Inventec and Kingsoft launch dual-language Web dictionary

Taiwan's leading technology company Inventec Corporation has joined hands with the mainland software services provider Kingsoft Co Ltd to roll out a new online English-to-Chinese and Chinese-to-English dictionary.

The dictionary, which includes meanings of expressions and phrases used on the Chinese mainland and Taiwan, will likely be used by 140 million people.

Some 100 developers from Inventec and Kingsoft compiled 110,000 expressions in both simplified and traditional Chinese for the dictionary.

The dictionary explains 40,000 expressions lucidly by way of usage and pronunciation keys.

To access the new two-in-one dictionary, users can log in to the website of Dr.eye, the 19-year-old online dictionary service of Inventec. They can also access it through iCIBA.com, Kingsoft's online dictionary.

According to Jonathan Yang, senior vice-president of Inventec, Dr.eye is the most frequently used English dictionary tool in Taiwan. Over 15 million users are expected to use it next year.

Richard Lee, chairman of Inventec, said that the two companies have signed strategic cooperation agreements at the beginning of this year to work together on the compilation of dictionary, cloud services, office software and patent operation.

The dictionary will emerge as the most significant project, in terms of exploring the two markets, Lee said.

He also said that the two companies will continue to update the dictionary with latest expressions. Cloud services will connect the databases of the two companies. A smartphone app is also being planned before the upcoming Spring Festival.

Kingsoft's iCIBA.com includes more than 8 million words and expressions and 142 dictionaries such as the Oxford Dictionary and Collins.

Zhang Hongjiang, chief executive officer of Kingsoft, said the company will invest in more third-party technologies together with Dr.eye.

The Hong Kong-listed Kingsoft's first-quarter income rose 64 percent year-on-year to 1.1 billion yuan ($172.7 million).

According to Zhang, the company will make further strategic investments in mobile technologies, globalization and cloud services.