While most people would agree that technology can do wonderful things, a lot of work in information and communication technology so far has been geared towards the requirements of professionals. In the past few years, however, there has been an increasing awareness that the new technology in the 21^st century will have to address the needs of a much larger group of people: the "ordinary" people who use it in their everyday lives. A forward-looking approach to technology is bound to focus on information interfaces, which are the point of contact between people and technology. We know that to meet the needs of ordinary people in the near and longer-term future, interfaces will need to be intelligent and user-friendly, transparent to use. We also know that the technology behind them will need to be integrated with innovative design, and developed in close response to the reactions of the people who will be using it.

What we do not know, as yet, is: how will society and the lives of individuals be shaped in the years to come? What kinds of technology will this translate into? And how people will respond to this new technology? No single individual is likely to be able to answer these questions. But there are many research activities that stand a good chance. The Ad-hoc.com project is one of them.

Ad-hoc.com project aims at the development an innovative advanced Multi Media language learning tool for European travellers, students and professionals who on location are interested to acquire certain language skills, in order to communicate with locals in the country of their destination.

The increasing mobility of European citizens for various purposes, tourism, education, business, and training, requires appropriate equipment to prepare and assist the individual for a successful stay in the country of his/her destination. The communication with people in another country often represents an obstacle and simple daily interaction patterns are often underestimated in their importance for comprehension of the opposite side.