1. A method of converting strings to a common language comprising: determining a user-selected target language; associating a user-selected primary input language and at least one user-selected secondary input language with the target language, wherein the target language is common to, and different from, the primary input language and the at least one secondary input language; obtaining a string of at least one character; converting the obtained string from the primary input language to the target language if the obtained string corresponds to a valid string in the primary input language by using a phonetic lexicon to interpret the obtained string in the target language based upon a phonetic correspondence of the obtained string in the primary input language; converting the obtained string from at least one secondary input language to the target language if the obtained string corresponds to a valid string in the corresponding secondary input language and is not a valid string in the primary input language by using a translation lexicon to translate the obtained string from the secondary language to the target language; and outputting the converted string in the target language to an output device.