A Picture Worth a Thousand SMSs

By popsci Posted 04.27.2006 at 4:35 pm 2 Comments

Zlango_4
Translation: "Sorry me say you
fat. You beautiful and thin."

Remember Esperanto, that 19th-century attempt at creating a universal language? (Which, by the way, is apparently still kicking). Well, now there’s a version for the cellphone era. Zlango is a system of cartoonish images—think: advanced emoticons—that you can use to send text messages. Since concepts are represented by pictures, rather than words, the developers hope that people who speak different languages will be able to communicate with each other. At the moment it’s available only in Israel, the company’s base, but it may soon spread. Start practicing now, because even text-crazy teens may have a hard time understanding a Zlango-ized "Little Red Riding Hood". —Lauren Aaronson

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Dick Davies (i...
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 04/27/06 at 6:31 pm

Did you every play a game called 'captain blood' on the c64?

You communicated with aliens using glyphs very much like this.

As a bonus, the ME SMALL IZWAL. YOU BRING ME HOME SOB SOB type sentences helped to mask the abssymal AI of the characters :)

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John (imported)
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 04/28/06 at 5:10 pm

Wow you are completely correct. From the game's wikipedia page: "Communication with aliens occurs via an icon-based interface known as UPCOM. This consists of around 150 icons, each representing a different concept. As each alien race discovered speaks its own language and reacts differently, the player must learn to negotiate using these UPCOM concepts in a style that suits the races."

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