Comments on: Weekly Twitter Updates http://www.walterhutchens.net/blog/archives/2009/08/24/weekly-twitter-updates-31/ Writing about China, law, technology & sundry other matters. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:51:16 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Walter Hutchens http://www.walterhutchens.net/blog/archives/2009/08/24/weekly-twitter-updates-31/comment-page-1/#comment-93751 Walter Hutchens Tue, 25 Aug 2009 03:50:30 +0000 http://www.walterhutchens.net/blog/archives/2009/08/24/weekly-twitter-updates-31/#comment-93751 Ha! Yup, not going to try it. Ha! Yup, not going to try it.

]]> By: Alex http://www.walterhutchens.net/blog/archives/2009/08/24/weekly-twitter-updates-31/comment-page-1/#comment-93729 Alex Mon, 24 Aug 2009 13:26:15 +0000 http://www.walterhutchens.net/blog/archives/2009/08/24/weekly-twitter-updates-31/#comment-93729 Let's do a simple test. Here's a "simple written letter" in English: Mr. and Mrs. Park, It was a pleasure meeting you last weekend. I hope you enjoyed the opera. Please look me up the next time you are in New York and we can have dinner together. Best regards, Ben Miller Here's what Babelfish comes up with in Korean: park 씨와 여사, 쾌락 회의 당신 마지막 주말이었다. 나는 당신이 오페라를 즐겼다는 것을 희망한다. 당신이 뉴욕에 있고을 우리는 저녁식사가 함께 있어 좋을 다음에 저를 찾아보십시오. 안부를 전하며, 벤 밀러 I can't read Korean, so I can't judge, but maybe one of your other readers can. Here's the Korean back-translated into English: park and the Mrs., pleasure meeting you last was a weekend. I enjoyed this opera of you hope the thing. There will be to this New York of you and we will be a dinner together and after, try to seek me. Conveys a welfare, cuts pushes Verdict: fail. The two languages have very, very different structures, and Babelfish can't cope. I would get a Korean friend to translate it for you instead. Let’s do a simple test. Here’s a “simple written letter” in English:

Mr. and Mrs. Park,

It was a pleasure meeting you last weekend. I hope you enjoyed the opera. Please look me up the next time you are in New York and we can have dinner together.

Best regards,

Ben Miller

Here’s what Babelfish comes up with in Korean:

park 씨와 여사, 쾌락 회의 당신 마지막 주말이었다. 나는 당신이 오페라를 즐겼다는 것을 희망한다. 당신이 뉴욕에 있고을 우리는 저녁식사가 함께 있어 좋을 다음에 저를 찾아보십시오. 안부를 전하며, 벤 밀러

I can’t read Korean, so I can’t judge, but maybe one of your other readers can. Here’s the Korean back-translated into English:

park and the Mrs., pleasure meeting you last was a weekend. I enjoyed this opera of you hope the thing. There will be to this New York of you and we will be a dinner together and after, try to seek me. Conveys a welfare, cuts pushes

Verdict: fail. The two languages have very, very different structures, and Babelfish can’t cope. I would get a Korean friend to translate it for you instead.

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