The famous (and probably urban legend) result of translating "The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak" to Russian and back to English is supposed to be "The vodka is good but the meat is rotten."
Babelizing it yields "The alcohol becomes ausgebritten, but the meat is weak person." Including Asian languages results in "The brain is, the meat omits nevertheless lucky."
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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I have an aquaintance on Okinawa who translates my emails from English to Japanese and also translates the Japanese emails I receive to English.
I asked him about the online translation services. He has a very low opinion of them and demonstrated to me just how poor the phraseology can be.
I know when I receive an email in Japanese and put through, say, bablefish the results can range from indecipherable to fairly clear.
He says this is what keeps him employed. Posts: 440 | Registered: Oct 2001
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The problem is that it's translated word by word. The minimal unit of translation isn't the word but the sentence, or better, the whole text.
Posts: 28 | Registered: Dec 2004
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Original English Text: Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord, He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored, He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible, swift sword; His truth is marching on!
Translated to French: Les yeux de mine ont vu la gloire de venir du seigneur, il piétine hors du cru où les raisins de la colère sont stockés, qu'il le hath a desserré la foudre fatidique de sa épée terrible et rapide ; Sa vérité marche dessus !
Translated back to English: The eyes of mine saw glory to come from the lord, it tramples out of the vintage where the grapes of anger are stored, which it it hath loosened the fateful lightning of his terrible and fast sword; Its truth goes above!
Translated to German: Die Augen von meinen sahen Ruhm, um vom Lord zu kommen, trampelt er aus der Weinlese heraus, in der die Trauben des Zornes gespeichert werden, denen er es hath den verhängnisvollen Blitz seiner schrecklichen und schnellen Klinge löste; Seine Wahrheit geht oben!
Translated back to English: The eyes of my saw fame, in order to come from the lord to, trample it from the wine vintage, in which the grapes/clusters of the anger are stored, which it solved it hath fatal lightning of its terrible and fast blade; Its truth goes above!
Translated to Italian: Gli occhi della mia fama della sega, per venire dal signore a, lo calpestano dall'annata del vino, in cui i grapes/clusters della rabbia sono immagazzinati, che la ha risolta lampo mortale del hath della relativa lamierina terribile e veloce; La relativa verità va sopra!
Translated back to English: The eyes of my reputation of saw, in order to come from the getlteman to, tread on it from the vintage year of the wine, in which the grapes/clusters of the anger they are stores to you, than it have resolved mortal lightning bolt them of the hath of the relative terrible and fast lamierina; The relative truth goes over!
Translated to Portuguese: Os olhos de minha reputação da serra, a fim vir do getlteman a, passo nele do ano do vintage do vinho, em que os grapes/clusters da raiva eles lhe são lojas, do que resolveram o relâmpago mortal aparafusam-no do hath do lamierina terrível e rápido relativo; A verdade relativa ultrapassa!
Translated back to English: The eyes of my reputation of the mountain range, the end to come of getlteman, step in it of the year of vintage of the wine, where grapes/clusters of the anger they it are store, of that had decided the mortal lightning screw it of hath of relative the terrible and fast lamierina; The relative truth exceeds!
Translated to Spanish: Los ojos de mi reputación de la montaña se extienden, el extremo para venir de getlteman, paso en él del año de la vendimia del vino, donde están almacén grapes/clusters de la cólera ellos él, de eso habían decidido al tornillo mortal del relámpago él del hath del pariente el lamierina terrible y rápido; ¡La verdad relativa se excede!
Translated back to English: The eyes of my reputation of the mountain extend, the end to come from getlteman, passage in him of the year of vendimia of the wine, where they are warehouse grapes/clusters of the rage he, of that they had decided to the mortal screw of the lightning he of hath of the relative the terrible and fast lamierina; The relative truth exceeds!
The relative truth exceeds! Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Original English Text: Roses are red, Violets are blue, Sugar is sweet, And so are you!
Translated to French: Les roses sont rouges, les violettes sont bleues, le sucre est doux, et ainsi est vous !
Translated back to English: The pinks are red, the violets are blue, sugar is soft, and thus is you!
Translated to German: Die Pinks sind rot, sind die Veilchen blau, ist Zucker weich und ist folglich Sie!
Translated back to English: Therefore the Pinks is red, is blue the violets, is sugar softly and is you!
Translated to Italian: Di conseguenza i colori rosa è rossi, è blu le viole, è lo zucchero morbidamente ed è voi!
Translated back to English: Consequently the colors rose are red, are blue the viole, are the sugar softly and are you!
Translated to Portuguese: Conseqüentemente a rosa das cores é vermelha, é azul o viole, é o açúcar macia e é você!
Translated back to English: Consequently the rose of the colors is red, is blue violates it, is the soft sugar and is you!
Translated to Spanish: ¡Por lo tanto se levantó de los colores es roja, es azul lo viola, es el azúcar suave y es usted!
Translated back to English: Therefore one rose of the colors he is red, he is blue it violates it, it is the smooth sugar and you are you!
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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The longer snippet of text you use, the weirder it gets.
Original English Text: In Dublin's fair city, where girls are so pretty, I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone; She wheeled her wheelbarrow through streets broad and narrow, crying, "Cockles and mussels alive, alive-oh!"
