a preferred language matching the target language uses the application, the application will serve or display text in the user's preferred language to the user. In this embodiment, no network connection may be required at runtime.

In some embodiments, translation of the text occurs at the time of publication. Similar to the above, when releasing an application or computer program to the market, a developer can designate a target language. In this embodiment, additional resource packages may be contracted by market holders rather than developers.

In some implementations, the translation of the text or string of text can be translated when the user downloads the application or computer program. For example, when a user downloads an application or computer program, the marketplace or marketplace provider can detect whether the application natively supports the user's preferred language. If the application does not support the user's preferred language, the marketplace or marketplace provider can prompt the user that the application can be translated into their language (or more languages can be specified). The user can then accept the suggestion and the relevant resource will be downloaded or translated into the user's preferred language and downloaded.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a method 1000 according to an embodiment. Method 1000 may be executed on a computing device having one or more processors and one or more memories. The method includes, at 1010, receiving an application to run on a computing device from a first entity. For example, a computing system can include a receiving module configured to receive an application from a first entity. In some implementations, the application includes at least one resource having words in a first language. In some implementations, the resource may be compiled code. In other implementations, the resource may be a text file. In some implementations, the application uses words to communicate with the user of the application.

At 1010, a request to download an application is received from a second entity. For example, the second entity may be a different entity or individual than the first entity. The second entity has a preferred language, eg, a primary language spoken or understood by the second entity.

In some implementations, the computing system includes a second receiving module configured to receive a request from a second entity. The second receiving module may be a component of a marketplace configured to provide or distribute the application to consumers.

At 1020, the word is translated from the first language to the preferred language. In some implementations, the method includes locally translating the word from the first language to the second language. For example, translation software can be executed on a computing device to translate words from a first language to a preferred language. In other implementations, the word and an indication of the preferred language may be transmitted to a translation service or server, eg, via the Internet.

In some implementations, the method 1000 includes providing a query to the second entity to determine whether the word should be translated into the preferred language.

In some implementations, text or strings of text can be translated at the time of administration. For example, as discussed above with respect to translation at compile time, an application manager or provider may specify a target language (or languages) for the application. An application manager or provider may request offline translation of text or text strings. In this embodiment, no translation occurs at runtime.

Embodiments of the various techniques described herein may be implemented in digital electronic circuitry or in computer hardware, firmware, software, or combinations thereof. Embodiments can be implemented as a computer program product, i.e., a computer program tangibly embodied in an information carrier, for example, in a machine-readable storage device (computer-readable medium) or in a propagated signal, for The operation of said data processing device is processed or controlled by a data processing device (eg, a programmable processor, a computer or computers). Computer programs such as those described above can be written in any form of programming language, including compiled or interpreted languages, and can be deployed in any form, including as a stand-alone program or as a is a module, component, subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment. A computer program can be deployed to be processed on one computer or on multiple computers at one site or distributed across multiple sites and interconnected by a communication network.

Method steps can be performed by one or more programmable processors executing a computer program to perform functions by operating on input data and generating output. Method steps can also be performed by, and apparatus can be implemented as, special purpose logic circuitry, such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit).

Processors suitable for processing a computer program include, by way of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, and any one or more processors of any kind of digital computer. Generally, a processor will receive instructions and data from a read only memory or a random access memory or both. Elements of a computer may include at least one processor for executing instructions and one or more memory devices for storing instructions and data. In general, a computer may also include or be operatively coupled to receive data from one or more mass storage devices (e.g., magnetic, magneto-optical, or optical disks) for storing data or Data is transferred to the one or more mass storage devices or both received and transferred. Information carriers suitable for embodying computer program instructions and data include all forms of non-volatile memory including, by way of example: semiconductor memory devices such as EPROM, EEPROM and flash memory devices; magnetic disks such as internal hard disks or removable disks ; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The processor and memory can be supplemented by or incorporated in special purpose logic circuitry.

To provide for interaction with the user, embodiments may be implemented on a computer having a display device (e.g., a cathode ray tube (CRT) or liquid crystal display (LCD) monitor) for displaying information to the user and the user may display information via A keyboard and pointing device (such as a mouse or trackball) that provide input to a computer. Other types of devices may also be used to provide interaction with the user; for example, the feedback provided to the user may be any form of sensory feedback, such as visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback; and the input from the user may be any input in any form, including sound, speech, or tactile input.

Embodiments may be implemented in a computing system (comprising back-end components, e.g., as data servers; or containing middleware components, e.g., application servers; or containing front-end components, e.g., having a graphical user interface through which a user can interact with the embodiments. interface or web browser client computer) or any combination of such back-end, middleware or front-end components. Components can be interconnected by any form or medium of digital data communication (eg, a communication network). Examples of communication networks include local area networks (LANs) and wide area networks (WANs), such as the Internet.

