At a price of 288 yuan, with an additional 100 yuan in income, this amount is not only not expensive, but actually too cheap!
The value this software provides is so immense, it's immeasurable... Just think about how much it costs to buy a set of foreign language learning books! Not only does it save money, but it also saves a huge amount of time!
Yi Shuihan coughed and, after the room quieted down, said, "The initial size of 'Babel Tower Translator' is 1.56GB, which is the size including the complete Chinese-English dictionary. In other words, such a small software can even be installed on mobile phones and voice recorders. Of course, the prerequisite is that the mobile phone or voice recorder has a platform that supports the software. We are currently contacting some mobile phone manufacturers, hoping to cooperate with them in depth to make future communication more convenient."
The reporters in the audience began to murmur amongst themselves, and a foreign reporter immediately asked, "Since *The Babel Tower Translator* supports the export of Chinese to various languages, shouldn't it also support mutual translation between various foreign languages? For example, translation between French and German, which is theoretically entirely feasible, isn't it?"
"It's not just in theory, but because my teacher has actually provided us with this technology. Using 'Babel Tower Translator,' it can support input in any language and output in any language, so that people all over the world, except for a very few ethnic groups with very special languages, can communicate freely."
"So, how much does this international translator software cost?"
"Five thousand US dollars," Yi Shuihan said firmly, "Take it or leave it."
Chapter 258 Aftermath
Honestly, a professional version of the software costing $5,000, which is equivalent to more than 30,000 RMB, isn't that expensive, at least not to an unacceptable degree.
The problem is that compared to the domestic price of 288, 5,000 US dollars is practically robbery.
Chen Xu originally set the price at $888, but after discussions with the finance department of Yi Shui Han Company, they felt that $5,000 was the limit, and more importantly, it was to show an attitude.
Chen Xu has always been open to advice, and since a professional has offered suggestions, he doesn't mind making a little more money.
Of course, this $5,000 price isn't a universal price. Countries like the US, Europe, Japan, and South Korea... they all claim to be wealthy, so the price will be higher. Third-world countries will have a lower price. Naturally, the price won't be significantly lower, around $888, but compared to $5,000 in the US, it's practically a giveaway.
Yi Shuihan's advisors had calculated that the first to purchase this software would undoubtedly be large international companies and individuals with international business. This amount of money was negligible to them… Of course, there was no way "Babel Translator" could be pirated, because no one could currently crack its double-helix chain structure; one program could be installed on an entire computer, tsk tsk.
Just thinking about it is a really cool thing!
To be honest, $5,000 isn't a high price in Europe and America; it's equivalent to about two months' income for most white-collar workers in the US. It's affordable, but the price is painful. And given the software's incredibly strong position and function, there's no worry about finding buyers. Yi Shuihan's advisors said something like this: "No matter how high the price is, people will buy it." $5,000 is honestly quite low.
Amidst the gasps of foreign journalists, Yi Shuihan concluded the press conference. For journalists from various countries, this was undoubtedly huge news.
From then on, humans could communicate and develop freely. This was very beneficial for promoting human unity and exchange.
The role of *The Translator of Babel* is not limited to simultaneous oral and written translation; it also includes textual translation, which is generally considered simpler and more convenient than simultaneous oral and written translation. However, its only drawback is that *The Translator of Babel* is not very effective for the text of physical book samples. Furthermore, its translations of many literary works often appear rigid and lifeless.
Therefore, there is still a great need for people who specialize in learning foreign languages.
Everyone knows that while "The Babel Tower Translator" brings immense convenience to humanity, it also leads to some unemployment. Therefore, Yi Shuihan announced at the press conference that Company S is recruiting translators to translate foreign books, documents, newspapers, and other physical texts. Salaries will be paid based on the translation results. Additionally, these foreign texts will be entered into computers as electronic versions for "The Babel Tower Translator" to translate and circulate, which will also be compensated.
