does something like this exist?

[Takeshi]

i've seen websites where you can type (ie.) say....dutch sentences in a box, and then it will come out in english. is there any website or some kinda electronic dictonary that can do that...where you type english sentences or paragraphs and it comes out correctly in japanese? i can't imagine it to be possible because of how different the 2 languages are. but if anyone knows, please share. thanks.

[Oyaji]

There are websites that claim to be able to do that, but in reality the results are usually at best amusing, and at worst confusing and meaningless.

[punkgrl326]

Yeah, Babel Fish is the most common, but the results are more like engrish than english

[kanadajin]

U mean a translator? No they all suck. hehe, the only way you're going to get a good translation is if you pay, and plus you might not get it right away becuase there will probably be someone translating it.

I mean, if you need help TJP is probably the best place (and it's free ). Just make sure you give it your best effort and we'll correct it

[Takeshi]

yeah....i figured it would all suck. the reason i asked is because this person from japan is emailing me some info about some music. anyways, she responds to me in english, but says her english is bad and always takes awhile to translate what i write to her. so i don't get responses for like about a 1-2 weeks. but the problem is, i'm not nearly good enough to even attempt to write a letter yet.

i guess if someone could make a website like that, they could make millions....i'm on it. jk.

[chikara]

The Translate Text function on Jim Breens WWW JDIC Server is useful for translating from Japanese to English as it will break up the text and give meanings for individual words, other than particles and simple words. You still need a knowledge of Japanese grammar to get the correct meaning of the text but it is better than Babel Fish's translation into Engrish.

Edit: That is assuming you want to go from Japanese to English. Having reread your last post I am unsure what you are trying to acheive. Some one in Japan is sending you emails in English and you want to translate them?

[Takeshi]

i want to type a letter in english, click a button, and have it come out in japanese. so i can send it to her and she doesn't have to translate it to reply to me.

with all the technology today....i guess this would be harder then putting a man on the moon

[Infidel]

Japanese is extremely context dependent. Translation is not simply a matter of word substitution, you need a program that actually understands the sentences to translate them.

I don't see good translations happening before computers begin to pass the Turing Test.

[nikoniko]

http://www.freetranslation.com

Please try. I'm sorry to say I'm not sure if it's perfectly correct.

[tkbits]

Check out this article on Ambiguous Words

[magma]

Good article.

[Dehitay]

Infidel wrote:
I don't see good translations happening before computers begin to pass the Turing Test.

har har, I don't know whether to love you or hate you for mentioning that
such bittersweet memories

but as for translations sites, go ahead and jam a Japanese paragraph in and see what comes out. That's about what it will look like for her if you use it to translate to Japanese.

[Jesse Matthew Garcia]

GARCIA,JESSE SAYS HEY I'M HERE LOT'S OF LOVE!

[Infidel]

You know, I always imagined that people that go by their first middle and last names, were yelled at a lot as children.

I can already imagine his mom screaming in anger. "Jesse Matthew Garcia, Get over here right now!"

[tanuki]

What's the deal with all the dead threads coming back to life? Kind of seems like Dawn of the Dead or something.