Alta Vista has changed their url for their translator. The translate mod is no longer working. I have also checked other Links sites that have this mod and is not working on any of the sites I checked. The new url for a link after a language has been selected and entered on the alta vista site now looks like this;
http://babelfish.altavista.com/...one&frame=random

I have tried changing the url in the translate.cgi to;

but that did not work. Does anyone know how the url needs to changed?

Also, does this line also need to be edited?
Thanks,

Jimmy Crow
http://www.homewithgod.com/

Looks like it is time to find a new translation program...

It seems that Babelfish has added some protective .js embedded
files in their new translation program to ward off people from
"using" their program.

I changed the variables in the translate.cgi file similar to
what you did, and I got a 404 Not Found with the following
location:

http://vlib.anthrotech.com/detect.js

So, it looks like we won't be able to use Babelfish anymore
unless someone can hack through to the core of the program
and find out how to bypass the .js files.

Of course, the work-around is linking to the Babelfish progrm
in the following manner:


http://babelfish.altavista.com/translate.dyn?url=<%URL%>&lp=&doit=done&frame=random


Although I do not know if this will work since the new program places Session
IDS for translating URLs and text.

For info about adding a Translate Form, go to:

http://doc.altavista.com/...arch/babel_faq.shtml

OR finding another translation program that is easy to hack.

Thanks for bringing this problem to our attention!



Regards,

Eliot Lee

Okay...Babelfish may be out but the translator at Go.com is better anyways. It has no 500 word (or whatever the limit is) cutoff.

I have seen it in use, but cannot remember where.

So, if someone is redoing the translator mod - check out http://translator.go.com

Good luck!

The example translate link that I have in the first post works every time I click on it, so I was wandering if we could pass this from the link html;

to a trans.html. Then use a redirect script to define $languages through a form and then redirected with the selected language.

Jimmy Crow
http://www.homewithgod.com/

You could use the same translate.cgi script...however, in the translate_error.html and translate.html file, you will have to change the field values to the babelfish values and also change the Action to the action script in the FAQ page that I provided.

Regards,

Eliot Lee

Alta Vista has not updated their FAQ yet, so I started playing around with the script some and could not get it to work. I then tried using a redirect script to call the translation and I kept getting directed to their default translation page. But if I view the source of my translate.html and copy the redirect link and write it as a hard link on an html page and then click on the same address it will translate the page. Apparently, Alta Vista is detecting a cgi form and not allowing it.

Jimmy Crow
http://www.homewithgod.com/

Try making the url like this
($goto = "http://babelfish.altavista.com/translate.dyn?urltext=" . "$goto" . "\&doit\=done\&lp\=en_fr\&BabelFishFrontPage\=yes");

naturally, set the language preference to whatever you pick... Seems to work for me.

Jerry

I have switched my forms to translator.go.com and it works pretty well...basically the same as before. I have also provided direct links to the translator.go.com query string...works just the same.

Regards,

Eliot Lee

I just finished doing the same thing. Go.com seems to work even better. It will also do pages with frames where alta vista would not. Hopefully, they won't change their url...

Thanks everyone for the help!

Jimmy Crow
http://www.homewithgod.com/

You're welcome....

And thank you for bringing this to our attention.



Regards,

Eliot Lee

Hi all:

BTW, the query string to pass to Go.com Translator is:

http://translator.go.com/cb/trans_entry?input_type=url&submit=url&url=$url&lp=$languages{$language}

I would greatly recommend that you acknowledge the use of their services with a link to Go.com Translator.


Dan :)

Wow - I always get a kick out of helping those that have helped me. Feels good. BTW - go.com does do a much better job

Yes...that is a good suggestion.

Regards,

Eliot Lee

Hotwheel
I include the above in translate.cgi, and even though the Go.com page load i get the following error message with every page I tried:
Something else that I should change in the script ot in the html form?

Thanks.
Manuel

If you are using templates, you need to copy the form into the translate.html file. And for your LINKS, you need to add the following in your link.html file:



Regards,

Eliot Lee

Yes. My translate script is different in that only the URL and language is passed to the translate script which in turn constructs the query string to pass to go.com - in the form I gave. How it works for you depends on your script. BTW, I had to change the following definition table as go.com differs somewhat from AltaVista. Check yours in case (of course, again it depends on how your translate script is coded):

%languages = (
french => 'en_fr',
german => 'en_ge',
italian => 'en_it',
portugese => 'en_pt',
spanish => 'en_sp'
);

With AltaVista, German was de and Spanish was es.


Dan

Eliot,

What I was mising was the code in link.html as you have it. I make this changes and the one's mentioned by Dan and everything is working right!

Thanks!
Manuel

Good.

Regards,

Eliot Lee

this doesn't deal with this topic, sorry, but looking at go.com, which i haven't switched mine over to, it looks better for translation, and i may try to make a solution like Widgetz made before that i believe was called global.cgi, which allowed people to translate the text. I will probably put my efforts into this mostly before i do the sort mod

I don't know others are doing it but my translate script opens up the page to be translated in translated form. Seamless with no hint of go.com although on the links page I give credit to go.com translator. If understand you Bmxer, you want to create a script to translate (via go.com) text submitted via a form. Simple enough unless there is more to it that I'm missing. BTW, great work on the spider script!


