Intellego/Mission
⚡ Warning: The content of this page is obsolete and kept for archiving purposes of past processes.
The Intellego MT group and project are based on the following set of values:
- Our Mission
- To provide users with automated translation, from any language, to any language, in real time, on any software or device that is useful to them.
- Our Vision
- A world where language is no longer a barrier to communication on the Internet and people can understand each other effortlessly regardless of their linguistic origins.
- Our Values
- Language is free; language is beautiful; language deserves to be protected; a single language isn't the future; the Internet belongs to everyone and everyone has the right to participate and benefit from it.
- Our Motto
- We Will Be Understood.
Background
- Breaking closed ecosystems
The current machine translation ecosystem is dominated by proprietary, closed systems. This includes their code base, their data collection processes, and public accessibility to their language resources. Additionally, the open MT ecosystem suffers from being unable to reach the vast majority of participants on the web through web services or APIs.
- Machine translation in Firefox
Google's ability to provide users with automatic translation of web content using Google Translate attracts global users to the Chrome browser. Intellego aims to be to Firefox what Google Translate is to Chrome by powering the automatic translation feature within the browser.
- Machine translation at Mozilla
Many Mozilla l10n teams consist of only 1-2 people. While they would love to be able to provide l10n coverage for all of the Mozilla support sites (and other projects) they do not have the time or resources to accomplish the task. Users, thus, have a localized Firefox, but lack documented product support in their language.
- Advancements in MT research
Language support selection for machine translation projects are driven, in part, by ROI and availability of resources. This often results in minority languages, and even some majority languages (see Indic languages) being under-represented in the machine translation ecosystem. While ROI continues to be a primary motivator for incorporating support for these languages, they will remain under-represented and unsupported.
Declaration of Principles
The following principles are the driving force behind the Intellego project. For details on the practical scope and plans for the project see the Intellego project details
On language:
- We hold language to be beautiful: the diversity of languages spoken by the human race is nothing short of amazing.
- We recognize that, by nature, language is free and open to all.
- We believe it is critical to protect both the diversity and the freedom of language.
On the Internet:
- We uphold the Internet as the greatest communication tool ever created, second only to language itself. The Internet holds immense power to shape the future of human languages, to preserve them, or to push them out of use.
- We believe that for the health of the Internet, communication must cross all barriers. All people should be able to freely communicate with any other person without having to abandon their native tongue or use proprietary tools.
On Mozilla:
- We believe open language tools are vital to achieving the goals that Mozilla has set forth in its manifesto. Information that cannot cross a language barrier cannot educate and empower all.
- We assert that Mozilla can no longer rely on English as its sole official language, for the health of its mission and for the health of its community. The next billion people joining the Internet will not speak English as a native language.
Therefore:
- We believe Mozilla is uniquely qualified to be a guardian to open language tools on the Open Web. A resource this important MUST be stewarded by a community like Mozilla, whether on its own or through trusted partnerships.