While some features of the described implementations have been illustrated as described herein, many modifications, substitutions, changes and equivalents will now occur to those skilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the scope of the embodiments. It should be understood that the described embodiments have been presented by way of example only, not limitation, and that various changes in form and detail may be made. Any portion of the apparatus and/or methods described herein may be combined in any combination, except mutually exclusive combinations. The implementations described herein can comprise various combinations and/or sub-combinations of the functions, components and/or features of the different implementations described.

Claims (58)

1. A method performed by a computing device having at least one processor and a memory, the method comprising: receiving a request from an application program being executed by the at least one processor to provide a first word for use by the application program, wherein: said application is published by the entity, and the application is associated with one or more resources stored in the memory of the computing device and published by the entity; determining a default language for the computing device; accessing the one or more resources in the memory of the computing device; determining whether the one or more resources include the first word in the default language; providing the first word to the application if the one or more resources include the first word in the default language; and If said one or more resources do not contain said first word in said default language, then: transmitting the first word and an indication of the default language to a translation server; receiving a second word obtained by translating the first word into the default language from the translation server; and The second word is provided to the application. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more resources comprise resources stored as text files. 3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said accessing said one or more resources in said memory of said computing device comprises accessing in said memory of said computing device stored as a text file One or more resources for . 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more resources comprise resources stored within compiled code. 5. The method of claim 1 , wherein said accessing said one or more resources in said memory of said computing device comprises accessing in said memory of said computing device stored in compiled One or more resources within the code. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the default language is a preferred language of a user of the computing device. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining a default language of the device comprises providing the user of the device with a query to identify the default language of the device. 8. A computing device having at least one processor and a memory, comprising: a receiving module configured to receive a request from an application issued by an entity and stored in the memory of the computing device with the application to provide a first word for use by the application associated with one or more resources published by said entity; a first determining module configured to determine a default language of the computing device; an access module configured to access the one or more resources; a second determination module configured to determine whether the one or more resources include the first word in the default language; and a transmission module configured to transmit the first word in the default language to the application if the one or more resources include the first word in the default language program, The transmission module is configured to transmit the first word and an indication of the default language to a translation server, receive from the translation server a second word obtained by translating the first word into the default language and transmitting the second word to the application. 9. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the one or more resources comprise resources stored as text files. 10. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the one or more resources comprise resources stored within compiled code. 11. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the default language is a preferred language of a user of the computing device. 12. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the first determining module comprises a query module configured to provide the user of the device with a query to identify the default language of the device. 13. A computer program product tangibly embodied on a computer-readable medium and comprising instructions that, if executed, cause at least one processor of a computing device to: receiving a request from an application program being executed by the at least one processor to provide a first word for use by the application program, wherein: said application is published by the entity, and the application is associated with one or more resources stored in memory of the computing device and published by the entity; determining a default language for the computing device; accessing the one or more resources in the memory of the computing device; determining whether the one or more resources include the first word in the default language; providing the first word to the application if the one or more resources include the first word in the default language; and If said one or more resources do not contain said first word in said default language, then: transmitting the first word and an indication of the default language to a translation server; receiving a second word obtained by translating the first word into the default language from the translation server; and The second word is provided to the application. 14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the one or more resources comprise resources stored as text files. 15. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the one or more resources comprise resources stored within compiled code. 16. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the default language is a preferred language of a user of the computing device. 17. The computer program product of claim 13 , further comprising instructions that, if executed, cause the at least one processor to provide a query to the user of the device to identify the default language of the device . 18. A method performed by a computing device, the method comprising: identifying, by the computing device, a preferred language for an application executing on the computing device, wherein the application utilizes words; accessing one or more resources of the application; determining that the one or more resources do not contain the word in the preferred language; and The word and an indication of the preferred language are transmitted to a computing system. 19. The method of claim 18, further comprising: It is determined whether the word is to be automatically translated into the preferred language. 20. The method of claim 18, further comprising: It is determined whether a cache memory of the computing device contains the word in the preferred language. 21. The method of claim 18, wherein the one or more resources comprise resources stored as text files. 22. The method of claim 18, wherein the accessing one or more resources comprises accessing one or more resources stored as text files. 