By Daniel Rigney
Here's a whimsical experiment in computer translation. In the spirit of Olympic skating, diving and gymnastic events, we'll attempt to perform the daunting “triple translation with half twist.”
With the help of Google Translate, we'll convert the opening line of Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address into German, then from German into Arabic, from Arabic into Traditional Chinese, and (now for the half-twist), from Chinese back into English.
The result may or may not astound you.
Ready? First the original English version:
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now the translation into German:
Vier Gäste und vor sieben Jahren unsere Väter auf diesem Kontinent eine neue Nation, in Freiheit empfangen, und widmet sich der These, dass alle Menschen gleich geschaffen brachte.
From German into Arabic [with the original and beautiful Arabic script transmogrified, unfortunately, into computer gibberish in the conversion from Word to blog]:
Now from Arabic into Chinese (Traditional), again creating hideous computer gibberish in the conversion process:
And finally, the translation from Chinese back into English:
I see something was lost (and something gained) from translation to translation , including the conversion of Microsoft Word’s Arabic and Chinese characters into Open Salonese! What strange and wondrous things languages are.
Danagram
Here's a whimsical experiment in computer translation. In the spirit of Olympic skating, diving and gymnastic events, we'll attempt to perform the daunting “triple translation with half twist.”
With the help of Google Translate, we'll convert the opening line of Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address into German, then from German into Arabic, from Arabic into Traditional Chinese, and (now for the half-twist), from Chinese back into English.
The result may or may not astound you.
Ready? First the original English version:
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now the translation into German:
Vier Gäste und vor sieben Jahren unsere Väter auf diesem Kontinent eine neue Nation, in Freiheit empfangen, und widmet sich der These, dass alle Menschen gleich geschaffen brachte.
From German into Arabic [with the original and beautiful Arabic script transmogrified, unfortunately, into computer gibberish in the conversion from Word to blog]:
أربعة
ضيوÙ وآبائنا منذ سبع
سنوات ÙÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÙŠ هذه القارة أمة
جديدة، وردت ÙÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÙŠ الØرية،
ومخصصة لالاÙÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂتراض القائل
بأن كل الناسخلقوا على قدم المساواة
جلبت.
Now from Arabic into Chinese (Traditional), again creating hideous computer gibberish in the conversion process:
å››ä½ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂ嘉賓以åŠ87å¹´å‰ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂ，我們在這個大陸上父親一個新國家，並在自由接å—，並奉行一切人生來平ç‰å¸¶ä¾†çš„命題。
And finally, the translation from Chinese back into English:
Four guests and 87 years ago, our fathers of a new nation on this continent, and in the freedom to receive and pursue all men are created equal brought proposition.
I doubt Lincoln could have translated it better himself.
.
Thank you, Google Translate. You seem to have brought home the bronze.I see something was lost (and something gained) from translation to translation , including the conversion of Microsoft Word’s Arabic and Chinese characters into Open Salonese! What strange and wondrous things languages are.
Danagram
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