Do U nEd txt hlp?

Thu May 24, 2007 9:04PM EDT

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wnt 2 knO wot yor kds R sAN wen dey txt U o f?

That would be: Want to know what your kids are saying when they text you or friends?

A friend of mine remembers the first note her daughter left her in text speak before they started texting each other on cell phones. She didn't know what it said, so she had no idea she was at a friend's house nearby. Now, she's a pro, texting with the best of teen texters. But if you're a neophyte text-message receiver and sender, here's a quick reminder that there is some decoding help available on the web.

First, you can find a lengthy list of common text abbreviations at techdictionary.com. Better yet, if you're stumped about what a text message says or want to figure out how to translate grammatical English phrases into text-speak, there are some web-based translating tools:

Transl8it - Type in your text, emoticons, slang, and hit transl8it to convert it to regular English. Or vice versa. You can translate from lingo to English or English to lingo. Where do you want to meet tonight? converts to, whr do U wnt 2 MEt 2nt?

Lingo2word -- Has a nice feature that allows you to hover over the text-message translation words with your cursor to see what they mean.

Noslang.com translates slang into English only.

We won't get into what this all means for the language right now. In the short term, at least, it will help you communicate with your teen on the fly. Personally, I have a hard time shortening words, but that's because I've spent lots of years making sure my words are correctly spelled and my punctuation is in the right place. Have your kids gotten you into texting mode?  

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  • 87 Posted by xsignedyourfool on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:53PM EDT Report Abuse

    i'm a teen and i don't know anyone that appreviates every single word and i think it is a waste of time. when i text of chat online i use a few simple ones that everyone knows(including adults) g2g=got to go, lol=laugh out loud, brb=be right back, ttyl=talk to you later, u=you. i use t9 on my cell and it doesn't work for half the appreviations out there, it's really just harder to do that. i don't normally punctuate in text/chat, but i know how to type for, say a school paper

  • 88 Posted by amfampress on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:52PM EDT Report Abuse

    Being a teen, I'd like to point out that I have more respect for the English language then that, yeah, thanks.

  • 89 Posted by rb_tech on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:31PM EDT Report Abuse

    l33t speak for the new generation ... sigh

  • 91 Posted by purplereign12010 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:22PM EDT Report Abuse

    Well post #24...it's easy: So do you all know how to text message now? Because I'm only going to type this way now. So...can you translate this now? How about now? Now? Well, got to go. See you later. Bye, talk to you later......... Now, I will ask you...Can you read MY traslation???? I'm actually typing in proper English instead of using "gonna" and "cuz." So I really have to wonder if you can actually read and comprehend MY translation of YOUR texting...lol

  • 92 Posted by neisha4eva on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:35PM EDT Report Abuse

    as someone who is a teen that sends texts as well i feel that this article is a insult to my generation. most of these so called abbreviations are not even used by people i kno. i will be the first to admit that i do use abbreviations when i text(as seen in this post) but its nothin to the extreme that is shown here. i would like to present the followin fact that i havent seen presented yet, some text messages have limits on what you can write in the message and with these limits u have to find other shorter ways to say what it is u were tryin to say in the first place. another thing about texts is that people send text when they cant actually talk to the person that they are textin and in most cases texts are meant to be short in the first place. now my mother who is not the most technology advanced person can understand every text that i send to her and doesnt need any website to tell her what im sayin and i text her in the same fashion that i text my friends. and if there is ever an instance when she cant understand wat i meant she has no problem askin me to tell her again in a way that she understands. i can honestly say the only people i have ever encounted that text in the way presented in the article are people that are tryin way to hard to look like they are cool. and a word of advice to them is nobody wants to read that takes 5 min to translate just because u wanted to abbreviate every word in the english language.

  • 93 Posted by rallysport316 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:27PM EDT Report Abuse

    I have to agree with lana8291. The newer phones make you choose what your input option is wether it is text, symbols, numbers etc unless you have the shortcuts that can be used. The phones aren't really always text/email friendly to use unless you buy the higher priced tech phones that even allow you a "keyboard" slide-out tray. Wireless...the new technology...are we all too busy in today's society that we might miss something by using email at home? I'm definitely not judging anyone as I use text occassionally. Most often since she works for a call center for large cell phone company nationwide...her and I text each other. Since our workplaces both say no useage of cell phones...guess we do it to try to get either ourself or the other in trouble. ?? LOL! Just a secondary note....when they mean turn off your cell phones in a hospital!! That does NOT mean turn it on silent and still use them. The equipment is sensitive. You could text a message, send or receive as well as use it functually on a call....could technically interrupt the lifesupport on another floor. Don't be the reason for deaths. Also.... HANG UP AND DRIVE!

