Googlinglish
Google has an on-line translator tool at this URL, wherein you can translate chunks of texts or the whole contents of a web page into different languages. The translation can be done between English and French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portugese, Korean, Chinese and Japanese. Additionally, it can translate between German and French too.
I tried to test this thingy by translating this sentence first from English to French:-
The problem in winning the rat race is, you are still a rat.
The output is this:-
Le problème en gagnant la course de rat est, vous sont toujours un rat
Now I re-tranlated the same output back to English. This is what the translator spewed:-
The problem by gaining the race of rat is, are to you always a rat.
Undaunted by this boo-boo, I tried the same back-to-back translation between German and English. The result is still more interesting:-
The problem, if the rat running is won, is, you is still another rat.
Perhaps grammar is not part of the translation algorithm used ! 😉
(Pointed out by Icarus Prakash)
I tried the following expression from English to English through Spanish. Look at the mutilation!
The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak
El alcohol está dispuesto pero la carne es débil
The alcohol is arranged but the meat is weak
this is too funny 😀
“The alcohol is arranged but the meat is weak” – can still be the perfect party for die-hard boozers!
makes me think of people who think in Hindi (any language) and translate into english… a colleague at my husband’s office says, remove a printout (print out nikalo) !!
😆 Charu!
There many such bloomers that occur when Thamizh expressions are translated without the idiom:-
“If you have no head-going work…”
“He is a bell boy (Manip payal)”
“We are coming for the girl-seeing ceremony”
And the famous clichè:
“Sun who template salt flower needle gone”
And there are many such gems. I will try to collect them and publish here.
And I was so so taken with this I spent all morning trying out all kinds of things on the site – and have also blogged about it with a link to you…. thanks, that was a totally entertaining morning I had…
yes, I remember sun-who-temple 🙂
and what is there for touching with thayir sadam?
Thanks Charu, for the mention on your blog.
Hi..came here through Charu’s blog!!
Nice post!!
Came here through Charu’s site. This was and is a lot of fun ..no matter what the language. For those who know Telugu .. “write butter” (venna raasuko), “kick the door” (thalupu kottu), “tie the tap” (pumpu kattei).
Thanks, Gangadhar and Concentriccircle and Charu! 🙂
During my visit to Vishakapatnam on work, I heard someone yelling “pumpin chesi” or similar sounding expression. I thought some pump is to be supplied and this man wants someone to chase its delivery! 😀
Someone sent me this:-
😯 how did google manage that????
AND what kind of jobless mind will think of a sentence like – Aishwarya’s mom is nice and cool – obviously one more jobless than mine 😆
May be this provides a chirpy distraction in otherwise dull and dreary life at work!