Abstract: A user's computing device (such as a smartphone) runs an application whereby the user can connect with nearby bystanders who may speak different languages. Upon establishing a connection with the bystander, the user can enter a message in the user's primary language. The message is translated to the primary languages of the bystanders, and each such translated message is also back-translated into the user's primary language for review and editing. The back-translated message(s) allow the user to discern possible issues with the original message that may cause misunderstandings with the bystanders. Subsequent editing of the original and/or back-translated messages results in updates to all of the original, translated, and back-translated messages, and upon the user's approval, the translated messages are sent to the bystanders, who may respond via their devices in the same manner as the user.

Abstract: In messaging applications wherein messages transmitted by a user are translated into the language of a message recipient, the informational integrity of message content can be preserved by delimiting selected terms within a message (for example, the names of people and places, and technical and trade terminology, which are easily mistranslated by common translation algorithms). The application may then maintain the originally-entered content of the delimited terms, while translating the terms that are not delimited. The translated message may then be displayed to the recipient, but with the delimited terms shown with their originally-entered content (but preferably with formatting different from that of the terms that were not delimited).