It is extremely difficult to transfer precise meaning through communication. Everyone sees things through their own particular filter. When different languages separate the communication, it is even more difficult. When you assign a computer to do your translations, the results are humorous.

A colleague pointed me to Lost in Translation, a site by Carl Tashian. I’ll quote from the site:

What happens when an English phrase is translated (by computer) back and forth between 5 different languages? The authors of the Systran translation software probably never intended this application of their program. As of September 2003, translation software is almost good enough to turn grammatically correct, slang-free text from one language into grammatically incorrect, barely readable approximations in another. But the software is not equipped for 10 consecutive translations of the same piece of text. The resulting half-English, half-foreign, and totally non sequitur response bears almost no resemblance to the original. Remember the old game of “Telephone”? Something is lost, and sometimes something is gained.

Let’s take the slogan of George Bush (v1.0), “No new taxes“. After moving through the translations the result is, “New commandos of Aucuns“.

Original English Text:
No new taxes

Translated to French:
Aucuns nouveaux impôts

Translated back to English:
Aucuns new taxes

Translated to German:
Aucuns neue Steuern

Translated back to English:
Aucuns new controls

Translated to Italian:
Nuovi comandi di Aucuns

Translated back to English:
New commandos of Aucuns

Translated to Portuguese:
Commandos novos de Aucuns

Translated back to English:
Commandos new of Aucuns

Translated to Spanish:
Comandos nuevos de Aucuns

Translated back to English:
New commandos of Aucuns

If the translation goes through Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, you would get”Negocíam of the taxes had not made them recently“, which is surprisingly closer.

Original English Text:
No new taxes

Translated to Japanese:
!!missing Japanese font!!

Translated back to English:
There is no new tax

Translated to Chinese:
!!missing Chinese font!!

Translated back to English:
Not newly built tax affairs

Translated to French:
Affaires pas nouvellement établies d'impôts

Translated back to English:
Lately not established businesses taxes

Translated to German:
Kürzlich nicht hergestellte Gewerbesteuern

Translated back to English:
Recently not manufactured trade taxes

Translated to Italian:
Recentemente tasse commerciali non manufactured

Translated back to English:
Recently taxes trade them not manufactured

Translated to Portuguese:
Recentemente os impostos negocíam-nos não manufaturaram

Translated back to English:
Recently the taxes negocíam had not manufactured them

Translated to Spanish:
El negocíam de los impuestos no los había fabricado recientemente

Translated back to English:
Negocíam of the taxes had not made them recently

I wanted to try a warning inspired loosely by this sign: Death is certain if you enter. Restrain children and animals from canal at all times. (Original Photo from here.)

This translates to: Surely the inoperative women, if to enter. It takes constantly through the children and of the animals of the advice.

Original English Text:
Death is certain if you enter. Restrain children and animals from canal at all times.

Translated to French:
La mort est sûre si vous entrez. Retenez les enfants et les animaux
du canal à tout moment.

Translated back to English:
Death is sure if you enter. Retain the children and the animals of the
channel constantly.

Translated to German:
Tod ist sicher, wenn Sie hereinkommen. Behalten Sie die Kinder und die
Tiere der Führung ständig bei.

Translated back to English:
Death is safe, if you come in. Constantly maintain the children and
the animals of the guidance.

Translated to Italian:
La morte è sicuro, se entrate. Effettui costantemente i bambini e gli
animali del consiglio.

Translated back to English:
The dead women sure, if have entered. She constantly carries out the
children and the animals of the council.

Translated to Portuguese:
As mulheres inoperantes certas, se entrarem. Realiza constantemente as
crianças e os animais do conselho.

Translated back to English:
Certain the inoperative women, if to enter. She constantly carries
through the children and the animals of the advice.

Translated to Spanish:
Seguro las mujeres inoperantes, si entrar. Ella lleva constantemente a
través de los niños y de los animales del consejo.

Translated back to English:
Surely the inoperative women, if to enter. It takes constantly through
the children and of the animals of the advice.

The opening of Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities, translates from (text obtained here):

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way–in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

to:

It was better periods, he was to falschsten of the periods, he was the age of intelligence, he was the age of the stupidity, he was the period of the faith, he was the period of disbelievingness, he was the station of the light, he was the station of the density, he was the motivation of the force of the hope, he was the winter of the desperation, we had interior if, the advantage of the piece that very we had everything did not emit were many actively we, we directs with the sky, he was not much has the reference actively the other method for we — this soon, it has found the period as soon as I persist for relative better than it recognizes it, in superlative the degree only corresponding with.

Original English Text:
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way--in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

Translated to French:
Il était le meilleur des périodes, il était le plus mauvais des
périodes, il était l'âge de la sagesse, il était l'âge de la
sottise, il était l'époque de la croyance, il était l'époque de
l'incrédulité, il était la saison de la lumière, il était la
saison de l'obscurité, il était le ressort de l'espoir, il était
l'hiver du désespoir, nous a eu tout avant nous, nous n'a eu rien
avant nous, nous étaient tout allant directement au ciel, nous
étaient tout allant dirigent l'autre voie -- en bref, la période
avait lieu jusqu'ici comme la période actuelle, que certaines de ses
autorités plus bruyantes ont insistée pour des ses reçu, pour de
bon ou pour le mal, en degré superlatif de comparaison seulement.

