Automated translation

[Khatores]

I'm not sure how many people know about these, but here's a couple of fairly good automated translators. Google does many languages (http://www.google.com/language_tools?hl=en) and also has many more interface pages in various languages. They also offer translation by text message (http://www.google.com/intl/en_us/mobile/sms/) (along with other services - just follow the directions).

Altavista offers a few languages that Google doesn't (http://babelfish.altavista.com/), like Russian.

Also, newstran.com (http://www.newstran.com) integrates some a collection of world newspapers with Babelfish to translate between various languages. It's nothing you couldn't do on your own if you knew what site address to have Google translate, but if you don't know the language, maybe you don't know the right sources for news, either. :)

Last but not least, there's 1-800-TRANSLATE (http://www.1800translate.com) which is $9.95 a month to use their automated service. I'm not sure if this includes a speech feature too, but it might. Most interestingly, they also have a "human translator" service which includes Vietnamese...for $2/minute. :shock:

[bschuess]

A few years ago, I put some of these automatic translators to the test. I would bet they have improved a great deal, but I suggest you try the test before you entrust your translation.

1) Write a sentence in language #1 and ask the translator to translate it to language #2.

2) Take the translation in language #2 and ask the translator to translate it back to language #1.

3) Repeat as often as you feel like it.

The more often you repeat, the more distant you often get from the original idea.

Of course you get the same result in your native tongue if you ask people at a party to pass a simple verbal message from person to person. At the end of the line of participants the change in idea can be pretty funny.

[Khatores]

They definitely aren't perfect at all...it's best to have at least a bit of understanding of the language when using it, unless it's your only option.

For example, I can read newspaper-level Spanish to an acceptable degree, but with an automatic translator, I can read it even better, and write the language about as well as I can read it without the translator. So, it enhances your existing language abilities, and probably helps to improve them as you work with it.

Of course, I could not use it very well to translate something I don't know at all, like Russian. That would produce nonsense. :lol:

[bschuess]

I think you are right. As tempting as it might be, students would not be well-served to let the translators do their homework. But I'm going to go back and try one as you suggested.

But if one of your parties ever gets really dull, I suggest trying the "chain translation" game with some phrases and see how wierd the translations can get. Happy New Year.

[giang]

Your discussion is very interesting for me as a linguistic researcher. I think automatic translations between same-language-family languages is reliable and quite accurate. For example, automatic translation between English and French are pretty good, I found. However, cross-language-family translations seem still bad. Only simple sentences are correct.

In my opninion, automatic translation can help in two way:
(1) replacing vocabulary in a language with another. Especially in scientific and technique documents, where terms are most monosemic. In this case, a person who is in charge of polishing the automatically translated texts will save a lot of time.

(2) Sentence-level translations. Imagine you have a database of 10 000 sentence in the source language and the same amount of sentence in the target language. In this case, what the machine does is to find the sentence and replace it with its equivalent in the target language.

Otherwise, automatic translation helps only understand summarily what is said in the source language, and nothing is sure to be accurate.

[giang]

In order to illustrate what Bob has said, I post here the results of a chain translation between English and Korean, that I have received from a friend.

-----------------


Start with famous English saying “You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours.”, which means “You take care of me (accommodate me) and I’ll do the same for you.”

Translate English->Korean->English

Me which it spreads out it scratches the rear and me will scratch your thing.

“Me will scratch your thing”….what every man wants to hear on a first date!! lol

Repeat above English->Korean->English

It it spreads out the rear where it scratches at this by outside to peel and as which thing B and me will scratch your thing.

Repeat above English->Korean->English

With with the thing it peels together and with thing B it goes out to the place and the rear where on the shell will scratch your thing by outside it scratches to this by it spreads out at it outside.

Repeat above English->Korean->English

It peels together in the thing and it goes out the rear to it by it to only this by it your thing in the projectile and and in the place scratches to a place in thing and B will scratch at only the outside which spreads out.

