There are classic examples of machine translation
go haywire. In the following pairs of phrases,
we begin with an English phrase, translate it into
Russian, and back to English again.
- ``The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak''.
After Translation to Russian and back, we get
``the vodka is strong but the meat is rotten''
- ``Out of sight, out of mind''.
We get back ``blind idiot''.
Here is a web-age version of this. These
mechanical translations are from
JA's webpage.
JA translated the following from English into some language,
then copied the result and pasted it back at the translator,
to translate it back again to English again.
Here are some results from Dictionary.com:
-
Specimen 1.
Intermediate Language:Korean
-
English 1:
``Oh no! My egg got mixed up with the seed!
But if I listen very carefully I can tell which is which!
I found it! Later. Oh my god!''
-
REMARK: This was taken from a Korean newspaper comic
about an about-to-be
father caterpillar that my mom translated.
It is a lot funnier with the pictures.
-
English 2: Be Ohio! It goes out and when attention or possibility
it is quite, the which! Depends to the I and the IT
which is discovered!
The Later peels and when which thing it will talk it listens to my,
egg the seed! It mixed in the But and comfort it got. Ohio my shoes!
-
Specimen 2.
Intermediates Language:Greek
-
English 1: My sister is annoying and can't understand directions.
-
English 2: My brother is annoying and she cannot occupy the directions.
-
More funny translations coming soon!