This translation thing is present for me now. I decided to try and get the Bing Free Translation API working in my viewer. That would save me using Discord’s Metanomics, that he really doesn’t seem to want out there.

The result of my effort is: BUG-8794 – The Bing API used by the viewer is depreciated.

Tameless Green With Envy Outfit – St. Patrick’s Day by Nita Bracken, on Flickr

The Lab was making the change over to a viewer based translator in late 2011. That was in response to Bing, Google, Yahoo, and other players in the translate game deciding they would charge for their translation service.

In mid 2012 Microsoft changed their Translation API. I don’t know if they have changed it since. What I do know is the Microsoft web sites are confusing and appear to be sort of a set of poorly made changes to reflect the change. Whatever, I can’t find any of numerous API Keys that will verify in the viewer.

Digging through the forum I find people started posting ‘It Don’t Work’ messages in 2013± and more in 2014. The current API’s supplied by Bing and Google seem to be more for software developers than for users. The changed API’s also need a Client ID and the API Key. The viewer only allows me to enter an API Key. So, I’m not surprised I can’t get any of the new keys to verify.

Bing says their old API keys will continue to work. I assume Google is doing the same but I did not see where they said that, if they did and do. But, that would explain why we haven’t heard an outcry of exiting translator users.

So… since say January 2014… has anyone gotten an API Key and gotten it to work?

Also see: Second Life Answers