Online translators. A cautionary tale.
- AJBryant
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Online translators. A cautionary tale.
This came up in another forum I'm on, and I thought I'd share the info here.
We often talk about the problems with online translation (Google, Yahoo, etc.). The thing is, they usually produce gibberish. Sometimes, however, it's not gibberish. It's just horribly, horribly wrong.
Here's a news story about Seattle Mariners Ichiro's reaction to his 2,000th hit in the US major leagues: http://www.sanspo.com/mlb/news/090908/m ... 005-n1.htm
At one point, the Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu says Ichiro could probably play until he's 50. That's the heading of the section. In the original, ワカマツ監督は50歳までやれると. So... how does Google translate that? "Director Wakamatsu is 50 years old and fuckable".
Here's the translation via Google:
http://translate.google.com/translate?h ... google.com
So.
Let that be a warning to you all about the use of online translators.
Tony
We often talk about the problems with online translation (Google, Yahoo, etc.). The thing is, they usually produce gibberish. Sometimes, however, it's not gibberish. It's just horribly, horribly wrong.
Here's a news story about Seattle Mariners Ichiro's reaction to his 2,000th hit in the US major leagues: http://www.sanspo.com/mlb/news/090908/m ... 005-n1.htm
At one point, the Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu says Ichiro could probably play until he's 50. That's the heading of the section. In the original, ワカマツ監督は50歳までやれると. So... how does Google translate that? "Director Wakamatsu is 50 years old and fuckable".
Here's the translation via Google:
http://translate.google.com/translate?h ... google.com
So.
Let that be a warning to you all about the use of online translators.
Tony
- phreadom
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Re: Online translators. A cautionary tale.
Luckily I generally rely on Excite for quick machine translations...

Not great, but certainly better than Google.Excite wrote:When supervisor [wakamatsu] can do up to 50 years old.

猿も木から落ちる
- AJBryant
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Re: Online translators. A cautionary tale.
Unless you're Wakamatsu and trolling for dates. 

- phreadom
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Re: Online translators. A cautionary tale.
AJBryant wrote:Unless you're Wakamatsu and trolling for dates.


猿も木から落ちる
- Harisenbon
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Re: Online translators. A cautionary tale.
This is the best bit of machine translation I've ever seen.
Thanks for brightening my day, Tony!
Thanks for brightening my day, Tony!
- chikara
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Re: Online translators. A cautionary tale.
Dang those ice and flies in Auckland although, in my experience, ice is more a problem than flies on the other side of the dutch (sic)The first expedition in Auckland was hit on the head or a coin of the ice and flies ......

Auckland Athletics has a nice ring to it.
Don't complain to me that people kick you when you're down. It's your own fault for lying there
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Re: Online translators. A cautionary tale.
rofl. Even I understood the sentence better than that.
(I didn't see Tony's translation next to it until after I already tried to read it.)
I actually was pretty close; the only part I messed up on was that I didn't realize that the と signified a quote, so I was confused on Wakamatsu's role in the sentence.
- Kef

I actually was pretty close; the only part I messed up on was that I didn't realize that the と signified a quote, so I was confused on Wakamatsu's role in the sentence.
- Kef
Founder of Learning Languages Through Video Games.
Also see my lang-8 journal, where you can help me practice Japanese (and Spanish, and Italian!)
Also see my lang-8 journal, where you can help me practice Japanese (and Spanish, and Italian!)
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Re: Online translators. A cautionary tale.
Oh yeah me too ... also at first I didn't understand what ワカマツ meant (I tend not to pay attention to names when I read ...)furrykef wrote:I didn't realize that the と signified a quote, so I was confused on Wakamatsu's role in the sentence.
ー 流光 ー
花地世
小 見獄の
林 かの中
一 な上は
茶 の
花地世
小 見獄の
林 かの中
一 な上は
茶 の
Re: Online translators. A cautionary tale.
We should create a ranking list for these gems. This one may be #1 for a long time. Of course we would need certified Photoshop-free screenshots since the online translators can always update their code. 

TheJapanShop.com- Japanese language learning materials
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Checkout our iPhone apps: TheJapanesePage.com/iPhone
Re: Online translators. A cautionary tale.
Now what fascinates me most is why Tony is using an online translator 

- AJBryant
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Re: Online translators. A cautionary tale.
As I said, this appeared in another forum I'm on. I'm just passing along the translation-fail goodness.
Re: Online translators. A cautionary tale.
Hilarious
In that case I think everyone will get a kick out of this site ( if it hasn't been showcased here before)
http://translationparty.com/
It bounces translations back and forth between English and Japanese using the google translate service..
Really shows how bad online translators can be!

In that case I think everyone will get a kick out of this site ( if it hasn't been showcased here before)
http://translationparty.com/
It bounces translations back and forth between English and Japanese using the google translate service..
Really shows how bad online translators can be!
- astaroth
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Re: Online translators. A cautionary tale.
This reminds me of an experiment Moravia, an Italian poet, once tried: he wrote a poem and submitted to a translator who then had to send to another translator (of a third different language) and so on for a twenty or so passages until the last translation was to be back to Italian.
At the end they compared the original with the final version and ... two completely different poems, not only in how they were written but also in the meaning.
At the end they compared the original with the final version and ... two completely different poems, not only in how they were written but also in the meaning.
ー 流光 ー
花地世
小 見獄の
林 かの中
一 な上は
茶 の
花地世
小 見獄の
林 かの中
一 な上は
茶 の
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Re: Online translators. A cautionary tale.
I hope this doesn't count as spam - I just had to post this here.
http://translationparty.com/#4335629
Phrase: "I was not going to say that this is completely hilarious."
Then I realized there should be a "was" instead of "is", I tried again and out came this:
http://translationparty.com/#4335662
Phrase: "I was not going to say that this was completely hilarious."
The latter just had me choking on my slice of toast from laughing. I mean, how on earth...?!
http://translationparty.com/#4335629
Phrase: "I was not going to say that this is completely hilarious."
Then I realized there should be a "was" instead of "is", I tried again and out came this:
http://translationparty.com/#4335662
Phrase: "I was not going to say that this was completely hilarious."
The latter just had me choking on my slice of toast from laughing. I mean, how on earth...?!