Translated to French: Dans la ville juste de Dublin, où les filles sont si jolies, j'ai placé la première fois mes yeux sur le molly doux Malone ; Elle a roulé sa brouette des rues larges et étroites, en pleurant, des "bucardes et des moules vivants, vivant-OH!"
Translated back to English: In the city right of Dublin, where the girls are so pretty, I placed the first time my eyes on the molly soft Malone; It rolled its wheelbarrow of the broad and narrow streets, while crying, of the "bucardes and the alive moulds, alive-OH!"
Translated to German: Im Stadtrecht von Dublin, in dem die Mädchen so hübsch sind, legte ich das erste mal meine Augen auf den Molly weiches Malone; Es rollte seinen Wheelbarrow der ausgedehnten und schmalen Straßen, beim Schreien, von den "bucardes und von den lebendigen Formen, lebendig-OH-!"
Translated back to English: In the municipal law of Dublin, in which the girls are so pretty, I put first times my eyes the Malone soft on the Molly; It rolled its Wheelbarrow of the expanded and narrow roads, when crying, of the "bucardes and from the alive forms, alive OH -!"
Translated to Italian: Nella legge comunale di Dublino, in cui le ragazze sono così graziose, ho messo le prima volta i miei occhi la morbidezza di Malone sul molly; Ha rotolato la relativa carriola delle strade espanse e strette quando grida, "dei bucardes e dalle forme vive, OH vivo -!"
Translated back to English: In the communal law of Dublino, in which the girls they are therefore graceful, I have put before turns my eyes the morbidezza of Malone on the molly; It has rolled the relative wheelbarrow of the expanded and tightened roads when grida, "of the bucardes and from the alive shapes, alive OH -!"
Translated to Portuguese: Na lei communal de Dublino, em que as meninas que são conseqüentemente graciosas, mim puseram antes das voltas meus olhos o morbidezza de Malone sobre o molly; Rolar o wheelbarrow relativo das estradas expandidas e apertadas quando grida, "dos bucardes e das formas vivas, OH vivo -!"
Translated back to English: In the communal law of Dublino, where the girls who are consequently gracious, me had put before the returns my eyes morbidezza of Malone on molly; To roll wheelbarrow relative das expanded and pressed roads when grida, "dos bucardes and das alive forms, alive OH -"
Translated to Spanish: En la ley comunal de Dublino, donde las muchachas que son por lo tanto graciosas, yo habían puesto antes de las vueltas mi morbidezza de los ojos de Malone en molly; Rodar das relativos de la carretilla amplió y presionó los caminos cuando grida, los "bucardes del DOS y las formas vivas de los das, OH vivo -"
Translated back to English: In the communal law of Dublino, where the girls who are therefore graceful, I had put before the returns my morbidezza of the eyes of Malone in molly; To roll DAS relative of the wheelbarrow extended and pressed the ways when grida, "bucardes of TWO and alive forms of them DAS, alive OH -"
Of course, there are some obscure and dialect words in there. And a semi-archaic meaning. But still.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Original Text: La, but someone has to strike a pose And bear the weight of well-tailored clothes Each species needs a sex that's fated To be highly decorated That is why the Lord created Men
Translated to French: La La, mais quelqu'un doit heurter une pose et soutenir le poids de vêtements bien-travaillés chaque les besoins d'espèces un sexe qui est destiné pour être fortement décoré qui est pourquoi le seigneur a créé des hommes
Translated back to English: It, but somebody must run up against an installation and support the weight of well-worked clothing the each needs for species a sex which is intended to be strongly decorated which is why the lord created men
Translated to German: Es, aber jemand müssen oben gegen eine Installation laufen und das Gewicht von gut-gearbeitet zu stützen, das jedes kleidend, benötigt für Sorte ein Geschlecht, das stark verziert werden soll, das ist, warum der Lord Männer herstellte
Translated back to English: , but someone must against an installation run above and the weight from good to support, each dressing, necessarily for sort a sex, which strongly to be verziert it is, which is, why the lord of men manufactured
Translated to Italian: , ma qualcuno deve contro un funzionamento dell'installazione qui sopra ed il peso dalla merce sostenere, ogni preparazione, necessariamente per la specie un sesso, che essere verziert esso è fortemente, che è, perchè il signore degli uomini ha prodotto
Translated back to English: , but someone must here against an operation of the installation over and the weight the goods to support, every preparation, necessarily for the species a sex, than to be verziert it is strongly, that it is, why the getlteman of the men has produced
Translated to Portuguese: , mas alguém deve aqui de encontro a uma operação da instalação excedente e do peso os bens suportar, cada preparação, necessariamente para a espécie um sexo, do que para ser verziert que seja fortemente, que é, porque o getlteman dos homens produziu
Translated back to English: , but somebody must of meeting to an operation of the exceeding installation and the weight the goods support, each preparation here, necessarily for the species a sex, of that it stops being verziert that it is strong, that is, because getlteman of the men produced
Translated to Spanish: , solamente alguien debe de satisfacer a una operación de la instalación excedente y el peso la ayuda de las mercancías, cada preparación aquí, necesariamente para la especie un sexo, de eso para el ser verziert que es fuerte, es decir, porque es getlteman de los hombres produjo
Translated back to English: , only somebody must satisfy to an operation with the excessive installation and the weight the aid with the merchandise, each preparation here, necessarily for the species a sex, of that the being verziert that is strong, that is to say, because it is getlteman of the men produced
Lots of 5-dollar words in there. And it almost still rhymes!
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