A couple o diplo questions please.....

On the left is your stuff to offer. On the right is the civ's in question. For your example: Click on universal translator (it will drop down to the bottom left box and is now 'on the table'). Now go the other civ's stuff and click on that for a trade (this includes clicking on this money and setting an amount you want to ask for).

If the deal is not acceptable to the AI, the middle text will remain yellow. If it is acceptable, it will turn green. Thus, the 'best deal' is right at the point when it turns green.

As for helping your AI pals, I usually give some ships (this is a good way to get rid of older ship designs sitting back at home doing nothing) and an infusion of cash if his treasury is low. Oh, and I give tech if I'm not worried about having to fight this civ later. If I am worried, I give selective tech or none at all.

Howdy!
1. No, you can't ask for an offer. But you can select a piece of tech you'd like to trade and then ask them for some amount of money. If the trade area in the middle lower part of the screen turns yellow, it is not an acceptable amount, and you can keep asking for less until it turns green and then trade for that amount. Note that the sliders in the trade amount area are reflected real time, so as you slide the amount up and down, the deal area will change colors. Also, remember that races will trade you a LOT more overall is you spread it over several months. For example, they might trade you 150 credits for translators in one lump sum, or give you 50 credits for the next 6 months (total of 300). Play with both of the sliders.
2. Well, the best way is to send your ships over to pound on their enemies. However, this means you must go to war and that can be bad. If you are looking for ways to help without declaring war, I've found the best are to give techs that help weapon values, hit points of ships or overall morale. Other than that, you can give them your own ships (particularly nasty is to drive a nice fleet right into the middle of another race - which won't mind because they aren't at war with you - and give it to their enemy who will promptly attack with it). Cold cash is always appreciated.
V

1. no you can't.
1. part 2, all I can say is go for what you need. Don't give a trading empire good trading techs, and don't give military empires advanced capital ships or things liek cloaking. Good techs to go for are ones you can't get yourself, ie ones that are aligned with "good" or "bad" civilizations.

2.Help by giving your old ships, especially if you are ahead of everyone else technologically. Another good idea is just plain money, they can then proceed to lower taxes, buy something, or increase spending. I usually push research all the time so I'm usually a few generations ahead of everyone else. So if everyone else is using Deadnoughts and I have Overlords, then I'll build a few Avatars and give them away. Then my friends have death ships that could never effectively be turned against me down the road.

Outstanding advice! Thank you all for the tips.
I'm still learning the ropes,and have only won 1 game of 4 playing on idiot haha!
In my latest defeat,i turned it up a notch to beginner,and some group emerged that called themselves "The I League",and proceeded to pound on anything,and everyone in thier way.I lost all my trading partners,and i was waaaay behind on military techs,so the only way i could try to help my partners was covert.My shipes were laughable in comparison to the I leagues,so i learned a good lesson in that game.
Your trading tips round out the lesson,thanks again.