Facebook is attempting to patent the idea of crowdsourcing language translations, an idea that Phrasebase.com put into practice back in 1999.

Facebook filed their patent application with the US Patent and Trademark Office back in December 2008, but it is now only recently making it’s way into the public knowledge.
 
The application is currently going through the office’s examination process, and has not yet been approved.
 
Phrasebase.com would appreciate everyones help in spreading the word that we’ve already been doing this for over 12 years now.
 
Here is an abstract of the Facebook patent: 

Embodiments of the invention provide techniques for translating text in a social network. In one embodiment translations of text phrases are received from members of the social network. These text phrases include content displayed in a social networking system, such as content from social networking objects. A particular member is provided with content including a text phrase in a first language, and the member requests translation into another language. Responsive to this request, a translation of the text phrase is selected from a set of available translations. The selection is based on actions by friends of the member in the social network, the actions being associated with the set of available translations. These actions can the viewing of or approval of translations by the friends, for example. The selected translation is then presented to the member requesting the translation.