From the land that brought us Nokia and F-Secure, now comes Helsinki-based XIHA.
Its claim to fame is in being this planet's first truly multilingual social network. "Multilingual" in that you can view all content in up to 56 languages and counting, while you enjoy the user interface in 42. Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter also offer content in many languages.
So, what makes XIHA unique?
XIHA (pronounced "see-ha") stands out from the social media pack in several ways:
*
Multilingual, not multi-language. Most social
networks force you to socialize in just one language at a time.
They support multiple languages through a monolingual
implementation. Previously, polyglots who enjoy socializing and
engaging people in more than one language could not easily express
this side of their personality online. XIHA addresses this gap.
*
Instantaneous cross-language social networking.
XIHA integrates real-time translation of chat sessions and update
streams in 56 languages with Facebook and Twitter. That means that
Ronaldinho in Brazil and Mehmet in Turkey can seamlessly tweet,
chat, and send status updates to their favorite girls in China and
the U.S. They no longer have to worry that their global fan base
cannot understand them just because they are not fluent in Chinese
or English.
*
Harmonization of machine and human translation. To
enable immediate display of content in multiple languages, XIHA
uses a deeply embedded implementation of Google Translate. However,
the company also enlists the talent of human translators. This is a
perfect example of how free online machine translation creates new
opportunities for translation professionals (see "How Google
Translate Will Increase Demand for Human Translation," Mar10).
* Payment for multilingual content created by professionals. XIHA's translator profile values domain expertise and creative writing ability over translation skills. However, to its credit, it pays translators actual money - not in Silicon Valley T-shirts, game coins, or other non-monetary incentives. This strategy will enable XIHA to avoid repeating the experience of LinkedIn, which became the target of outrage when it encouraged translators to offer their services on a volunteer basis (see Freelance Translators Clash with LinkedIn over Crowdsourced Translation," Jun09).
*
A user base with extreme geographic diversity.
According to its marketing materials, XIHA community members live
in more than 200 countries. However, no one country represents more
than about five percent of its total traffic. By comparison, well
over half of Facebook's 500 million users now access the site in a
language other than English. And, six of Facebook's ten fastest
growing languages represent languages spoken in emerging economies,
including Arabic, Chinese, Portuguese, Indonesian, Spanish, and
Turkish (see Community Translation Lifts Facebook to Top of Social
Networking World, Aug08). If XIHA can provide a more seamless
multilingual and multicultural experience, along with good casual
games, it should be able to carve out a strong niche for itself.
* Recognition that multilingual is the new monolingual. According to well-known writer and professor David Crystal, approximately three-quarters of the human race are bilingual, and approximately one-half are trilingual. Therefore, the uni- and bi-directional world in which many international companies operate is actually a false representation of reality. For global firms, this means that user-generated content (UGC) on support websites and service ratings is bound to be multilingual.
Companies that only allow users to filter friend updates by language or click the "translate" button on their browser are missing the point. Language is more than just a field in a database - it is a part of human identity. Why be forced to communicate in your social network in only one language at a time? You don't in real life. And with XIHA, you no longer have to on the web.