Hey check this out!

I just discovered one awesome little program for language buffs.  And it
could be used as a conlanging tool.

Babylon is a browsing enhancement which allows you to look up words in the
dictionary straight off the document, webpage, IRC window and what not (I
set it to Shift-right click).  It also gives you translations of your word
in selected languages, and there are quite a few available.  Both encodings
of Mandarin, Arabic, Russian, Spanish, Swahili, Urdu, Norwegian, you name
it.  The  largest Spanish dictionary has over 110,000 entries.  Also, it has
a calculator, a metric-to-English converter, a currency evaluator, a web
search function, an automatic can opener, and more stuff you'll have to
figure out yourself.

I just got it and I'm in love with it.  Only conlangs I noticed so far are
Esperanto and Interlingua (IALA I assume).

Here's the conlang tool: a plug in called Babylon Builder allows you to make
your own glossaries.  Not sure what kind of non-Latin text ability it has; I
haven't installed it yet.  You can submit your own dictionary -- an
opportunity for conlangers to promote themselves...

The program is free for non-commercial use; if you want to get rid of the
ads the registration is $19.95 US and you get free upgrades for a year.  It
works for Windows 95 and NT and thereafrter; I don't know about Mac or Linux
or any other version.  If not, they better hurry up.

Only glitch I found so far is that Arabic text is shown in all isolated
letter forms rather than connected text, and vowels are not given.  Not all
languages are represented.

Of course I'd try it first, but we could start a conlang club for Babylon if
y'all like it.  Visit http://www.babylon.com.

(No, I am not affiliated with Babylon in any way.  Yet.  ;)

Danny Boy


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