GlobalConcatTM The international concatenation coding generator for perfect playback of voice prompts and text in 200 languages QUESTIONS & ANSWERS PROBLEM: Ninety percent of U.S. CT/IVR Japanese releases play similar to: "You have 2-boo messages. To hear this message, single press. Message 1-boo, at PM 8:45 received." Application developers are not fully addressing these localization problems in their CT, IVR, IT and dynamic websites, citing hundreds of thousands of dollars in engineering costs. GlobalConcatTM is the international concatenation coding generator that prepares computer telephony products and dynamic web for perfect playback of voice prompts and text in 200 languages. It is the only complete solution to this task. Q: What companies are currently incorporating GlobalConcatTM in their telephony applications? A: Cisco Systems bought the first GlobalConcat available and was quickly followed by CMG Telecommunications, partner Ericsson, and Hutchison Telecommunications in Europe, Australia and Hong Kong. Q: What programming issues are solved by GlobalConcatTM? A: Systems and applications that use variable information to form sentences by selecting phrases from a database, then playing or displaying the content of those phrases to create full sentences. The process of stringing together database content or audio file phrases to form a cohesive thought is called "concatenation". A common example of concatenation is heard by every person upon entering their voice mail. You have - 2 - new messages in your mailbox First - message received -Tuesday - at - 3:45 - p.m. The "2" and the "first" plus the Weekday, Time and Date are variables. That is, the number/word spoken will vary according to the status. Construction of such sentences with variables via computer programming appears deceptively simple. In order to achieve just the bare boned sentences above, eleven separate recorded prompts are necessary (below). Note the Japanese counterpart on the right, and the difference in prompt order. Using GlobalConcat, both languages will play in perfect order for the language using half the number of prompts, and sound more beautiful to the ear. ENGLISH ORDER: JAPANESE ORDER: 1.   You have 2.   <number set #1 for digits> 3.   new messages in your mailbox. 4.   first 5.   message 6.   received 7.   Tuesday 8.   at 9.   3 10. 45 11. p.m. 1.   In your mailbox 2.   <number set #3 for messages> 3.   new messages 4.   you have. 5.   pm 6.   3 7.   45 8.   at 9.   first 10. message 11. received. Q: What advantages does GlobalConcatTM provide for computer telephony, internet telephony, IVR, kiosks, web applications and other concatenated products? A: One-time programming of the client's application to function across the full spectrum of world languages Perfect voice prompt playback, digital readout and dynamic web text in up to 200 languages, including European, Asian, Middle Eastern and Slavic languages Perfect DATES (up to three DATE structures per language), accommodating differences in play order, structure and appropriate prepositions and other grammatical constructs Perfect TIME (up to three TIME structures per language &endash; 24 Hour, AM/PM and "minutes-before-hour"), accommodating differences in play order, structure and appropriate prepositions and other grammatical constructs Design for function with nine or more number sets per language Design for proper selection from five or more plural forms per language A design concept that satisfies wildly divergent grammatical patterns, including European, Asian, Slavic and Middle Eastern languages A new concatenation process for numbers over one hundred to meet the world's three major compound-number patterns Q: How does GlobalConcatTM work? A: The new GlobalConcat coding generator is made up of a unique database, language rule sets, programming guidelines and services which together produce exact code in any computer programming language, on any platform, with any operating system. Customized code for an application is created in the computer language of choice by a script that "crawls" through a database structure. The "crawl" results in flawless concatenation&emdash;grammatically and stylistically&emdash;in up to 200 world languages with a 99.9% exactitude in addition to perfect dates, times and compound numbers for telephony applications. The end result is concatenated strings that sound like complete sentences recorded by professional native speakers in perfect error-free grammar, no matter how different the grammar of the target language. Q: Why is it difficult to customize computer telephony (CT) and interactive voice response (IVR) products for global markets? A: Grammars differ radically across the language spectrum. What is first in an English sentence may be at the end or the middle for another language, or not exist at all. The word "from" may have 7 different variations depending upon the noun it modifies. "On", used so frequently in dates, can have 5 different variations within the same language. Verbs may be split -- half at beginning, half at the end. The preposition "for" differs if used for a person or a phone number. Even the way a person's name is spoken may be different if is the subject of the sentence versus being the object of a preposition. In summary, grammar was invented long before computers by monastic clergy with nothing better to do than create verb declensions, gender dependent participles, plus nominative, accusative, dative and other adjective and noun variations. To compound the problem, numbering systems can vary significantly depending on their use in a clause or sentence. Dates and times in many languages are also context sensitive. In studies of over a 100 languages it has been found that there may be as many as nine different number sets per language, at least 6 of which may be needed in a basic CT application. And there may be three types of date structures and three different time structures. For example, some speak the date as "June 4-day Wednesday", and time as "pm 8 30 minute". Q: Is GlobalConcatTM a computerized translation device? A: No. GlobalConcat is not related to automated or computerized translation, nor does it incorporate computerized translation or related software into its structure. In the future, certain translation software will assuredly be incorporated into applications using the principles of GlobalConcat. Q: Is GlobalConcatTM expandable? A: Yes. After the initial programming, the system functions without engineering time and is infinitely expandable. Sentences, features, functions and versions can be added or deleted easily and quickly without affecting other programming. Q: Is GlobalConcatTM flexible within a client's application? A: GlobalConcat allows for flexibility because it is infinitely expandable and handles extremely large prompt libraries with ease. Developers may add and delete concatenated sentences without disturbing other programming strings. It may be debugged and tested in English by English-speaking engineers--even for foreign languages--without employing special foreign consultants for extended periods of time. Q: Are there similar systems to GlobalConcatTM available? A: There are products that appear at first glance to be similar, but with significant differences, and all much more limited in scope. Other globalization approaches work on a very limited system, whereas GlobalConcat has infinite use. Some globalization approaches handle around 100 prompts. GlobalConcat can handle 2,000 prompt systems or more. Other methods only function on a specific system, with a specific software with a singular programming language whereas GlobalConcat will work on any system, with any software and in any programming language. Other globalization approaches are designed only to handle "inverted play order", whereas GlobalConcat covers all grammatical differences in all world languages, from five plurals in Russian to a special word (which cannot be concatenated) for "2 messages" or "2 faxes" in Arabic, to Thai with its plural created by playing the singular then a number and then the singular again ("message 2 message"). GlobalConcat systems also handle all display text applications, especially XML and dynamic text in all languages, including "backwards" languages that read from right to left. Q: What is the cost of GlobalConcatTM? A: The general cost of GlobalConcat ranges from $10,000 to $60,000 depending upon the number of structures purchased. Varies with the size and complexity of the target system. The higher figure includes all of the following services: Full prompt-set analysis of the current prompts used and/or planned for use by purchasing company @International Services will "globalize" the purchaser's existing and newly created concatenated sentences, and explain the innovative process clearly to purchaser Number set concatenation code rule and written translations for many basic languages will be furnished Date prompt code rule and written translations for many basic languages will be furnished Time prompt code rule and translations for many basic languages will be furnished Extensive advice and consultation will be offered, some on-site, generally via email and reports All basic secrets to flawless localization will be revealed. These secrets cover all that the purchaser will need to know now and in future for infinitely expandable internationalization, an internationalization that will continue to function, even as new languages and concatenations are added at a later date. @IS can provide the actual coding to drive the concatenation engine, and maintain the concatenation database if requested. Or, the client can build its own generator on its own platform and maintain full in-house control.    ###  For information on GlobalConcatTM:   Product Launch Release