23. The method of claim 18, wherein the one or more resources comprise resources stored within compiled code. 24. The method of claim 18, wherein the accessing the one or more resources comprises accessing one or more resources stored within compiled code. 25. The method of claim 18, wherein the identifying comprises providing a user of the device with a query to identify the preferred language. 26. A computing device comprising: an identification module configured to identify a preferred language of an application executing on the computing device, wherein the application utilizes words; an access module configured to access one or more resources of the application; a determining module configured to determine that the one or more resources do not include the word in the preferred language; and a transmission module configured to transmit the word and an indication of the preferred language to a computing system. 27. The computing device of claim 26, wherein the one or more resources comprise resources stored as text files. 28. The computing device of claim 26, wherein the one or more resources comprise resources stored within compiled code. 29. A computer program product tangibly embodied on a computer-readable medium and comprising instructions that, if executed, cause at least one processor of a computing device to: identifying a preferred language for an application executing on the computing device, wherein the application utilizes words; accessing one or more resources of the application; determining that the one or more resources do not contain the word in the preferred language; and The word and an indication of the preferred language are transmitted to a computing system. 30. The computer program product of claim 29, further comprising instructions that if executed cause the at least one processor to determine whether the word is to be automatically translated into the preferred language. 31. The computer program product of claim 29, further comprising instructions that if executed cause the at least one processor to determine whether a cache memory of the computing device contains the word in the preferred language. 32. The computer program product of claim 29, wherein the one or more resources comprise resources stored as text files. 33. The computer program product of claim 29, wherein the one or more resources comprise resources stored within compiled code. 34. The computer program product of claim 29, further comprising instructions that if executed cause the at least one processor to provide a query to identify the preferred language to a user of the device. 35. A method performed by a computing device, the method comprising: receiving an application to run on a computing device from a first entity, the application comprising at least one resource comprising words in a first language; receiving a request to download the application from a second entity, the second entity having a preferred language that is different from the first language; and Translating the word from the first language to the preferred language. 36. The method of claim 41 , further comprising: A query is provided to the second entity to determine whether the word should be translated into the preferred language. 37. The method of claim 41, wherein the words are stored as text files. 38. The method of claim 41, wherein the word is stored within compiled code. 39. A system comprising: a recognition module configured to recognize when an application running within the system attempts to display a word in a first language to a user of the application, a translation module configured to translate the word from the first language to a second language different from the first language; and a display module configured to display the word to the user in the second language. 40. The system of claim 39, wherein the second language is the user's preferred language. 41. The system of claim 39, further comprising: a determination module configured to determine a preferred language of the user. 42. The system of claim 39, further comprising: A determination module configured to determine a preferred language of the user, the determination module including a query module configured to provide a query regarding the user's preferred language. 43. The system of claim 39, further comprising: a determining module configured to determine a preferred language of the user, the determining module comprising a query module configured to provide a query regarding the user's preferred language, and a receiving module configured to to receive a response to the query from the user. 44. A computer program product tangibly embodied on a computer-readable medium and comprising instructions configured, when executed, to cause at least one processor to: identifying when an application attempts to display a word to a user of the application, the word being in the first language; translating the word attempted to be displayed to the user from the first language to a second language, the second language being different from the first language; and The word is displayed to the user in the second language. 45. The computer program product of claim 44, wherein the second language is the user's preferred language. 46. The computer program product of claim 44, further comprising instructions that, when executed, are configured to cause the at least one processor to: determining whether the first language is the preferred language of the user, and if the first language is not the preferred language of the user, changing the word attempted to be displayed to the user from the first language translated into said second language. 47. The computer program product of claim 44, further comprising instructions that, when executed, are configured to cause the at least one processor to: A query is provided to the user to determine the user's preferred language. 48. The computer program product of claim 44, further comprising instructions that, when executed, are configured to cause the at least one processor to: Determine the user's preferred language. 49. The computer program product of claim 44, wherein the word is one of a group of words. 50. The computer program product of claim 44, further comprising instructions that, when executed, are configured to cause the at least one processor to: Input is received from the user to determine a preferred language for the user. 51. A method comprising: identifying when an application attempts to display a word to a user of the application, the word being in the first language; translating the word attempted to be displayed to the user from the first language to a second language, the second language being different from the first language; and The word is displayed to the user in the second language. 52. The method of claim 51, wherein the second language is the user's preferred language. 53. The method of claim 51 , further comprising: determining whether the first language is the preferred language of the user, and if the first language is not the preferred language of the user, changing the word attempted to be displayed to the user from the first language translated into said second language. 54. The method of claim 51 , further comprising: A query is provided to the user to determine the user's preferred language. 55. The method of claim 51 , further comprising: Determine the user's preferred language. 56. The method of claim 51, wherein the word is one of a group of words. 57. The method of claim 51 , further comprising: Input is received from the user to determine a preferred language for the user. 58. The method of claim 51, wherein the displaying includes displaying the word on a visual display.