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.
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. 5. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising: a phonetic lexicon associated with the conversion from the primary input language to the target language; and a translation lexicon associated with the conversion from the secondary language to the target language; wherein: converting the obtained string from the primary input language to the target language comprises using the 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; and converting the obtained string from the second input language to the target language comprises using the translation lexicon to translate the obtained string from the secondary language to the target language.