The Travel Blog by TravelPod

I came across this website in my inbox today. It looks like it could be quite helpful for anybody attempting to secure a couch for the night in Paris, or even for somebody trying to flirt online with someone living in a far off land. It’s called MeGlobe.com and it’s a web-based instant messaging service that has some great potential.

After a speedy registration process, you can login and chat with other people who have also registered and signed in. You tell the website your mother-tongue, and it will translate everything you type into the mother-tongue of the person you are chatting with and vice-versa for your buddy. It’s faster than emailing and translating everything in Babelfish manually.

There’s also a handy translator tool that you can use to quickly translate a phrase or paragraph into another language.

I tried the website with my German friend, but the translation was a little off. He meant to say “Hey, this is cool” in German, but it came out as “Hey, that is sharpens”. But still, it got the point across.

I was in total hysterics when my French friend kept saying to me, “CHEEKS TOO WITH THE WORDS” and I was not understanding AT ALL. He meant to say “You’re playing with the words!” But hey, computer-based translation is not an exact science…yet.

I also noticed a few connection issues while I was chatting with a couple of friends. But, I only had to sign in again, and I could chat freely.

What’s coming in the future for MeGlobe? Perhaps integration with other instant message devices like MSN or Skype.

“We’re hoping Meglobe can become a valuable resource for travelers around the world to connect and communicate with each other,” says marketing manager Jose Rodriguez.

Try it out for yourself and then let us know what you think of it in the TravelPod travel forums.

See you there.

Louise Brown

TravelPod Community Manager