Tim Taylor

Can you help me?

My dad recieves alot of letters in french and would like to be able to translate them himself. He brought himself a laptop, scanner, printer and some software which the guy in the shop said if you scan the letter the software will translate it. All sounds good eh...but as the scanner will create a .jpg file, the software can't translate an image only text.

Any idea's.

Tim

spider

iTrader: (1)

Tim, try the following URL for a list of possible contacts: http://www.babelfish.com/Languages/French/FrenchMain.shtml

Be warned that if the letters have a lot of technical info or local idiom (i.e. slang!), then automatic online translators are not so hot.

I've found that the only guarantee of a perfect translation tends to be a natural speaker of the language.

Hope this helps,
Steve

fast bloke

Tim - there is probably an ocr package with the scanner. You take the jpg and run it through the ocr to get a text file. These are not generally accurate unless you get very expensive hardware and software. Offer that you will spend a year in France at his expense and then become his personal translator instead...

DazV

My hovercraft is full of eels.

fast bloke

Daz - you are weird.

Tim Taylor

Spider - Cheers for the url. They might come in handy.

Fast Bloke - "run it through the ocr to get a text file" - how do you do this? The scanner is a Canon (sorry don't know the model)if that helps.

DazV - What are you on

Cheers

Tim

DazV

Obviously not Python fans then ?

Tim Taylor

Sorry Daz, not that old

Tim

DazV

I wasn't actually born either when that sketch was first aired in the early 70's.

I thought EVERYONE has heard of 'THE PARROT SKETCH', etc...

Tim Taylor

Yeah I've heard of the sketch but I don't remember that bit. Then again I don't remember much Monty Python as I was too young to watch it and when it was repeated I was watching too much Knight Rider and Airwolf

I do have a story about Monty Python though. One day waiting for my Dad to arrive at Nice airport I was talking to this sweet old english lady who was waiting for her son. She said it was awful when her son was younger and he used to bring his friends along with him to visit her in France and she started to tell me some stories. Anyway, there we were chatting away when her son arrives...who else but Eric Idle.

You can work out the rest.

Tim

DazV

Excellent!