Date: Sat, 13 Apr 2002 16:25:15 -0400 From: "Michael Walsh" <MJW at mail.press.jhu.edu> To: <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net> Subject: [WSFA] You Like Not My Translation ? was It's the Twenty First Century. Where's My ... Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net> > kfl at keithlynch.net 04/13/02 04:12PM >>Steve Smith <sgs at aginc.net> wrote: > >> ... automatic language translator? > >There's been one at http://babelfish.altavista.com/ for several >years now. > >Of course it's never worked very well. I don't think a good >translation is possible without a deep understanding of the full >meaning of the text, which computers don't yet have. > >I used http://babelfish.altavista.com/ to translate your question >into German, then French, then back into English. It now asks: > > It is the first sihcle twenty. Is OY my language automatic more = \bersetzer? > >English to Chinese, then back into English gave me: > > / **. _* (- (*? > >I think it needs a little work. Stanislaw Lem's novel The Invincible was translated from Polish to German = to English; the German to English was by Wendayne Ackerman, who translated= lots of Perry Rhodan. mjw