Patent ID: 7681184

Claim:
A system for translation of data types between a first application in a first language and a second application in a second language, the system comprising: a computer having at least one processor and a memory configured to generate: a formal mapping between data types of the first language and data types of the second language; translators for translating data types between the first language and the second language based on the formal mapping; a translation mapping to the translators based on actual data types of the first application and formal data types of the second application; and a module for automatically selecting an appropriate translator for translating between a particular data type in the first language and a data types in the second language based on the translation mapping in response to invocation of a method of the first application with the particular data type, wherein the module for selecting the appropriate translator is configured to perform at least a two-level lookup in the translation mapping to select the appropriate translator, wherein a first level of the two-level lookup includes a lookup of a full inheritance hierarchy of the actual type to determine a candidate set of translators and, wherein a second level lookup of the two-level lookup includes a lookup based on a formal data type of the second application and selection of an appropriate translator from the candidate set of translators determined by the first level of the two-level lookup.