Dan

The Text translation is MUCH different than the URL translation. If you notice, when you type in text in the Text textbox, it opens to another page in http://translator.go.com, that shows two textboxes --->

1) The translated text in whatever language you chose.
2) The original text below the first textbox.

I believe what Bmxer is attempting to do is keep this translation page within your site....like the global.cgi script that Widgetz wrote a long time ago.



Regards,

Eliot Lee

Hi Eliot:

Isn't that what I said? Perhaps words got in the way. But yeah, that's what I meant in terms of understanding what Bmxer meant. Two degrees including a thesis and this damn computer has turned my mind to pabulum.


Squared eyes... Dan

No...that is NOT what you said...and I believe you are missing my point.



Regards,

Eliot Lee

Hi Eliot:

And what I meant was that on your site you have a form text box to input text for translation - with the option, of course, to select the langauge to translate from and to (e.g., English to French). The text is translated using the go.com translator service but the output is kept onsite by means of the translate script. No intervening go.com HTML.

How about this - [Update] SCRIPT WITHDRAWN


Dan

Update: I'm talking to a guy (John) with GO Translator with regard to being granted permission to distribute (as freeware) my translator script. If granted (dubious at best), I'll make the script available. Otherwise, to the scrap heap with it - but there is the comparable (and excellent) script by Bmxer who may or may not make his available: http://www.gossamer-threads.com/...= collapsed&sb=5.

New Update: GO Translator has denied permission to use their services remotely in this fashion. I have withdrawn the script.


Dan

did you tell them where this forum is, i.e.?

Hi Bmxer:

Yep. I gave them full details including the URL to this forum and some posts. But GO.com is firm in their decision. Too bad but you are most welcome to try yourself. Can hurt


Dan

i don't want to try an sway their decision, i'm just wondering why you, who is not the creator of the script, would tell all info about it. So as soon as one of us use it once more, they will try to come and get us. I understand you wanna be sure that u can use it, but all you had to tell them is i found a script that can use LWP and parse info from your site. Oh, this is too funny, also don't say script withdrawn because you didn't make it, u can withdraw it or whatever

Hi Bmxer:

The script I'm referring was written by me and only me - top to bottom (left to right). It was not plagiarized from any other scripts including but not limited to the original translate script or your new translate script (which came out the next day).

I appreciate your concerns but go.com knows when their service is being accessed remotely. Large sites like go.com closely monitor leaching. And if they have a policy against it, then that is their right and perogative within all legal and ethical boundaries. I was going to make my script available (as freeware) but only with the expressed legal permission of go.com in order to avoid any subsequent legal action. However, individual usage would probably be ignored (although they would probably change the transation parameters in such a manner to render remote translation scripts useless - like AltaVista). But they might direct their efforts against those distributing the script. That was my reasoning.


Dan

i know they monitor their sites, but this code i released is not freeware, it is nothing it is a mod to enhance a directory. I know its their right to be against leeching of their copyrighted material and i dont know if systransoft software is copyrighted by them. They can render their software useless but i'm still gonna use my world.cgi code and widgetz translate.cgi for educational purposes until they do. You should have said that it was your personal translate script, because their was no understanding by me that there was another one. BTW, did you make an url translator or a text, because i don't see why you said our scripts would be comparable?

Hi Bmxer:

Using for 'educational purposes' probably won't cause too many waves. Probably the only thing they would do is to change the translation parameters. My undestanding is that they lease the software from systransoft but I do not know for sure. It may be that the latter might have a say in the remote use of GO Translator services. John for go.com did email me back today after my last email yesterday where I concluded that no arrangement would be forthcoming and that I decided to delete my scripts. His response was "'don't be hasty". So it's not over yet.

And yes, my translate script (although I use the original one on my Links site) performs both URL and text translation. Originally it was text only but when I saw yours, I quickly added URL. I copied you there

And again, great work on the spider script. I'm going to drop mine soon in favour of yours. Mine ... a quick and silly hack of the Fluid Dynamics Search Engine.


Dan

Thank you about spider. Misunderstanding tho, translate.cgi with the urls was made by Widgetz. Only i made the text. I'm gonna put them in the same cgi pretty soon. Its cool he's makin a deal with you because he will probably let us use it if he accepts yours.

Hi Bmxer:

Well, I'm glad we got the confusion straightened out - there's enough confusion between my ears If a deal is struck it will be a complicated one to say the least but I'll post updates here. John (from go.com) seems like a decent guy who, although for obvious reasons is looking out for the best interests of go.com, is flexible and very open minded. Keeping my digits crossed - ouch, damn carpal syndrome


Dan

Well, looks like Go.com has decided to allow the script. I just used it on my site and it worked but there is a BIG banner at the top informing everyone that it is a go.com service. Well, that's better than not allowing it.

John Hesch

I wouldn't hold my breath...Wait and see what happens.



Regards,

Eliot Lee

I came into this discussion late, but as of today, in trying the Translate-It script with the go.com link, I get a Systran page. There may be a problem at the Systran site, because if I try to go directly to http://www.systransoft.com/FAQ/ and choose translate off their own screen, it does the same thing. Long delay, then their homepage loads.

I downloaded and installed Translate-It mod 1.0b First beta version.

Regards,

Matt