Maybe it does better with French???

English->French

Vous rayez mon dos et je rayerai le vôtre.

Back to English

You stripe my back and I will rayerai yours.

Ouch, I think that would hurt!!!!!
---------------------------

My answer for French translation: not bad, it's understandable !

Giang

[Khatores]

It peels together in the thing and it goes out the rear to it by it to only this by it your thing in the projectile and and in the place scratches to a place in thing and B will scratch at only the outside which spreads out.

That sounds like bookcase assembly instructions. :lol:

If you go to the store here and buy a piece of furniture that requires assembly, it is usually made in China. The instructions are sometimes translated by someone who only *thought* they knew English (or maybe they used an automated translator) so it sounds confusing.

Here's an example...let's decompose! :lol:

http://engrish.com/image/engrish/puzzle-ball1.jpg

[giotbuon]

I decided to check out the auto-translation service over at VDICT.com. I put in "Tôi không yêu anh" and it gave me "I love you". Trời đất!!! :shock: :shock: Kiểu này thì đúng là nói một đàng mà hiểu một nẻo ...

[Khatores]

I decided to check out the auto-translation service over at VDICT.com. I put in "Tôi không yêu anh" and it gave me "I love you". Trời đất!!! :shock: :shock: Kiểu này thì đúng là nói một đàng mà hiểu một nẻo ...
Uh-oh...this sounds like a case of unrequited robot love. :lol:

[giotbuon]

I decided to check out the auto-translation service over at VDICT.com. I put in "Tôi không yêu anh" and it gave me "I love you". Trời đất!!! :shock: :shock: Kiểu này thì đúng là nói một đàng mà hiểu một nẻo ...
What's wrong, it doesn't love you back? :lol:

:lol:
Very funny. I guess I shouldn't complain huh?

[Khatores]

I decided to check out the auto-translation service over at VDICT.com. I put in "Tôi không yêu anh" and it gave me "I love you". Trời đất!!! :shock: :shock: Kiểu này thì đúng là nói một đàng mà hiểu một nẻo ...
What's wrong, it doesn't love you back? :lol:

:lol:
Very funny. I guess I shouldn't complain huh?
I edited it when I realized I had the roles backwards. I guess you beat me though. :P

[giotbuon]

unrequited robot love. :lol:

:lol:

Oh gosh, this is so typical of Vietnamese love stories and songs, and now it seems to be spreading to automatic translations as well. When you listen to the song, you just want to scream "stop hiding behind walls and trees already, go ask the girl!" But nope, the ending is always the guy watches as the girl of his dream walking hand-in-hand with another man. Trời ơi ... how frustrating!

[Khatores]

unrequited robot love. :lol:

:lol:

Oh gosh, this is so typical of Vietnamese love stories and songs, and now it seems to be spreading to automatic translations as well. When you listen to the song, you just want to scream "stop hiding behind walls and trees already, go ask the girl!" But nope, the ending is always the guy watches as the girl of his dream walking hand-in-hand with another man. Trời ơi ... how frustrating!
I see that in karaoke videos all the time and more or less summarize the plot. That's the gist of it, I guess.

[giotbuon]

I see that in karaoke videos all the time and more or less summarize the plot. That's the gist of it, I guess.

Oh don't get me started on karaoke videos. They epitomize all that is bad, cheesy, corny, lame, etc. They are worse than telenovelas...

[Khatores]

I see that in karaoke videos all the time and more or less summarize the plot. That's the gist of it, I guess.

Oh don't get me started on karaoke videos. They epitomize all that is bad, cheesy, corny, lame, etc. They are worse than telenovelas...
Yeah - and, they're supposedly using the more attractive-looking people that they could find. Apparently cross-cultural views may sometimes differ on that subject. It just seems like some of them could use some sun; they always look ghostly pale, as if they never leave the house.