This essentially gives foreign language majors an opportunity to earn money and work; otherwise, their more than ten years of study would have been wasted.
"The Translator of Babel" immediately caused a huge sensation internationally.
To paraphrase a famous American linguist: "I wish this were all a dream!"
The BBC played a lament, calling it a dirge for the British Empire... because it was foreseeable that the international status of English as a language would be severely impacted by the release of this software!
That is indeed the case.
As soon as "Babel Tower Translator" was released, countries such as France, Germany, Spain, and others with their own languages but struggling to keep up with English contacted Company S to inquire about and discuss international versions. Some countries even sent representatives to the site to assess the software's usability.
Because Company S collaborates with Cisco, they directly provided Cisco with a few dozen copies of this internal product, which were used flawlessly and successfully. It's important to understand that Cisco is a multinational corporation with many researchers from all over the world. Once the software was installed, the problem was immediately solved, and communication was no longer an obstacle.
Meanwhile, several UN officials happened to be in Cisco in Silicon Valley discussing business. After experiencing firsthand the benefits of the software, they immediately went back and wrote a report recommending that the UN adopt it.
Which organization has the largest and most diverse population from various countries?
That would naturally be the United Nations.
When the United Nations placed an order, it was like giving "Babel Tower Translator" a huge advertisement. Soon, encouraged by the United Nations, many small countries came to inquire about accessories in their languages.
There's absolutely no need to worry about the language.
Because Xiaomin's "Babel Tower Translator" is a very mature software, it not only includes the world's major languages, but also some regional dialects. It includes almost all languages except for a very, very small number, perhaps only the languages of some relatively primitive tribes in Africa. As for the official languages of countries, that goes without saying.
The dominant position of English has been severely impacted.
One of the most popular questions in the world right now is: who exactly is SMMH?
This name has become a legend because it is the first time in history that something capable of changing the course of human society has been created, and the creator's name happens to be an online ID.
Who is he really?
The only answer is that SMMH comes from China, that ancient and mysterious country.
Regarding this incident, George W. Bush and several other world leaders issued strict orders to their intelligence agencies... Find SMMH at all costs! Find him, control him! Or... kill him!
The IPX issue hasn't even been resolved yet, and now this translator has appeared! Good heavens, who exactly is this guy?! Or what organization is he part of?!
However, this order drove the intelligence agencies crazy, because they had absolutely no idea where to find SMMH. But since the president had given the order, they naturally had to comply, and so some plans were secretly formulated...
To be honest, besides the UK and the US being very frustrated, other countries are secretly cheering for "The Babel Translator." This is because their own languages have been severely marginalized internationally by English, and many countries face the same problem as China: their children have to spend a lot of time learning English.
If this time were truly utilized, it would be incredibly terrifying.
So, although the price of the "Babel Tower Translator" software is painfully high, I really have no choice but to buy it.
Within just one week, "The Translator of Babel" sold three million discs in China, netting over 800 million RMB! And this number is still rapidly increasing. Even more frightening is the international market... Compared to the international market, the money made in China is really nothing at all.
In just one week, the international sales of "The Translator of Babel" surpassed one million copies. This number is significantly less than the domestic sales, because many countries are watching and waiting to see if they can develop a cracked version... Let them do it. With current computer technology, it is impossible to crack this spiral double-chain structure program.
These million discs made Company S a whopping $500 million... that's US dollars, nearly 41 RMB!
Yi Shuihan received instructions from Chen Xu that the appreciation of the RMB was imminent and the exchange rate of the US dollar would drop significantly. He was told that if he continued to hold US dollars, he would definitely lose a lot of money in the future. Therefore, Yi Shuihan directly converted US dollars into RMB, causing a large influx of funds into the country.
While the Chinese government hasn't yet made a statement regarding English language learning, governments in other countries have almost immediately canceled English language instruction... In reality, whether China makes a statement or not is irrelevant; English classes are practically empty now, except for those with an exceptional passion for learning. Many English teachers face the risk of unemployment, as do many foreign language majors.
