NoSlang.com A place to translate your kids texting/communication

NoSlang.com Offical Press Release

What does this site do?
No Slang.com is a translator similar to those offered by Google or AltaVista

You know, those weird acronyms your kids use; things like lol, idk, rotflmfao, bbiab, and those stupid alternate spellings like kewl, dood, ur, and thanx. We hate those, and have made it our life's goal to educate people about proper grammar. with one major difference: We don't translate language, we translate slang and acronyms.

Why?
Ever tried to read your son or daughter's Live Journal, MySpace, Twitter, Facebook, or text messages and had such a hard time understanding them that you had to stop after only a few sentences? Not anymore, just copy and paste it into No Slang.com and we'll tell you what the heck they're talking about. You'll never be made fun of on instant messanger, or IRC ever again; plus you'll be able to impress your kids by speaking their language.

Who started this site?
No Slang.com was started in 2005 by Ryan Jones (a Search Marketing Strategist from Michigan) after talking to his boss's kids on AOL Instant Messenger and not being able to understand a damn thing they were typing. After much research (and free child labor) he compiled a large database of slang terms, and continues to add new ones every day.

You're missing some slang d00d.
Found a word that we're missing? Great! Let us know about it. Use our New Slang Submission Form and help us grow our slang and acronym database. We know it's hard to keep up with all the acronyms and slang out there, and we greatly appreciate your help.

How do I link to a specific definition?
It would be convient to send somebody directly to the definition of a word wouldn't it? Well, you could use our Slang Search and link to that or you could do it the l33t way! Just link to http://www.noslang.com/dictionary/L#word (where L is the letter and word is the word). Example: you would link to the definition of dnrtfa with http://www.noslang.com/dictionary/d#dnrtfa

Why wasn't my submisison accepted?
We love submissions! Keep them coming. Unfortunately, we don't have the time to spell check or correct any submissions. To increase the chance of your submission getting accepted, please follow these guidelines:

1. Make sure it's spelled correctly
2. Make sure it's internet, im, or chat related
3. Make sure it's not a real word. While WOW means "world of warcraft", it's also a real word.
4. We also don't accept alternates for our "adult filter".
5. Make sure it's the most common usage. Dr may mean "dear", but in conversation it most likely means "doctor"

Can I use your database in my application?
While our database is mostly user submitted, we do put many hours of hard work into maintaining and updating it. Currently, we do not allow unauthorized usage of our slang dictionary. If you have an idea for a neat way to use our slang database, please contact Ryan (ryan at noslang dot com) and let him know. He'll be more than happy to try to accomodate you.

What about reprinting your articles?
Yes. Articles may be syndicated or re-printed with permission. Simply Email Ryan (ryan at noslang dot com) with the name and URL of the site it will appear on, and he will give you a small bio to include with the article.

Where's the reverse translator?
We can build it, we have the technology... we just choose not to. The internet is already way too unreadable, and we'd rather not add to the problem. Instead, we focus solely on promoting proper English online. If you really must make yourself sound retarded though, you can use Lucas Longley's English-to-12-Year-Old-AOLer Translator. Also, if you're looking to save space in text messages, we recently implemented a reverse translator on TextSendr and we're working on a URL & text shortener to help you hit your Twitter limit called Tiny.Tw

A website validator?
Sure! Why not? Our website validator will examine the text of your web page looking for internet slang or acronyms and automatically provide replacement suggestions. If your site is 100% slang free, you'll be given the HTML code for our button so you can show your visitors. It looks great on your livejournal too!

As an added bonus, all valid sites will be placed into our database and we'll randomly link the words web log to one wherever they appear on noslang.com (including our front page!) Just our way of saying thank you.

I have a question, comment or suggestion.
We're always looking for ways to improve our service, and we've got many new features planned for the near future. If you have a way to improve the site, please let us know. You can contact Ryan via email at: ryan at noslang dot com

Where can I learn more about slang?
There are a good deal of resources listed on our Netspeak Guide that deal with the internet and slang. Check it out, you'll find links to helpful sites like Abbreviationz or NetLingo. Have a suggestion for a good resource? Send it in and we'll try to link it. We're always interested in swapping links with related websites.

Do You Know What Your Kids Are Texting?

(CNN) -- Do you know what this means: %*@:-( ?

Or this: ~~#ZZZZZZ ?

If the answers are no, you're not a teenager who uses alcohol or drugs.

'Boy am I old'

Six years ago, Ryan Jones didn't know what the above terms meant either -- but that was before he became an expert in the shorthand teens use to communicate about their illicit activities.

It all began in 2004, when Jones, a software engineer, received some odd instant messages at work, using terms such as "idk" and "lyk." It was all Greek to Jones.