[nb]

what i want to know is why aren't they in the **** kitchen where they belong?

[bschuess]

I see that in karaoke videos all the time and more or less summarize the plot. That's the gist of it, I guess.

Oh don't get me started on karaoke videos. They epitomize all that is bad, cheesy, corny, lame, etc. They are worse than telenovelas...
Yeah - and, they're supposedly using the more attractive-looking people that they could find. Apparently cross-cultural views may sometimes differ on that subject. It just seems like some of them could use some sun; they always look ghostly pale, as if they never leave the house.

Geez Giotbuon and Khatores...are you guys up late or up early!

Re: ghostly pale, I spent a lovely day at Vung Tau with a Vietnamese family including 3 teenagers. Upon arrival at the beach, they rented about 30 beach umbrellas and constructed an impenetrable roof that we hid under for 6 hours. When they ventured out from underr the shelter they wore so much sun lotion, they looked like Geisha. I don't think the "sun culture" has reached this corner of Asia yet. I don't recommend any melanoma specialist relocate there.

[Khatores]

Re: ghostly pale, I spent a lovely day at Vung Tau with a Vietnamese family including 3 teenagers. Upon arrival at the beach, they rented about 30 beach umbrellas and constructed an impenetrable roof that we hid under for 6 hours. When they ventured out from underr the shelter they wore so much sun lotion, they looked like Geisha. I don't think the "sun culture" has reached this corner of Asia yet. I don't recommend any melanoma specialist relocate there.
Everyone hide! Get down, IT'S THE SUN!!! :lol:

I'm not one of those people who goes outside for the specific purpose of tanning, or even advocates it. However, having a normal amount of skin color is good. Also, I like the way that darker skin (a "permanent tan" as I call it) looks.

[giotbuon]

what i want to know is why aren't they in the **** kitchen where they belong?

:shock: :shock:

Trời, nói gì mà kì vậy! I hope you are not saying what I think you are saying.

[nb]

get back in the kitchen GiotBuon

[Khatores]

get back in the kitchen GiotBuon
El teme el arma de fuego. Pero, no hay arma de fuego hecho es igual colera de mujer. :pale:

[nb]

and make me some pie!

[Khatores]

and make me some pie!

El cava el sepulcro muy profundamente.

("He digs his grave very deep") :lol:

[ChubbyChocobobo]

Can I have some?

[bschuess]

:shock: :shock: :roll: :roll: :roll:

[ChubbyChocobobo]

Welcome to the dummy world, Bob. :lol: Would you like some cookies?

[bschuess]

get back in the kitchen GiotBuon

nb, every forum needs a "shock jock". I guess you're our Don Imus.

Anyway, to paraphrase Harry Truman, if you can stand the heat, get into the kitchen. Apparently, you could improve your love life according to the Chicago Tribune April 29:

Percentage of couples who always cook together who have a satisfactory sex life: 58. Percentage who rarely or never cook together who make the same claim: 30.


Of course they don't have returns from people who don't spend their time answering stupid polls, but anyway.....

[Khatores]

Percentage of couples who always cook together who have a satisfactory sex life: 58. Percentage who rarely or never cook together who make the same claim: 30.

I remember reading a news story once about a couple that was apparently trying to multi-task the two of those together. They forgot to turn off the burner on the stove, and the woman ended up with mild rear-end burns. :lol:


"OH BABY, WHAT'S COOKING?"
"AIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!"
"Uh-oh."

:lol:

[bschuess]

He thought she had a headache when he thought he heard her yelling, "O, my aspirins, my aspirins.

[nb]

oh man aspirins... i had to think about that for a moment.

Shock Jock? Yes my jocks are shocking, but not so much my jocks, moreso what they contain! It's like meeting God... only way more impressive! :twisted:

[LeeRain]

I'm not sure if this includes a speech feature too, but it might. Most interestingly, they also have a "human translator" service which includes Vietnamese...for $2/minute. :shock: