1. A computer-implemented language translation system comprising: a computer-implemented request distribution system, which receives requests to translate source speech or text from a source language to a target language, and wherein the request distribution system breaks the source speech or text into a plurality of text fragments and incorporates the fragments into a plurality of translation requests; a translation network comprised of multiple human and machine translators, wherein the human and machine translators are treated uniformly and generate translation responses containing one or more suggested translations of the text fragments into the target language, and wherein each of the translators has a translator reputation that describes an expected quality of translations provided by each of the human and machine translators; and a computer-implemented response assembly system, which collects the translation responses, which includes a plurality of translations for each and every text fragment and automatically assembles the suggested translations into an overall source speech or text translation based on the translator reputations of each translator, on statistical properties of the suggested translations individually and of an entire collection of translated text fragments, on statistical properties of the source and target languages, and on the context and details of the original translation request.
1. A computer-implemented language translation system comprising: a computer-implemented request distribution system, which receives requests to translate source speech or text from a source language to a target language, and wherein the request distribution system breaks the source speech or text into a plurality of text fragments and incorporates the fragments into a plurality of translation requests; a translation network comprised of multiple human and machine translators, wherein the human and machine translators are treated uniformly and generate translation responses containing one or more suggested translations of the text fragments into the target language, and wherein each of the translators has a translator reputation that describes an expected quality of translations provided by each of the human and machine translators; and a computer-implemented response assembly system, which collects the translation responses, which includes a plurality of translations for each and every text fragment and automatically assembles the suggested translations into an overall source speech or text translation based on the translator reputations of each translator, on statistical properties of the suggested translations individually and of an entire collection of translated text fragments, on statistical properties of the source and target languages, and on the context and details of the original translation request. 8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the translation requests and the translation responses include source speech or text, the translations, and metadata information comprised of links and pointers, such that the translators and the response assembly system can retrieve the metadata information upon request.