Editorial: Something is better than nothing at all

Friday, March 1, 2002 | 10:05 a.m.

Anyone older than about 12 can easily remember when there were no Web pages, no clicking on Internet sites for information. The Internet is about where TV was in 1950, with its grainy black and white picture, one channel and news commentators who smoked cigarettes all through their shows. So it should come as no surprise when an Internet site is found to have imperfections -- even a site that users can link to from the official city of Las Vegas Web page. The city has created a link to a translation site, Babelfish.com, which allows users to read the information in their native language. The site is independent of the city and its link on the city's Web page is provided primarily to serve the city's more than 119,000 residents who are from Spanish-speaking countries.

The city took some heat recently because Bablefish has glitches resulting in some ghastly interpretations, such as Hoover Dam becoming Vacuum Cleaner Dam. Some users of the city's Web page have said they find the translations insulting. Others are laughing at the city. The city currently does not have the staff to do its own translations on a Web site that has 1,500 pages and is updated daily. Therefore, it did the next best thing and provided the link to Bablefish.

As TV has improved, so too will the Internet and the software that powers it. Translation programs will improve over time and, meanwhile, thousands of Las Vegas residents will at least be able to gather the basic meaning of the important information on the city's Web page. The city is aware of the problem and is talking about forming a network of Spanish-speaking volunteers who would be available, either through e-mail or telephone, to answer any questions that might arise because of ambiguous interpretations. The city has a number of programs serving its Spanish-speaking residents. Despite any flaws, the fact remains that it believes in reaching out to those constituents whose native language is not English.