This is the repository that holds the solution for my Capstone Project.
The problem I investigated was the lack of internet infrastrcuture and access in Latin America through my disciplines of computer science and Spanish. Computer science and Spanish may seem like two very different subjects, but they can be interconnected in several ways. For example, the study of Spanish can help computer scientists better understand the needs of users from Spanish-speaking countries, allowing them to create more user-friendly and accessible computer systems. In turn, the study of computer science can help Spanish students improve their language skills by using technology such as translation software and online language learning resources.The first part in solving a problem is communicating with the people affected in order to understand it from their point of view. In order to do that we have to be able to speak the same language, so for my solution I decided to create an English-Spanish translator application.
It is a Java application that creates a Graphical User Interface(GUI) using the Swing toolkit. The Swing toolkit allows for the development of a GUI for java programs. It has the capabilities to create the panel, buttons, and textfields for the application. As the point of this application is to be used without requiring internet access, the application translates by using a Comma Seperated Values File(CSV file). The CSV file has roughly 66 thousand words in it, with each line in the file conatining the english word and then the translated word in spanish. The program will go through the file line by line filling out a HashMap that stores the english word as the key and the spanish word as the value, while also filling out another HashMap where the reverse is true.
It will take in a word or sentence from the user and return a word or sentence that is translated into the opposite language. It will also give users the option to add translations to the dictionary, if there is a word it does not have.
- Download a Java Development Kit(JDK) for your respective system
- It does not matter which version you have, either will allow you to run the .jar file
- Click the top folder called "Test"
- In the next menu, click the top folder again called "src/main/java"
- You will now be shown 4 files in the folder "java"
- Click on the file called "TranslatorGUI.jar"
- Now that you are viewing the .jar file, you will see a download button on the right side of the screen
- Download the .jar file to your Desktop, find the application on your desktop and enjoy!
Bringing awareness to the issue is also a main point of the project, since I am incapable of creating internet infrastructure for Latin Americans I have found an organization that works towards accomplishing that feat. Casa de Internet has been working with many other organizations for over 20 years in order to provide stable and affordable internet access for the people of Latin America.
Above I have added in a link to Casa de Internet, if you have the time please read about some of these organizations and the amazing work that they have done and will continue to do. There are plenty of opportunities to get involved and support these amazing organizations, so take a look!