SEARCHING ACROSS OCEANS: PART 3

Once you start your research at the point of emigration, you will be finding yourself surfing on web sites that are not written in English. A tool that I have found to be extremely useful and easy to use is FreeTranslation.com. To translate a web page, all you need to do is choose the languages and type in the URL. You can also type in text, as you might find on a document, to be translated. Also, you might use this feature when you need to send a letter to a foreign country. Type in your language, and have it translated to the language of your destination.

While FreeTranslation provides 6 languages (English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese) travlang's Translating Dictionaries provides more than a dozen, including Esperanto and Latin. So, this might be a place to turn to for a less common language. For the more ambitious, they also have a site to help you learn a language. Great if you are planning a foreign trip!

The largest site for language help is at Online Dictionaries and Translators brought to you by Rivendell International Communications. Among their resources are dozens of language dictionaries, translation sites, and free on-line language courses. The languages range from the common to the obscure.

Finally, if you still cannot find the help you need A Web of On-line Dictionaries by Robert Beard provides a score of links that can help. He also has links to various linguistic knowledge for the scholar and knowledge seeker.

Explore and experiment. There is a site that will work the best for your needs.

Now, on a personal level. It has been a busy summer for me. Moving a couple of times to find my now more permanent home, I have not been able to do much personal genealogical research.

But, as my computer was always with me, I have made some valuable contacts. New cousins, home and abroad, have been found. As always with a move, I find myself in an organizational mood. In the coming weeks, I will lead you on my never ending quest to get 'all these genealogical piles of paper' organized. I hope that some of my methods will be of help to you.

Happy hunting!

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