Method and apparatus for integrated, user-directed web site text translation

An integrated method, over a wide area network having a server and a client, for user directed acquisition of information relating to user-selected text of World Wide Web site pages, comprising:

• receiving from the client a user-selected word of World Wide Web page text;
• receiving from the client at least one user-selected reference source and a user-selected translation language pair;
• accessing and retrieving from the user-selected reference source stored on a server, information relating to the user-selected word, in accordance with the user-selected reference source and the user-selected translation language pair;
• and
• transmitting to the client for display to the user, a related information data set, based on the accessed and retrieved related information, wherein selection by and display to the user are integrated into the World Wide Web page.

An apparatus for user-directed acquisition, over a wide area network having a server side and a client side, of information relating to user-selected text of World Wide Web site pages, comprising:

• a server connected to the network, wherein the server comprises a processor, a memory, and a storage device, and wherein the processor and memory are operative with a program stored on the storage device to receive from the client a user-selected word of World Wide Web page text;
• receive from the client at least one user-selected reference source and user-selected translation language pair;
• access and retrieve from the user-selected reference source stored on the server, information relating to the user-selected word, in accordance with the user-selected reference source and the user-selected translation language pair;
• and
• transmit to the client for display to the user, a related information data set, based on the accessed and retrieved related information, wherein selection by and display to the user are integrated into the World Wide Web page.

An integrated method, over a wireless network having a server side and a client side, for user-directed acquisition of real-time translation and reference services in both text and voice, comprising:

• selecting, by a client-side user, at least one translation language pair and at least one reference source, whereby the user-selected translation language pair and reference source are accessible by a WAP-based server having information retrieval and voice-recognition functions;
• sending by the client-side user a voice message comprising one or more spoken words to the WAP-based server;
• accessing and retrieving from the user-selected reference source, using the information retrieval and voice recognition functions, information relating to the voice message in accordance with the user-selected reference source and user-selected translation language pair;
• and
• displaying to the client-side user or to someone connected thereto, based on the accessed and retrieved related information, related text or voice, whereby user-directed acquisition of real-time translation and reference services in both text and voice is achieved.