7, AltaVista, a leading search engine, was the first to
launch a free translation software with Babel Fish -- also called
AltaVista Translation --, which could translate webpages (up to three
pages at the same time) from English into French, German, Italian,
Portuguese or Spanish, and vice versa. The software was developed by
SYSTRAN (an acronym for System Translation), a company specializing in
machine translation software. SYSTRAN's headquarters are located in
Soisy-sous-Montmorency, near Paris, France. Sales, marketing, and
research and development are based in its subsidiary in La Jolla,
California.

This initiative was followed by other translation software developed by
Alis Technologies, Globalink, Lernout & Hauspie, and Softissimo, with
free and/or paid versions on the web.

Based in Montreal, Quebec, Alis Technologies has specialized in
development and marketing of language handling solutions and services,
particularly language implementation in the information technology
industry. Alis Translation Solutions (ATS) has offered applications in
a number of languages, and tools and services to improve the quality of
translations. Language Technology Solutions (LTS) has marketed advanced
tools and services for language engineering and information technology
(90 languages covered).

Based in Ieper, Belgium, and Burlington, Massachusetts, Lernout &
Hauspie (L&H) was a leader in advanced speech technology for commercial
applications and products, with four core technologies: automatic
speech recognition (ASR), text-to-speech (TTS), text-to-text (TTT), and
digital speech compression (DSC). Its ASR, TTS and DSC technologies
were licensed to companies in telecommunications, computers and
multimedia, consumer electronics and automotive electronics. Its TTT
translation services were provided to IT companies, and vertical and
automation markets. The Machine Translation Group created by Lernout &
Hauspie included L&H Language Technology, AppTek, AILogic, NeocorTech,
and Globalink. Lernout & Hauspie was later bought by Nuance
Communications.

Globalink, a company created in 1990 in the U.S., focused on language
translation software and services, i.e. customized translation
solutions built around software products, online options, and
professional translation services. The software products were available
in Spanish, French, Portuguese, German, Italian and English, for
individuals, small businesses, multinational corporati