Almost instantly, they didn't know what they should do.
Is there any point in continuing to study this?
Basically, the School of Foreign Languages has the highest proportion of beautiful women among all universities. Although the quality of beautiful women in the School of Foreign Languages at Hefei University of Technology is not high, and there are no candidates comparable to Guan Yizhan, Jing Gao, and Xiaojie, there are still many who are above average.
Girls tend to think more and experience more pressure. Some girls cried immediately upon receiving the news, which made Chen Xu feel extremely guilty. However, even with this guilt, Chen Xu had no choice; the interests of a small group were being sacrificed for the benefit of the entire nation.
Walking down the street, seeing the way these girls looked at him, Chen Xu couldn't help but feel a little flustered. He knew that the one person you absolutely shouldn't offend in this world is a woman, but unfortunately, he had offended almost half of the standard beauties at Hexie University... However, most of these beauties' boyfriends were understanding, and when chatting with Chen Xu privately, they would say, "Hey, I'll just support her from now on. SMMH was right, everyone learning English is really not a problem!"
But things eventually went to an extreme.
Chen Xu was eating in the cafeteria when he suddenly heard a commotion outside. Just as he was wondering what was going on, Wu Yuan came running in, panting, grabbed him, and dragged him outside.
Chen Xu asked him curiously what was wrong, but Wu Yuan didn't even turn his head, panting as he said, "Hurry, hurry, something terrible has happened! A female student from the School of Foreign Languages is about to jump off a building and commit suicide!"
Chapter 259 Jumping Off a Building (Part 1)
The place was bustling with noise. Chen Xu followed the crowd to the bottom of the library and saw a girl sitting blankly on the edge of the library's rooftop, her two slender white legs swinging gently back and forth.
Chen Xu, with his sharp eyes, couldn't help but curse when he saw the girl's appearance. If she were the type to cry and sob, it wouldn't be so bad, but her face was expressionless, and her eyes were empty and blank. Someone like that was probably contemplating suicide.
To be honest, it's not uncommon for college students to jump off buildings these days; basically, every year there are a few who can't think straight. Chen Xu doesn't really have any particular thoughts about these people. He won't shed tears of sympathy, nor will he gloat over their dead bodies, giving them the middle finger and saying, "Idiot." He'll just silently sigh: "What a pity."
However, this girl is from the School of Foreign Languages.
At such a sensitive time, a female student from the School of Foreign Languages attempting suicide is definitely not something to be happy about. Listening to the discussions downstairs, Chen Xu basically knew what had happened.
The girl who wanted to commit suicide was named Zhang Xuan. She was a senior majoring in English and was about to graduate.
Zhang Xuan's family wasn't well-off, but her grades were excellent. It's said she had already been accepted into a graduate program through her department's recommendation system, but she declined the opportunity because, in her view, her immediate priority was to earn money to support her family and pay for her younger brother's education. She couldn't afford to use her family's money to pursue another three years of graduate studies… However, the appearance of "The Translator of Babel" shattered her dreams instantly… She had already found a translation job with a monthly salary of over five thousand… which was a very good job for a college graduate.
But at that moment, Babel Tower Translator appeared. The company that hired her spent more than 200 yuan to buy the Babel Tower Translator software and then fired her... only paying some compensation for breach of contract.
After that, Zhang Xuan could no longer find a job.
I was hoping to find a great job after graduation and have a very prosperous future. But now I can't even find a job.
Girls are generally less mentally resilient, and all their efforts had been in vain. This is why she couldn't cope and decided to jump off a building to commit suicide.
A buzz of discussion arose downstairs:
"Sigh, this girl has such poor mental fortitude."
"It's not her fault, it's all because of that 'Translator of Babel' that all the foreign language majors are having trouble finding jobs now!"
