Israeli startup Zlango today launched several new features, one of which makes it simple to turn English into Zlango's picture language, a sort of cutesy hieroglyphics aimed at kids and teens. Zlango Composer, which I used to create the photo at right, allows users to type a sentence in English and see it instantly converted to Zlango's icons. These phrases can then be sent to friends as an email or posted to certain social sites. As TechCrunch notes, the original idea was to liven up SMS messages—Zlango has a deal with Nokia to embed its language on their handsets—but this marks a branching out into web applications as well.
Zlango may have the perk of being an international language and it did raise $12 million from Benchmark Capital, but we have to wonder: Wouldn't it be better for American children to learn to communicate in English?
