Gained in Translation

[Griffin NoName]

"XI PG of us part of ball us you have ayto'wn this can"

Impressive. That's almost Pirate !!

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT
We are sad to report the death of Mrs S Black-Bungalow

[The Meromorph]

Dear sir or madam,
I would like to establish as a known fact that the camel involved in the aforementioned unfortunate incident was, in point of fact, a wild camel, and therefore must be considered, under the principles of Common Law, as ferae naturae, and hence the Organization can in no way be considered to have incurred any liability in, or for, the said unfortunate incident, or, in point of fact, to, or for, Mrs S Black-Bungalow or her no doubt modest estate.



Bertram Bentwhistle, chief deputy adminstrator of the Organization's Help Desk.

[pieces o nine]

pieces lays a sprig of thorny bush and a canteen of water at the fence in tribute to Mrs S Black-Bungalow.

[The Meromorph]

** Mero lays a mini-vibrator atop the sprig of thorny bush at the fence in tribute to Mrs S Black-Bungalow. **

[Sibling Chatty]

** Mero lays a mini-vibrator atop the sprig of thorny bush at the fence in tribute to Mrs S Black-Bungalow. **

Ai dubble doggies dare any-buddy to Babelfishie THAT oenz...

[pieces o nine]

Ai dubble doggies dare any-buddy to Babelfishie THAT oenz...

It would be rude to not accept that challenge:
Simply place minioye vibrador on sprig bush thorny in the lattices in Ehrerbietungen on mrs. Preto is black preto- it is black -Bungale

*pieces shudders and repents*

ps: what did you leave at the fence in tribute to Mrs S Black-Bungalow?

[Swatopluk]

Okay, to get back on topic-

I just put "Hey Mister, can we have our ball back?" into Babelfish from English to German and got:
"He Herr! Können wir unsere Kugelrückseite haben?"
which translated back to English like this:
"Hey more mister! CAN incoming goods have our ball bake?"

Interestingly the German translation is grammatically and technically correct (but still a bit nonsensical).
The backtranslation on the other hand is complete rubbish and I have no idea where it finds the words.

[Swatopluk]

And what to make of this?

Again to the break, are dear friends, again, or approximation to the wall above with our English dead ones one one, in that peacetime there, nothing therefore a man the activity of the tiger as modest peace and modesty copies, but, if the bang of the war in our ears burns through, then; Strengthens the chords, beschw50ren you up the blood, usable nature of the fodder with hardpreferential rage. Lend then the eye a terrible aspect; Vacation to it by the portage of the head like the brass cannon you behinderen; It brews O'erwhelm as fearfully as doth versandet away from rock the O'erhang holidays and jutty its konfuse lower surface, Swilled with the wild and expensive ocean. Now you adjust the teeth and extend you the extended nostril, keep you strong the breath and bend you to each spirit to its full height at a value of degrees. On English to you the its is on, herrlichsten is fet, blood of the fathers war proof, fathers, who have like so many Alexanders in these parts from the morning, until even fought, and their sheet coats for lack of the argument. Entehren it not your mothers; testify now this hose, to which you witnessed fathers, who designated, you. They are now copy to the men of groberen blood, and you receive them, as were. And you, good Yeomen, whose members in England were manufactured, show us here the Mettle of your pasture; leave to us schw50ren the fact that you are it breeding?which, which I, because it does not give from you, do not mean therefore you and this does not manufacture you hath wonderful gloss in your eyes doubt. I see the fact that convenient like wind her into which and in the load to the beginning pursues witnesses. The play on the way: Follow your spirit and after these business cry, ' God for Harry! England and holy George!' The fast artilleryman with linstock, even now, devilish those, the cannon and down everything to be affected, goes before them!

On the other hand I tried that old ballad I parodied for the choral squids and found the translation to be actually more or less correct:

Sabinchen was hold and virtueful a woman room. It faithfully and fairly always lived with its service rule. 2. There a young man came along from Treuenbrietzen. That wanted to possess Sabinchen so gladly and was a shoemaker. 3. It has its money verse open, in liquor and also in beer. There he came to Sabinchen gel open and wanted which of it. 4. It could give it keins, there stole it on places ' from its good service rule six silver sheet metal spoons. 5. However after eighteen weeks, there the theft came raus. There one hunted with insult and dishonor Sabinchen from the house. 6. She called: "Verruchter shoemaker, you rabenschwarzer dog!" There it took its razor and cut it starting from the throat. 7. The blood to the sky squirted, Sabinchen fell down directly. The bad shoemaker from Treuenbrietzen, stood around it. 8. In a dark cellar, with water and with bread, there he has finally admitted the grausige Moritot. 9. And the moral of the Geschicht ': Do not trust ' no shoemaker! The jug, goes so for a long time to the water, until that the handle breaks.

