Sunday 10 April 2011

Oh My! Oh My! - Really Mme. Anusol?



I've read so much about this case over the last 4 years... sometimes you miss a little detail and sometimes a little gem crops up that leaves you completely astounded.

Way back on the Mirror forum, there was much rumour and speculation about the complexity of Google translations or what later became known as Googlesque.

Obrigada Bela Sardinha - a very good catch!

REMEMBER TO LOOK AT THE PARTS IN CAPITAL LETTERS!

Portuguese translation by Google.

Denims = PANTS OF GANGA

~

Portuguese translation by Bling.

Denims = HAEMORROIDICUS

Now, what are the implications of that?!  The attention is in the detail but does it confuse matters that those pants of ganga now appear to be haemorroidicus?  It makes my eyes itchy, just thinking about it...
Users of machine translation programs should be aware of limitations when they judge the translation.  It may be good fun, but it won't tell you much about the translation quality. In as much as translation between two distinct, living languages is never an exact science, the current state of computer translation tools makes this more evident.  Small glitches in the translation can easily be exploited in repetition, becoming more pronounced as errors pass from one language to another.
Google has and always will confuse, but is it really such a good idea to be comparing it alongside another online translator?  Especially one such as Bing? Well maybe, if it's just for fun... I suppose.



1 comment:

  1. They say sarcasm is the best form of wit. Love it!!

    ReplyDelete

Please refrain from bad language, insults and biblical references.