A system and method for facilitating electronic communication between people who speak different languages. An SMS message including content in a first language is received at a network node. It is then determined whether the content of the SMS message is to be translated to a second language before being sent to a recipient. This determination can be based on an embedded code or an the fact that a bounded session has been previously established. The content is then translated from the first language to the second language, and the SMS message is thereafter sent to the recipient directly from the network node at which the translating step was performed.