/wptrans

iOS project that uses Wikipedia's multilingual capabilities as a multi-lingual translation dictionary.

Primary LanguageObjective-COtherNOASSERTION

WPTrans
by Garrett Albright
albright@abweb.us - http://abweb.us/

WPTrans is an iOS (iPhone) application which utilizes the Wikipedia free online
encyclopedia as a multi-lingual translation dictionary. As the articles in
Wikipedia link to articles on the same topic in other languages when available,
one can query Wikipedia in such a way to serve as a sort of human-curated
database of translations of words and topics to dozens of different languages.

In addition to exploring the idea of using Wikipedia in such a way, WPTrans is
also a learning project for me personally - the first iOS program I've written
myself from start to finish without following along tutorials in books and such.
To that end, I'd greatly appreciate feedback on things such as code and comment
style, file organization both in XCode and in the standard file system, and
other things along those lines - I don't have a lot of experience in that sort
of thing yet.

Given that the types of things that appear as entries in a dictionary and in an
encyclopedia can be quite different, WPTrans is intended to supplement more
traditional multi-lingual dictionaries; it cannot and is not intended to replace
them. For example, for common verbs like "Jump" or grammatical utility words
like "Also," WPTrans will be practically useless. However, for words too
esoteric or new to appear in traditional dictionaries, like "fracking," and for
people, group and corporate names, like "Michael Jackson," "Democratic Party of
Japan" and "McDonald's," WPTrans can work well.

The ultimate goal is to get WPTrans to a state where it could be in good
conscience submitted to the App Store (as a free app), while developing my iOS
skills along the way.

About the Developer:
Garrett Albright is an American living in Japan with his Chinese fiancée.