I have long ranted
about the use of online translation tools. To be more precise, I have long
ranted about the danger of using them. Trawl around the expat forums and barely
a week goes by without someone either asking which one is best, extolling their
virtues or advocating their use. Usually this is for the most inappropriate of
situations: disputes with public bodies, making complaints, requesting detailed
information…
Just today, having
noticed some weeks ago that Facebook has now “thoughtfully” provided the option
of using one such tool (Bing, to be precise) in order to convert non-English
posts to English, I thought I’d give it a whirl. And, coincidentally, one of my
ex-students posted a message in her native Japanese.
The context (she has
helpfully already explained this in English to her wider network of
non-Japanese-speaking friends) is that she has just got a job working at the
Tokyo Skytree: the tallest tower (and the second-tallest building) in the world….
A: 22nd May, The Grand
Opening!
Tomorrow I'll be there in uniform; D Today was the last training day.
And tomorrow is finally open! First, to work confidently in their locker and go from gumball.
Tomorrow I'll be there in uniform; D Today was the last training day.
And tomorrow is finally open! First, to work confidently in their locker and go from gumball.
A's friend: Good luck
to you! Power of the River from a distance.
A: Thank you-! From
the Singapore looks close? What about huge but I'm too invisible?.
A's other friend: Ms.
cherry blossoms looked for do the training of new staff in the news yesterday,
but we unfortunately didn't know > <? good luck!
A: Thank you -I is in heaven wants deck restaurant 634 recent
Concierge! But still a feeling State of your job gumballs!
And, lest you believe that the simple explanation lies with the difficulty of providing an accurate translation from Japanese, here’s another
example, posted by a Hungarian friend.
Without doubt the
greatest phenomenon that has seen the Library! Not completed 3 months of
contract and it seemed that there was already a year! He left there guria miss!
And when you have a barbecue or any other event saw consider yourself invited! And no excuses! XOXO
Hello:
ReplyDeleteAnd, we are certainly with you all the way on this! Apart from being mildly amusing, the online translation tools seem to be much more of a hindrance than a help. However, at least you now know the Japanese for 'gumballs', but, perhaps, you knew that already?!!
Hi Jane and Lance. I am not sure I'll ever need to use the Japanese for "gumballs", but if I do, as you point out, I'm ready!! I can't believe how many people who appear otherwise sane and reasonable are prepared to put their faith in these things! It's reassuring to know I'm not alone!
DeleteROFL, CB! It would be priceless, except that relying on these so-called tools probably costs people money they don't have. :-(
ReplyDeleteLike you, I'm sure, I've seen this all too often, Perpetua. Not to mention people who go off half-cocked because Babelfish, or Google Translate or some other mad tool has told them a porkie! And even those sensible enough to use a dictionary never seem to read beyond the first word in the list of translations: another thing that leads to all sorts of howlers!
DeleteIt's probably going to be the start of a whole new language.....worse than texting, but with serendipitous surprises...
ReplyDeleteI daren't use the things - petrified of what I'd be getting myself into - so it's still the dictionary in this household.
I hope it's a BIG dictionary, Fly! After getting translation tools banned, my next crusade will be to have a giant bonfire with all dictionaries smaller than a phone book....
DeleteThat said, one of my American students was thrilled to stumble across the French word for "gerbil" in a dictionary whilst searching for another word that wasn't there. Amazingly, she brings up the topic of gerbils as often as possible!