Challenges and Solutions of Multilingual and Translingual Information Service Systems

In this paper, we present a survey of challenges and solutions of multilingual and translingual information service systems. In contrast to the computational linguistics literature on such systems, we are approaching the theme here from an HCI perspective. We will argue for a strategy that reduces reliance on automatic free-text translation, language input and classical information retrieval while not giving up these less reliable technologies altogether. We will also opt for a close situation-driven integration of information and communication functionalities. The described solutions have been incorporated into a novel mobile combined information and communication system for foreign tourists that has been tested under realistic conditions by users from several countries. The system is developed by the German-Chinese cooperation project COMPASS20081, a research action within the Digital Olympics framework.