What I do not understand is why babelfish tends to translate 'er' (he) and 'sie' (she) and their derivatives as 'it' on a regular base.
Interestingly it interpreted 'versoffen' (wasted on drink) as 'Vers offen' (verse open).

Next I tried the Marseillaise. Babelfish managed to translate "marchons, marchons" as "marchons, go". Why did it recognize the  word thes econd but not the first time?

[Griffin NoName]

All praise to Swato for staying on topic so valiently.

Does anyone actually speak Babelfish?

** Mrs S Black-Bungalow has been exhumed for a post-mortem as it has come to official notice that her death was suspicious. The original toombstone will be replaced. No responsibility can be taken for objects or detritus destroyed or disturbed during the exhumation, and especially not for the members of the exhumation digging party who all seem to be smiling oddly. Anyone wishing to observe the post-mortem should present their credentials to the presiding officer **

[The Meromorph]

Dear sir or madam,
It has come to my attention in my official capacity that the previous reference to a camel, while made in all good faith, was in fact in error. I wish to establish that the beast alleged to be, and mis-reported as a camel, was, in point of fact, an elephant, and as such, has no factual, financial, legal, or moral connection to the Organization.
None whatever.
At all.



Bertram Bentwhistle, chief deputy adminstrator of the Organization's Help Desk.

[Opsa]

Laurie the (aforementioned) camel may be an elephant, but believes herself to be a camel due to a disorder of the salivary glands. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Though she has been fitted with an enormous drool bucket, she prefers to believe that she is a perfectly normal camel that just happens to carry an howdah and who are we to disagree with her, really? I mean- which of us has not believed themselves to be a camel at some point or other in his life? Plus, she could crush us with just one stomp.

Other than the above, I assure you that she is a camel of the highest quality. She can rip out trees by their roots and comes in handy for caving in an enemy's house.

In a related note, I would have Babelfished this, but none of the languages offered were African or Hindi, so Laurie could not have read them, anyway.

The closest I got was Portuguese:
Laurie the camel (above-named) can be an elephant, but it is given credit to be a camel due to disorder of the glands salivary. That one is not any thing wrong with that one there. Although it was fit with an enormous bucket of drool, it prefers to believe that it is a perfectly normal camel that only happens to load one howdah and that he is we to disagree with it, really? I mean which of us I did not give credit to be a camel in some point or another one in its life? Signal of addition, could jam us with only one stomp. To the exception of above, I assure it who am a camel of the the most raised quality. He can become torn for it are of the trees for its roots and comes in accessible falling down in the house of an enemy.

[Griffin NoName]

The pathologist has had a quick look at Mrs S B-B and does not like the look of her left shoulder, stomach and knees. He is also concerned about something sticky in her hair, although her best friend Mrs Amelia Swashbuckle insists they have a new lad at Polly Pretoria's Primping Parlour where Mrs S B-B recently had a new hairdo.

[pieces o nine]

Vacation to it by the portage of the head like the brass cannon you behinderen;

Thank you, sir, for babelfishing one of my favorite speeches. I found many passages worth pondering, (in a nod to J.D. Salinger) in the outgoing water of the bathtub, but that quoted above surely bears wisdom for the ages.

A friend who posts on another board has the full-blown SYSTRAN and amuses with the weird and wonderful byways of computer translation. It's better than nothing, but needs to be 'received with large corn of salt'.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It is being rumored that Mrs Amelia Swashbuckle has been named a 'person if interest' by the authorities in the inquest following the exhumation of the late Mrs S Black-Bungalow. Official spokesperson are, so far, refusing to confirm rumors that her injuries are consistent with those which might be inflicted by a deranged elephant. Updates to follow.

[Griffin NoName]

I've just been speaking to someone who has been writing a chat bot. Apparently it is good at understanding questions but doesn't answer them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dr Smartpants, the local pathologist, has told police that he found two giant toenails embedded in Mrs S Black-Bungalow's stomach contents, a source confirmed this afternoon. Amonia, Mrs Amelia Swashbuckle's daughter, said her mother was unavailable for comment.

[Pachyderm]

Oi hereby wishes ter state cat-er-gor-ically that Oi had nuffink ter do wif the unforchoonate de-mise of the Mrs. Black-Bungalow. Oi was no-where near at the toime. in fact Oi was in Church, taalkin' ter the Minisiter abaht the noo roof 'e's collectin loot money fer.


Oh, and Oi's not de-ranged. Oi has a oice Aga in the kitchen.


If'n anyone is going past the Cop Shop, could they drop in an' ask fer me toenails? Only Oi's seen the Constable goin' around wif a pair o' moighty big pair o' handcuffs....