Gore says 'Da!' to improved Internet translations
The still-sketchy idea was borne out of discussions with Russian officials and listening to their frustrations about the language barrier, Gore said during a tour of Silicon Valley businesses with Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin.
"The Internet now may make it possible to surmount that language barrier more easily than in the past," Gore said during a meeting of business and government leaders at San Jose State University.
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The vice president said he and Chernomyrdin "agreed to establish a small working group of linguists on both sides ... and we are asking some of the Internet-based companies here in Silicon Valley to join with us in helping to develop Web pages and clearinghouses on the Internet that will ease" translation of Russian to English and vice versa.
Gore said there will be "more to say about this as we create this formal team of technical experts and business people and language specialists."
Gore urges entrepreneurial cooperation
He praised the "inspiring transformation" taking place in the Russian economy and urged more cooperation between U.S. and Russian entrepreneurs.
"They are in the process of removing some of the impediments to business growth and to rapid rise in standards of living," Gore said. "As these obstacles are removed, everyone realizes that Russia is going to have a more prosperous future. We want to be partners with Russia where it makes sense for us to work together."
Gore's comments came during a busy tour of Silicon Valley for himself, Chernomyrdin, and their accompanying entourage. The group landed at Moffett Field, visited the Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space facility in Sunnyvale, then ventured to the meeting at San Jose State.
Gore then whisked Chernomyrdin to the headquarters of Cisco Systems for a private session with Silicon Valley execs chosen by TechNet, the lobbying brainchild of venture capitalist John Doerr and Cisco (CSCO) CEO John Chambers.
Tech heavyweights in attendance
Also scheduled to attend the session were investment banker Sandy Robertson; Chuck Geschke, chairman of Adobe Systems (ADBE); Lew Platt, chief executive of Hewlett-Packard (HWP); Eric Schmidt, chief executive of Novell Inc. (NOVL); and Joe Kraus, co-founder of Excite (XCIT).
Cisco was chosen as the meeting place because while Russians "have a zest for all things that relate to technology," they need help with infrastructure, said Sean Garrett, spokesman for TechNet. "Cisco creates the infrastructure for the Internet."
Gore, a frequent visitor to California in the past month, was to wind up the day at a $1,000-a-plate dinner in Los Altos, Calif., for Sen. Barbara Boxer. SAN JOSE -- Vice President Al Gore announced a new effort Thursday to ramp up translation services via the Net.
The still-sketchy idea was borne out of discussions with Russian officials and listening to their frustrations about the language barrier, Gore said during a tour of Silicon Valley businesses with Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin.
"The Internet now may make it possible to surmount that language barrier more easily than in the past," Gore said during a meeting of business and government leaders at San Jose State University.
|
| It isn't really a worldwide Web.
|
|
The vice president said he and Chernomyrdin "agreed to establish a small working group of linguists on both sides ... and we are asking some of the Internet-based companies here in Silicon Valley to join with us in helping to develop Web pages and clearinghouses on the Internet that will ease" translation of Russian to English and vice versa.
Gore said there will be "more to say about this as we create this formal team of technical experts and business people and language specialists."
Gore urges entrepreneurial cooperation
He praised the "inspiring transformation" taking place in the Russian economy and urged more cooperation between U.S. and Russian entrepreneurs.
"They are in the process of removing some of the impediments to business growth and to rapid rise in standards of living," Gore said. "As these obstacles are removed, everyone realizes that Russia is going to have a more prosperous future. We want to be partners with Russia where it makes sense for us to work together."
Gore's comments came during a busy tour of Silicon Valley for himself, Chernomyrdin, and their accompanying entourage. The group landed at Moffett Field, visited the Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space facility in Sunnyvale, then ventured to the meeting at San Jose State.
Gore then whisked Chernomyrdin to the headquarters of Cisco Systems for a private session with Silicon Valley execs chosen by TechNet, the lobbying brainchild of venture capitalist John Doerr and Cisco (CSCO) CEO John Chambers.
Tech heavyweights in attendance
Also scheduled to attend the session were investment banker Sandy Robertson; Chuck Geschke, chairman of Adobe Systems (ADBE); Lew Platt, chief executive of Hewlett-Packard (HWP); Eric Schmidt, chief executive of Novell Inc. (NOVL); and Joe Kraus, co-founder of Excite (XCIT).
Cisco was chosen as the meeting place because while Russians "have a zest for all things that relate to technology," they need help with infrastructure, said Sean Garrett, spokesman for TechNet. "Cisco creates the infrastructure for the Internet."
Gore, a frequent visitor to California in the past month, was to wind up the day at a $1,000-a-plate dinner in Los Altos, Calif., for Sen. Barbara Boxer.