Translated back to English:
It was best periods, it was worst of the periods, it was the age of
wisdom, it was the age of the stupidity, it was the time of the
belief, it was the time of incredulity, it was the season of the
light, it was the season of the darkness, it was the spring of the
hope, it was the winter of despair, us had us, us very front did not
have anything before were very active us, us directly with the sky,
were very active direct the other way for us -- in short, the period
took place up to now like insisted for its receipt, good or the evil,
in superlative degree of comparison only.

Translated to German:
Es war beste Perioden, es war am falschsten von den Perioden, es war
das Alter von Klugheit, es war das Alter des Stupidity, es war die
Zeit des Glaubens, es war die Zeit der Ungläubigkeit, es war die
Jahreszeit des Lichtes, es war die Jahreszeit der Schwärzung, es war
der Frühling der Hoffnung, es war der Winter der Verzweiflung, wir
hatte uns, uns sehr vorder hatte alles nicht vor war sehr aktiv wir,
wir direkt mit dem Himmel, war sehr aktiv verweist die andere Methode
für uns -- kurz gesagt, fand die Periode bis jetzt wie beharrt für
sein statt quittieren Sie, gut oder das Übel, im superlative Grad nur
des Vergleiches.

Translated back to English:
It was best periods, it was at the falschsten from the periods, it was
the age of intelligence, it was the age of the Stupidity, it was the
time of the faith, it was the time of the disbelievingness, it was the
season of the light, it was the season of the density, it was the
spring of hope, it was the winter of the despair, we had itself, us
very front had everything not forwards was very actively we, we direct
with the sky, was not very actively refers the other method for us --
briefly said, found the period up to now as persisted for its instead
of acknowledges you, well or Badly, in superlative the degree only the
comparison.

Translated to Italian:
Era periodi migliori, esso era al falschsten dai periodi, esso era
l'età di intelligenza, esso era l'età dello stupidity, esso era il
periodo della fede, esso era il periodo del disbelievingness, esso era
la stagione della luce, esso era la stagione della densità, esso era
la molla di speranza, esso era l'inverno della disperazione, noi ha
avuto in se, noi molto anteriori ha avuto tutto non spedisce era molto
attivamente noi, noi dirige con il cielo, non era molto attivamente fa
riferimento l'altro metodo per noi -- brevemente detto, ha trovato il
periodo finora come persisto per il relativo anziché li riconosce,
buono o male, nel superlative il grado soltanto il confronto.

Translated back to English:
It was better periods, it was to the falschsten from the periods, it
was the age of intelligence, it was the age of the stupidity, it was
the period of the faith, it was the period of the disbelievingness, it
was the season of the light, it was the season of the density, it was
the hope motivating force, it was the winter of the desperation, we
has had in if, front we much has had all does not send were many
actively we, we it directs with the sky, it were not much actively ago
reference the other method for we -- shortly said, has found the
period up to now like I persist for the relative one rather than
recognizes them, in the superlative the degree only the comparison.

Translated to Portuguese:
Era períodos melhores, ele era ao falschsten dos períodos, ele era a
idade da inteligência, ele era a idade do stupidity, ele era o
período da fé, ele era o período do disbelievingness, ele era a
estação da luz, ele era a estação da densidade, ele era a força
motivating da esperança, ele era o inverno do desperation, nós teve
dentro se, a parte dianteira que nós muito tivemos tudo não emitisse
fosse muitas ativamente nós, nós dirige com o céu, ele não fosse
muita ativamente há a referência o outro método para nós -- dito
logo, tem encontrou o período até agora como eu persisto para
relativo melhor que os reconheço, no superlativo o grau somente a
comparação.

Translated back to English:
It was better periods, it was to falschsten of the periods, it was the
age of intelligence, it was the age of stupidity, it was the period of
the faith, it was the period of disbelievingness, it was the station
of the light, it was the station of the density, it was the force
motivating of the hope, it was the winter of desperation, we had
inside if, the part advantage that we very had everything did not emit
was many actively we, we dirige with the sky, it was not much actively
has the reference the other method for we -- said soon, it has found
the period so far as I persist for relative better that I recognize
them, in the superlative the degree only the matching.

Translated to Spanish:
Era períodos mejores, él estaba a falschsten de los períodos, él
era la edad de la inteligencia, él era la edad de la estupidez, él
era el período de la fe, él era el período del disbelievingness,
él era la estación de la luz, él era la estación de la densidad,
él era la motivación de la fuerza de la esperanza, él era el
invierno de la desesperación, nosotros tenía interior si, la ventaja
de la pieza que muy teníamos todo no emitió era muchas activamente
nosotros, nosotros dirige con el cielo, él no era mucha tiene
activamente la referencia el otro método para nosotros -- dicho
pronto, tiene encontró el período en cuanto persisto para relativo
mejor que lo reconozca, en el superlativo el grado solamente el
corresponder con.

Translated back to English:
It was better periods, he was to falschsten of the periods, he was the
age of intelligence, he was the age of the stupidity, he was the
period of the faith, he was the period of disbelievingness, he was the
station of the light, he was the station of the density, he was the
motivation of the force of the hope, he was the winter of the
desperation, we had interior if, the advantage of the piece that very
we had everything did not emit were many actively we, we directs with
the sky, he was not much has the reference actively the other method
for we -- this soon, it has found the period as soon as I persist for
relative better than it recognizes it, in superlative the degree only
corresponding with.

Language is extremely difficult. There is a lot more embedded in our communication than what appears at the surface.

Try the site out for yourself, here. Tell me what you think?

Or should I say, the past it is there indicates, the end to think to him about me.

Comments