A system and method of searching a database in which documents of different languages
are included. The system includes a synonym or keyword dictionary which is bi-directional
and allows for translation of keywords between a first language and other languages.
The translated words keywords for the document are stored in an inverted index
which is then used for searching, either in a selected language, a second language
or in all languages, as determined by the user. This use of multiple searching
and a translated synonym dictionary avoids the need for translation of the entire
document and avoids inaccuracies which may result from translations.