  • 94 Posted by jkjk616 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:36PM EDT Report Abuse

    yyyyyyyyyyyyyyy EMAIL Create video emails that will impress everyone.

  • 95 Posted by leradny on Thu Sep 3, 2009 6:49PM EDT Report Abuse

    It's times like these I'm glad I know how to spell. I'm a teenager--who is Internet-savvy--and I HATE people who type like that. Nobody who's a good speller should ever use that "abbreviation" crap because it's stupid.

  • 96 Posted by onlookerb7 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:45PM EDT Report Abuse

    The English language called, she told me her orifices ached from being raped so much. Abbreviatory language is the blatant denigration of modern society. c u l8ter, hope for the Western world.

  • 97 Posted by escoso4594 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:56PM EDT Report Abuse

    I love to speak this way. Being by Messenger, cell phone text messages, e-mail, notes,... even when I'm talking sometimes I speak with the abbreviations accidentally. It's just that is easier and quicker to write, specially if you wanna be discrete in class haha!

  • 98 Posted by littlemissdeviance on Thu Sep 3, 2009 6:54PM EDT Report Abuse

    I think kids are setting themselves up for failure. I've communicated with peers in a business setting and see tons of misspelled words that make them appear illiterate or even just plain stupid. No one wants to do business with someone who's illiterate, and a child proficient at text messaging abbreviations who later uses superfluous apostrophes ("it's") or misuses words like "there" (for they're, their) will be relegated to lower incomes for life. "I think that desteny is there's." (Yes, someone used that exact spelling in an email reply to a CEO that I was copied in on the other day. The CEO was unimpressed and even mentioned something to me later on. Needless to say, the person who wrote that doesn't realize how much respect they lost for themselves.) The way to become proficient at communicating is by practice, and that means typing the full words. The use of "secret acronyms" is nothing new, but the people who used it already knew how to spell and use proper grammer. Terms like FUBAR and RTFM come to mind, typically used by uber-geeks in an almost derogatory and negative way towards the less informed. Parents may think they are being hip by encouraging this, but while their kid is still being cute living at home at age 30, the rest of us will be ROFLMAO all the way to the bank.

  • 99 Posted by ortromfam on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:46PM EDT Report Abuse

    Illiterate teens... Not all, but most and it's bad as it is.

  • 100 Posted by sexybrownsuga_08 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:14PM EDT Report Abuse

    i'm a teenager and i use slang. i think that there's a time to be professional and a time to be joking around. i'm professional when i'm around adults and i use slang when i'm with my friends but if i'm with my friends and we're around adults, i don't use slang.

  • 101 Posted by geomguy on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:07PM EDT Report Abuse

    yo dlvn POS sreal need alt lang. 2COOL.. thx for the techdictionary lnk - site has iPhone v. luv my iPhone... traded my 8125 thx

  • 102 Posted by kkrimmer on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:52PM EDT Report Abuse

    Dear Sir, As an old person I wanted to make a comment about the whole text messaging issue. Every generation at least since the 1920s has had it's own slang, lingo, speak, talk, jive, rap... This generation is txt msg. SO FRIGGN WHAT... when I was young we used words our parents didn't understand and that was the reason to use them! At one time my group used certain codes to convey our position on politics etc, this was done with haircut, clothes, peace sign using the fingers, etc. Even when I was in 'Nam we had a thing of putting a smoking pipe in our shirt pocket slot made for pencil/pen, this would show that the person was a "head" or a pot smoker but not many people smoked pot in pipes there because pot rolled in cigarettes was so easy and cheap to buy and in case your C.O. checked your pipe. Anyway back to the point. I am GLAD to see that the kids today have their means of communicating with TXT MSG. This makes me happy, that they are again setting themselves apart from their parents, a healthy sign. Now if they'd only do some darn war protesting!

  • 103 Posted by ltcappt on Thu Sep 3, 2009 6:58PM EDT Report Abuse

    Txtmsg is not replacing the need for good grammer/spelling which is still needed to get into, through, and out of college and into a job and kids know that. Txtmsg is like a new vocabulary that's all. Don't have a cow man!!!

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