SAN JOSE – President Laura Chinchilla was present at the launch of My Babilon, a new online social networking platform developed entirely in Costa Rica. My Babilon aims to connect users in their native language, regardless of the languages the rest of the social network members choose to communicate in.

At the inaugural event, the President stated that the new social network is a product of the intellect and ingenuity of Tico talent. She added that:

“It’s no accident that Costa Rica currently enjoys the top spot in Latin America with regard to innovation, since it is the top exporter of technology in the region.”

An official announcement provided by Casa Presidencial quoted Minister of Science and Technology (MICIT) Alejandro Cruz, who explained that the unexpected impact of social media in the democratic process has been very fortunate.

The launch of My Babilon took place at the Fogo Brasil restaurant in San Jose. Developer and founder Diego Garro explained that the site is expected to feature a lot of interaction from users who can engage in forums and messaging applications in any language. The built-in machine translation apps on the platform make the interaction possible, and users can also take advantage of tools that allow linking to popular social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter. Users also have the option to sign in with a number of existing credentials, such as  Google Accounts.

According to an article by Melissa Gonzalez of business daily La Republica, the original idea behind My Babilon three years ago was to create an instant messaging application powered by real-time translation. The project eventually evolved into a social network.

As previously reported by The Costa Rica Star, President Laura Chinchilla is a firm believer in the use of social media by government institutions. To that extent, her favorite network is Twitter, which she personally uses without the assistance of her communications team. At the My Babilon launch last night, however, she opened an account on the new platform.