"What nonsense are you spouting! The Babel Tower translators are a blessing to the whole world! Who asked you all to learn foreign languages at this point? You're just being a Western worshipper, you deserve it!"
Seeing the group below about to come to blows, Chen Xu felt a pang of unease. Basically, no one from the School of Foreign Languages thought the publication of *The Translator* was a good thing, since it affected their interests! That's understandable! It's like someone stealing money from your pocket; you can't exactly greet them with a smile, can you?
But for the vast majority of people, the benefits of "Babel Translator" are very obvious and effective. Therefore, their attitude towards this software can be summed up in one word... support!
But how should we end this situation?
To be honest, Chen Xu didn't regret it. Because he had nothing to regret. Before releasing the software, Chen Xu had considered many issues... Yes, the release of this software would indeed cause some people to suffer losses, but this could only be attributed to the tide of history, and after all, no one could do anything about it.
But if this leads to someone's death, that would be really bad. Chen Xu felt like he was indirectly responsible for a murder.
Someone below shouted, "Zhang Xuan, please don't do anything rash! Can't we talk things over? You need to come down first!"
Zhang Xuan's gaze was vacant, and it was unclear what she was thinking. However, her two legs were dangling precariously from the roof, making one worry that she might fall off at any moment.
Many people downstairs were shouting for her to come down first. Fortunately, no one was about to jump off the building in the middle of the street. Instead, onlookers were yelling for him to jump quickly to avoid a terrible situation where time was wasted. This proves that the students are relatively kind.
But waiting like this isn't going to work!
The wind was quite strong today. The girl's clothes were flapping loudly in the wind, which made it even more frightening. Some people had already run upstairs hoping to rescue her. But at this moment, the people upstairs dared not approach, fearing that they might accidentally hasten her death.
"Sigh, what a pity for such a girl, she chose the wrong major!" Wu Yuan sighed and turned to look at Chen Xu, but Chen Xu had already disappeared.
Chen Xu was running upstairs at that moment.
Because he couldn't just stand by and watch a life disappear before his eyes... I didn't kill Bo Ren, but Bo Ren died because of me. It would have been fine if Chen Xu hadn't known about this, but now that he did, it was impossible for him to stand idly by.
The shoes Chen Xu is wearing now are the magnetic multi-purpose height-increasing shoes specially made for him by Yi Shuihan.
Since the master-disciple relationship between Chen Xu and SMMH is already known within a small circle, Chen Xu can simply ask Yi Shuihan for this item. Because if SMMH doesn't say anything, Yi Shuihan won't sell this product as a commodity; he'll keep it for his own use.
Wearing these magnetic height-increasing shoes, Chen Xu became incredibly powerful. The shoes' special design allowed him to run with a more scientific posture, minimizing energy waste. Furthermore, the shoes were very lightweight, enhancing running and jumping ability. Therefore, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call Chen Xu as light as a swallow; he quickly reached the fifth-floor rooftop.
When they reached the rooftop, several girls who were crying but dared not approach Chen Xu immediately changed their expressions.
It would be difficult to find someone at Hopson University who doesn't know Chen Xu.
Especially since everyone knows that Chen Xu was already aware of the "Babel Tower Translator" software released by SMMH... otherwise he wouldn't have made any announcements during the CET-4 exam. Therefore, many people, out of love for Chen Xu, also hate him, making him the most disliked person in the Foreign Languages Department... after all, people are selfish. There's nothing that can be done about it.
So Chen Xu ignored the girls' stares and walked straight up to them, saying, "Hey, can't we talk this out? I'm Chen Xu. If you have any complaints, just say so."
The girl hadn't reacted to what Chen Xu had said earlier, but upon hearing the name "Chen Xu," her previous confused expression vanished, and she turned around fiercely to glare at him. Her not-so-large eyes were bloodshot, fixed on Chen Xu's face as if she wanted to pounce on him and tear him apart!
"You're Chen Xu?!"