The FTD has an article on Leo (= Link Everything Online) and Hans Riethmayer, the computer scientist who founded it at Munich Technical University in 1992.
Leo left the university and became a GmbH in 2006. Maybe that was when it removed its pages from Google linking.
The Financial Times Deutschland is interested in new businesses that succeed where traditional businesses fail. Leo earns 500,000 euros per year if all its banner advertising is taken.
The quality has improved.
Heute schenken Nutzer ihnen Vokabeln. Eine Tunnelbaufirma schickt ihr Glossar, der Verband der Nähmaschinenindustrie seine Fachbegriffe, nun kennt die Seite auch Stichmuster auf Englisch. Riethmayer hat Übersetzer eingestellt, die alle neuen Begriffe prüfen. “Zugegeben, unsere Qualität war am Anfang mäßig, weil Informatiker sich um die Inhalte gekümmert haben. Aber wir wurden immer besser.” Und die Rivalen immer unruhiger.
What I find interesting are the discussions about problem words. Click on Forum at the top left to find them. Or if you enter a problem word, you will get links to previous discussions. Here is a discussion on Hundekotaufnahmepflicht.
Of course, you have to work out whether to trust the suggestions.
(Thanks to Herbert for the link)
Interesting post. I’ve been a fan of LEO for many years now — it’s certainly not the ultimate authority (that’s what Dietl-Lorenz, etc.) are for, but I have found it to be a great starting point. I didn’t know LEO had left the university — great to hear that they are doing well. I also like LEO because, well, you don’t have to add more software to your computer (ergo not tied to your laptop or wherever you happened to have downloaded it to) and it’s free.
Now if only one could rely on Dietl … There is definitely more dross on Leo and ProZ (KudoZ (sp?)) but often great suggestions, and not just for terms that are too new for the printed dictionaries.
We’ve invited Hans Riethmayer to speak at the next CLS After Work Talk in Basel on 6 October 2011.
If you’re in the Basel region, come and join us:
http://www.cls-communication.com/de/veranstaltungen/afterworktalk
http://www.cls-communication.com/en/events/afterworktalk
*Register via Amiando:*
http://www.amiando.com/clsafterworktalk5.html