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"Editor\u2019s Note: If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion in \u201CThe Startup Review\u201D series, please see the details here.\nSTARTUP DETAILS:\nCompany Name: MeGlobe\n20-word Description: MeGlobe is a Web-based instant messaging application that provides real-time language translation.\nCEO's Pitch: Although technology has exponentially increased the rate of globalization, language barriers still keep us worlds apart. MeGlobe allows the global online community to communicate with each other and collaborate across language borders. Our free, Web-based instant messaging application lets you to type in your own language and instantly translates it into the language of whomever you are chatting with.\nUsers can also make contributions to the translations MeGlobe performs. These contributions are used to teach MeGlobe to become a better translator. Every correction from the community brings us closer to our goal of erasing language barriers.\n\nMashable's Take: It goes without saying that the best way to communicate across linguistic barriers is to learn tongues of others (and vice versa). The ability to speak multiple languages, either for business or personal use, or both, can be of limitless value. But of course it is hardly realistic to think we can know all. So it is good news when something of MeGlobe\u2019s design makes its way to the public stage.\n\nFirst introduced as a limited public beta in early summer, MeGlobe is now open to anyone who wishes to use it. It is free, and in addition to its support for Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, German, Japanese, Russian, Dutch (Netherlands), Greek, Korean, Arabic, Swedish, Chinese Traditional and Chinese Simplified, it recognizes two French flavors, French standard and French Canadian, and four - yes, four - English labels, including American, UK, Australian, and Canadian.\nThe interface of MeGlobe may take some getting used to. Its features are heavy on gloss. Some visitors I imagine won\u2019t enjoy this. But others will probably think little or nothing of its visual attributes. The powers below the surface are what will have one\u2019s lasting attention. And what makes MeGlobe particularly interesting, as with other language-based learning/translation startups of recent construction, is that it is very much user driven.\nGranted, it appears to be a very small operation at present. All MeGlobe rooms appeared vacant in my personal trial with the service. But if you know who it is you wish to speak with, it may well turn out to be a convenient meeting ground.\n\n\n\n\n\n\nI should note that I came across a bug of some kind when using the service. When browsing its features in my Firefox 3 installation, my cursor would seem to occasionally disappear beneath the surface of the main window in MeGlobe. Even so, aspects of the site could still be triggered and would continue to function. Closing the tab for MeGlobe and returning to the website did fix the issue, of course, and I was unable to replicate the problem, so I imagine your experience will likely be a decent one, more or less.\nAs it is freely accessible, I would advise giving MeGlobe a try. It is certainly new and requires some more attention on the development side as well as its user recruitment efforts. But for starters it seems rather promising. And as the CEO\u2019s note made clear, the service is open to user contributions, too, so if you wish to offer some expertise as a sort of community service, you can do so. We here at Mashable hope to see more languages added to the fold. As a social construct, MeGlobe could grow to relatively popular proportions. It really only needs the right balance of members and backend managers to facilitate expansion.\nSponsored By: Sun Startup Essentials\nMeGlobe company profile provided by TradeVibes\n"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2008/08/20/meglobe/>