Lost in the Translation

[rajncajn]

For those of you who have ever used translation programs to speak to people Internationally... I've always found it funny how these things contort simple conversation into something almost incomprehensible. Here's a small example I found in a blog.

 

 

English Original

This is just something I enjoy playing with. On several occasions, I have used translation utilities to translate various of my web pages into other languages, in an attempt to get more traffic from web surfers who speak languages other than English.

 

I would say I had a certain ammount of success, as traffic did increase, though it is hard to say what those visitors actually thought of the pages they were viewing. The thing is, what these utilities do is translate the words literally, without taking into account dialect and differences in word order, while abbreviations also appear to trip them up.

 

This page is just something I am doing for my own ammusement, translating this text from English, into German, and then back into English, rather like a game of chinese whispers, to see what the end result is.

The irony is not lost on me that at the top of this page, there is a banner advertising translation utilities, and that this exercise could well discourage people from buying those utilities, but what the hell, it's all good fun.

 

German Translation

Dieses ist etwas gerade, das ich genieße, mit zu spielen. Bei einigen Gelegenheiten habe ich Übersetzung Hilfsprogramme verwendet, um verschiedenes von meinen Web-Seiten in andere Sprachen zu übersetzen, in der Bemühung mehr Verkehr von den Web Surfers zu erhalten, die Sprachen anders als Englisch sprechen.

 

Ich würde mich hatte ein bestimmtes ammount des Erfolges sagen, da Verkehr sich erhöhte, obwohl es hart ist, zu sagen, was jene Besucher wirklich an die Seiten dachten, die sie ansahen. Die Sache ist, was diese Hilfsprogramme ist übersetzen die Wörter buchstäblich, ohne Dialekt und Unterschiede bezüglich der Wortstellung in Betracht zu ziehen, während Abkürzungen auch scheinen, sie oben auszulösen.

 

Diese Seite ist etwas, das gerade ich für mein eigenes ammusement tue und übersetzt diesen Text von Englisch, in Deutschen und dann zurück in Englisch, eher wie ein Spiel des chinesischen Flüsterns, um zu sehen was das Ende Resultat ist.

Die Ironie ist nicht auf mir verloren, der an der Oberseite dieser Seite, es eine Fahne gibt, die Übersetzung Hilfsprogramme bekanntmacht und die diese Übung Leute vom Kaufen jener Hilfsprogramme, aber, was hervorquellen, entmutigen könnte die Hölle, es aller gute Spaß ist.

 

Translated Back To English

This is something straight, which I enjoy playing also. At some opportunities I used translation of aid programmes, in order to translate different of my web pages into other languages, in the effort more traffic received from the Web of surfers to, to speak the languages differently than English.

 

I had a certain ammount success to say, since traffic increased, although it is hard, say what those visitors really thought of the pages, which regarded her. The thing is, which these aid programmes is translate the words literally, without considering dialect and differences concerning the word position, while abbreviations also seem to release it above.

 

This page is something, the even I for my own ammusement does and translates this text of English, into German and then back into English, rather like a play of Chinese whispering to see around which the end result is.

The irony is not lost on me, to who at the top side of this page, it gives a flag, which announces translation of aid programmes and which could discourage this exercise of people of the purchase of those aid programmes, but, which out-poured, hell, it all good fun are.

 

Conclusion

 

I think that says it all really.

Now, knowing the British governement, and their constant cost cutting, they'll probably decide to sack all their translators, and start using translation utilities, thus ushering in a new era of world peace.... er... or maybe confusion and chaos. Hmm... we seem to have that already, so perhaps they've already done it.