Jones, a computer programmer in Allen Park, Michigan, quickly realized the messages weren't from his boss -- they were from his boss' children who were hanging out at the office with their father for the day. As a joke, they'd gone into their dad's AOL account and sent silly, innocent instant messages to everyone in the office, and none of the adults could understand the shortcuts and slang.

He later learned "idk" means "I don't know" and "lyk" means "like."

"It was a real 'boy am I old' moment," Jones remembers. "But then it occurred to me the slang was actually really creative and saved time and keystrokes. I was talking to some of the other programmers, and we thought it would be a cool idea to start a website that had translations of the slang that kids use."

Jones created noslang.com in 2005, and as more readers have submitted terms related to drugs and sex, what started out as a fun little lexicon of innocuous shortcuts has become a valuable educational tool for parents to learn about what their children are up to.

Hate letters from teens

Children across the country are heading back to school, and new research from the Partnership for a Drug-Free America shows that a third of parents are concerned computers and texting make it harder to communicate with media-engrossed teens about sex, drugs, alcohol and other risky behaviors. This is a particular concern for many parents, especially considering another new report, from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, finds 5.7 million public school students attend gang and drug-infected schools.

Jones has now made it his mission to help parents detect when their children are discussing dangerous activities online.

In his online dictionary, there are thousands of slang terms related to drugs and sex (there are 88 drug shortcuts beginning with the letter "a" alone). "A- boot," for example, means someone is under the influence of drugs, "cu46" means "see you for sex," and "gnoc" means "get naked on cam," meaning a webcam.

"Whether you're a parent, teacher, law enforcement officer or simply a concerned friend -- it's important to stay up to date on the latest drug-related slang terms," Jones writes on the website.

You won't find every drug- and sex-related term on Jones' website. While readers have submitted thousands of examples of slang, he refuses to include ones that are just too disgusting.

"You should see the things I reject on a daily basis," he says. "Some of this stuff is pretty vulgar."

After they read through his dictionary, parents appreciate the education, Jones says. "Parents write me thank you notes all the time, and I occasionally get hate letters from teens," he says.

Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden agrees that parents need to wise up to what their kids are saying to each other online. His office has made more than 100 presentations about understanding teen online communications.

'A huge disconnect'

"There's a huge disconnect between parents and kids," says Wasden, who makes presentations to parents and teens about how to communicate safely online. "For parents, there is a mystique about technology, but texting is the standard way [teens] communicate with one another."

To demystify electronic communications among teens, Wasden suggests keeping an eye on your child's texts and online communications, whether it's via instant messages or Facebook.

You'll be in good company if you do. According to a recent study from the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project, 64 percent of parents look at the contents of their child's cell phone.

This may seem overbearing, but remember: Looking at what your child says online could keep your child out of a dangerous situation.

"I'm the parent," Wasden says. "If I have to choose between having my child upset with me or having them be victimized, I'm going to chose for them to be upset with me every time."

Of course, it doesn't help to read what they write if you can't understand it.

"There's a broad range of terms that even vigilantly monitoring parents may not recognize," says Ernie Allen, president of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. "Kids are developing their own language and don't want anyone to know what it is."

If you see terms that are unfamiliar to you, go to one of several translators and dictionaries that help parents decipher the terms that teens use in chat rooms, text messages and instant messaging boards.

You can find teen lingo translators from the state of Idaho, noslang.com, teenchatdecoder.com, netsmartz411.org and 1337Talk.com.

Groups such as the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Parents. The Anti-Drug, the Partnership for a Drug-Free America and the Office of National Drug Control Policy have lists of street terms and slang, including those specific to drug or sexual activity.

Once you get the hang of the language, you can try your hand at translating a real message found by Susan Shankle and Barbara Melton, co-authors of the book "What in the World Are Your Kids Doing Online?"

The message reads:

"1 w45 50 j4ck3d up |457 n16h7. 1 5c0r3d 50m3 cr4ck 47 7h3 p4r7y 50 1'd h4v3 17 f0r 70n16h7 4nd 70m0rr0w, 4nd 7h3n J1mmy 700k 0ff w17h 17, 7h3 455h0|3! 1 4m 4|| j1773ry 4nd n33d 70 m337 up w17h y0u 70n16h7 4f73r my p4r3n75 7h1nk 1 4m 45|33p. c4n y0u m337 m3 47 b0j4n6|3'5 47 m1dn16h7 ju57 f0r 4 f3w m1nu735? 1 ju57 n33d 4 |177|3 4nd 1 c4n p4y y0u b4ck 0n m0nd4y, 1 pr0m153."

Translation:

"I was so jacked up last night. I scored some crack at the party so I'd have it for tonight and tomorrow, and then Jimmy took off with it, the [expletive]! I am all jittery and need to meet up with you tonight after my parents think i am asleep. Can you meet me at Bojangle's at midnight just for a few minutes? I just need a little and I can pay you back on Monday, I promise."

CNN's Sabriya Rice contributed to this report.