A Chat Interface using standards for communication and e-learning in virtual worlds

Abstract

Nowadays, many applications embed textual chat interfaces or work with multilingual textual information. The Multilingual-Assisted Chat Interface is an extension of the usual chat interfaces which aims at easing communication and language learning in virtual worlds. We developed it in the frame of the ITEA2 Metaverse1 Project [ITEA2 07016], using the Multilingual Information Framework (MLIF) [ISO DIS 24616]. MLIF is being designed in order to fulfill the multilingual needs of today's applications. By developing the Multilingual-Assisted Chat Interface, we wanted to help people communicate in virtual worlds with others who do not speak the same language and to offer new possibilities for learning foreign languages. We also wanted to show the advantages of using web services for externalizing computation: we used the same web service for two virtual worlds: Second Life and Solipsis. First, we shortly analyze social interactions and language learning in virtual worlds. Then, we describe in a technical way the features, and the architecture of the Multilingual-Assisted Chat Interface. Finally, we give development indications for programming with virtual worlds. © 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.