Hi All: Microsoft is deprecating use of the Bing appId in favor of OAuth and moving their Translator API to their Azure Cloud platform. That means that sooner or later current versions of the translator will not work. They also decreased the number of characters that can be translated for free in one call to 1,000 from 5,000 characters. They did extend the number of characters you can translate in a month to 2 million which is allot of text! Here is a question / answer article concerning the change if you are interested in such things: 1. What did Microsoft announce regarding translation services at BUILD? On September 14, 2011 at the BUILD conference, Microsoft President Satya Nadella announced the availability of the Microsoft Translator API through Windows Azure Marketplace, a tiered pricing structure and the availability of a new OData API end-point. 2. I want to use the Microsoft Translator API, how do I sign up? Go to the Windows Azure Marketplace to sign up for the Microsoft Translator API. 3. Who needs to sign a commercial license? Starting September 14, 2011, all new users of the Microsoft Translator API will register through Azure Marketplace and will no longer need to go through a separate process to sign up for a commercial license. 4. What is Windows Azure Marketplace? Windows Azure Marketplace is the one stop shop for cloud data, apps and services. Whether you are looking for new customers for your Windows Azure-based application or data, or are seeking new Windows Azure solutions and premium services to power your business, the Windows Azure Marketplace is the location of choice to power your cloud-based services. 5. Why is Microsoft Translator on Windows Azure Marketplace? Windows Azure Marketplace provides a robust ecommerce platform designed specifically to provide data-sets and data services to build applications. Provisioning the Microsoft Translator API through the Marketplace allows us to deliver the service at higher volumes than we previously could offer, along with the facility to upgrade to higher volume on demand. Additionally, the Windows Azure Marketplace provides a world-class ecommerce back-end which enables us to better serve our global Translator partners and grow with demand. 6. Will Azure Marketplace be the only place to access the Microsoft Translator API? Beginning September 14, 2011, new Translator API users will be able to provision themselves for the Microsoft Translator API exclusively via the Marketplace . 7. How do I get help with Windows Azure Marketplace? For issues with Windows Azure Marketplace such as billing or sign up, please go to Marketplace Support . 8. The Azure Marketplace account status page doesn't seem to reflect my usage accurately. At this time, your account page may reflect lower usage numbers than what you have actually used. This is no cause for alarm. We expect this to start reflecting actual usage in the month of March. Stay tuned for updates on our blog or forum regarding this. 9. Why does the use of OData affect the Azure Marketplace account status page differently than other data types? OData throughput information may register on the account status page before the other data-types (AJAX, HTTP and SOAP). In March, all data types should be accurately reflected in the account status page. 10. Is this a beta offering? This is not a beta offering. 11. What protocols can developers use to access the Microsoft Translator API? Developers can access the Microsoft Translator API via a number of standard web protocols, including HTTP, AJAX and SOAP. With the Azure Marketplace integration, developers can also access Microsoft Translator API via OData . 12. What throughput tiers of the Microsoft Translator API will be available via Windows Azure Marketplace? What is the pricing model? Pricing is based on a subscription model. A free (limited throughput) tier and paid (higher throughput) pricing tiers of the Microsoft Translator API are available today via the Windows Azure Marketplace . · 2M characters / month: Free · 4M characters / month: $40.00 USD · 6M characters / month: $60.00 USD · 8M characters / month: $80.00 USD · 16M characters / month: $160.00 USD Pricing is based on a monthly period and will automatically be billed every month until you cancel your subscription. A subscription month begins from the date of subscription and continues to the same date the following month. You may notice the 'tx' in the Translator API offer on Marketplace. Please note that 1tx = 1000 chars. The tiers will be updated to better reflect character based volumes in the coming weeks. 13. What if I need more than 16 million characters over 30 days? We will be enabling higher volume tiers through Marketplace soon. If you currently require more than 16 million characters over 30 days, please contact the Microsoft Translator Team at [email protected] . 14. What if I don't use all my credit in 30 days? A credit does not carry over from one month to the next. The purchased volume must be used during the 30-day period. 15. Are there discounts for nonprofit or educational institutions? We work with many non-profit, research and education customers. If your needs exceed the free tier, please contact us at [email protected] . The Microsoft Translator widget for websites is available at no cost and might be worth your consideration. 16. Do I need to renew my subscription every month? No, you will be automatically renewed at your current pricing tier every month until you cancel your subscription through Windows Azure Marketplace. 17. Can I upgrade anytime? You can upgrade in the middle of the period. To upgrade, simply sign up for the pricing tier you want on Windows Azure Marketplace. This will give you a new full month's worth of credit. You will be billed for future months at your new pricing tier. 18. Can I downgrade or cancel in the middle of a 30-day period? Yes, but subscriptions are not refundable. 19. What if I want to cancel and renew after a few months? What happens to the edits stored as part of using the Collaborative Translation features (AddTranslation)? If you completely cancel your subscription with the Windows Azure Marketplace your edits will be lost. We would recommend downgrading to the free tier while not actively using the service if you have plans to reactivate in the future. You can also export your edits using the API. 20. How do I use OData API versus other data types? Please refer to the Microsoft Translator technical documentation . 21. How do you know when you reach your usage limit? Received a "Quota Exceeded" message? If your API usage has reached the throughput limit, the API will return a "Quota Exceeded" message. You will also be able to check when you are approaching your usage limit by looking at your account status page on Windows Azure Marketplace. If you receive a quota exceeded message and you believe it was in error (you subscribed to a higher tier, you haven't used up your translation volume for the month) please contact [email protected] . 22. How can I protect my AppID from malicious use? With the new 2-legged authentication mechanisms available through Windows Azure Marketplace, developers can use the Translator API more securely and without fear of revealing credentials. The Azure Marketplace authentication is standard oAuth. 23. How do I get technical support? As we have for the past 3 years, technical support is offered through forums and our blog . As the amount and type of support required by the Translator API user base changes over time we may adjust our support offering to meet the changing needs of the Microsoft Translator community. 24. All I need is to translate my website into the language visitors are most comfortable with. What is the free Microsoft Translator widget for web sites? The Translator widget for websites is a free, JavaScript based, no-code translation tool that instantly makes your web pages available in all the languages our service supports. There is no license or pricing requirement and it is available for use on your website today. This unique offering was the first to deliver an in-line translation experience, and the capability for website owners to collaborate with their community and trusted users to tailor the translations to their site's content. You can get your own widget here: www.microsofttranslator.com/widget . You can try the widget on our blog: http://blogs.msdn.com/translation. Edited by Microsoft Translator Owner Thursday, February 02, 2012 2:01 AM Rick USA
