I came across Google's new translator on the google search page.
I typed in a couple of simple sentences in English, then translated them thus using the languages I know, and then back into English....
"This is my blog, and it is about my travels throughout the globe. All the incidents actually happened to me and most are amusing. Well, they are now!"
English >> Korean >> Japanese>> French >> Spanish >> English
"This is your blog, and my trip is to introduce the world. I have all the facts of what happened, what is most interesting. Now, now!"
Where is the Babel fish when you need one?
3 comments:
I should remark that I have read a bit on the field of translation using artificial means, software is what I mean by artificial. Even though they have made great strides compared to the past, it seems science and programers have yet to come up with truly decent translation software. I can not recall what reason was given for this, but maybe the nuances of language, particularly how you take the content and context of a phrase in one language and give it the same content and context in another language has been beyond the skills of science and programers to easily distill into a software program.
I think one major reason for this is in writing software they must generalize while also trying to be specific enough to get a majority of the content and context correct. With language, it is the thought that counts more than the words within the thought. When I took German my college instructor always told us to learn to grasp the meaning of a phrase,not the meaning of each word in that phrase. I think there is a lot of implied meaning and even implied context in language, which may not be obvious to us, therefore a human translator will easily be more fluent than a computer program.
For example, the word okay is a far more variable and complex word than we realize. The context in which it is said can be important, even when that is the only word which is said, thus it becomes both word and phrase, something I think a computer program would find nearly impossible to recognize, especially in all its varied meanings depending on context within which it is used. I once worked with two people who needed to communicate that various tasks had been completed so each one could move to their next task. It was quite amusing for a fellow who became a good friend would say okay to our supervisor when he had completed a particular task, then when she completed the task she did after his, she would say okay to him. I think this was either followed by a Hmmm!!! or another okay a few minutes later.
I was able to understand these small communications transactions between the two of them each night because I understood two things I think no program has or will be trained to know anytime soon, yet is key to translation. I knew the where in the night process these okays were uttered and what they related to, which for all of us gave this simple word its variety of meaning. The meaning being: Task is complete, so you may do your task now. (And even here it is task A the first time said by my friend, task B when my supervisor said it, and task C when my friend said it for his second time.) How do you teach a program this kind of translation of meaning even within its own language? You don't. To translate this into another language would require the explanation I just gave in English. No program made can currently do this. It takes a human who can understand the various nuances of languages. Even the tone with which okay was said by each did a great deal to give the simple word its same, but different, meanings.
This is one reason languages fascinate me. It is also one of many reasons why I think you got the translations you got. It is a lot like passing a message from one person to the next person. By the time it gets back to the person who said it,it is no longer the message that was first delivered, even if the meaning is little changed. We translate everything we hear or read into our own personal language. If we clearly hear and understand what is said, there is hope the message will stay the same, but even here the way we translate it in our minds can lead us to believe the opposite of what was said has been said. I think even artificial intelligence will learn to translate with great difficulty, and like humans, will never be entirely perfect.
What you did was ask the translastion site you went to to do an extremely difficult task, translate from one language to another then to another, etc. This is like having an expert state what the Big Bang is means, then translating it into another language with a less expert person, then translating again with an even less expert person, etc. I am sure the Big Bang when back in English would sound very little like what was originally said. Each person translated the meaning into what they understood the words to be saying. We do this constantly, which is what leads to miscommunication---and even fights between happily married couples.
Thanks, this was fun. Now, I wonder how much of your post I mistranslated inside my head and how much each reader will mistranslate when reading my comment on this subject. Language must have its own form of energy and entropy, given how its organization often leads to total chaos. ha ha ha Bye.
lol - this was not meant to be a serious post!!!
It is not even meant to be a serious blog!!!
I do have a sense of humor you know!!!
I am sorry. I should have mentioned I saw the humor and was amused by it. If you could have seen the "Okay" conversations I mentioned, while working for a former employer, then you would see why I nearly burst out laughing at that several times. I apologize that your post struck a serious vein of thought about languages and past reading I have done. I am interested in languages and how we acquire them, especially learning non-Native languages. I am also interested in good translation software, because such help would come in handy at times.
Again, I am sorry if I ruined the humor connected to the post or have responded in a manner you consider to be taking things too seriously. I can only be myself and give the response that is inside me to give at that moment.
In part, this is why most people do not seem to understand me very well and I often get into trouble for things I say. People neither see the humor in my humor often, nor understand why I can be serious over something they view as humorous or trivial. I see through my own eyes and go in my own direction at times. Thank you for your post and allowing me to comment. I only wish I had people who commented on my blogposts, whatever their comments. I think my posts are very good whether serious or humorous, but rarely do readers comment. Maybe I can learn to respond with comments in full agreement with the line of thought of the poster and other commenters. Until then, I got to be me...but, I see I made you laugh and I don't mind at all making people laugh. There is too little of that in this world. ;-) (Now, I return you to your regularly scheduled humorous postings. I am standing by.)
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