"Translation" tool available with go-fishing.co.uk

[Guest janet@tryangling]

Hi Elton

 

As a "lurker" at anglersnet for the past year or so it feels very strange to be posting a reply, especially since it's to criticise - NOT anglersnet or go-fishing I hasten to add - but the machine translation tool supplied with go-fishing.co.uk ...

 

Machine translation still has a loooong way to go before being unleashed on an innocent public!

 

I "translated" the TryAngling website with Systrans and had a good laugh at the appalling translations it came up with - until I sobered up and realised that our European visitors might think that we endorsed the translation and that it would reflect badly on us!

 

I should add that I work in the translation industry (varying levels of knowledge in French, Dutch, German and Spanish) and badly translated websites is a hot issue at the moment. A well-known search engine which also supplies a machine translation employed a translation company to translate it's website. When asked why they didn't use the machine translation tool they marketed, the translator was greeted with hoots of laughter and a "but seriously, ..." response.

 

Using Systrans, I've translated a portion of the "French" translation of the TryAngling website back to English to give you an idea of what French speaking visitors are reading in their native tongue:

 

 

"REVIEW OF RELUM 4 1/2 CENTER PINE.

 

Have you will know yew you cuts visited this site before both real Gordons and I are very bottom of using center pine, infact one of my hand failings in this sport is that I choose swims that edge Be fished with has center pine rather than those that hold fish.

 

We both uses these real for both trotting and legering have we find they are the best tools to play fish one, giving direct control of the fish. Gordon wrote has review one the Purist centers pine made by J W Young and this edge Be seen in the Archive drank not every one edge afford nearly two hundred pounds, particularly for to their first center pine.

 

I cuts recently found has reel At butt half that price that is nearly have good have the Purist and is the ideal first reel for the budding center pine freak. WARNING. The uses of these products edge Be addictive.

 

The reel in question is marketed by Relum and has has 4 1/2 inches drum running one has ball bearing instead of has center pine (have does the Purist), it is not therefore has true " center pine ". This gives has very free running reel without the need for so much maintenance. The drum gold spool is machined from aluminium bar stock and is butt year inch wide and has two handles one the face. The ratchet which is stiff enough to lock the spool for legering, is operated by has to raise one the side of the back punt rather than one the back of it, which gives easy access by the fingers of the hand holding the rod. This is has very good design not and I wish it were adopted by more manufacturers. The edge of the drum is knurled to give A rough surface to create friction for the thumb when playing has big fish.

 

The only Draw back is that the back punt is made too light and has has flexibility that leaves has small gap between it and the spool down which the line edge slipway. This is not too much of has problem yew care is taken and certainly does not stop me from using mine.

 

All in all this is has good serviceable product and gives very good been worth for money. Yew you want to learn to uses has center pine reel we edge teach you.

 

Click here to return to the signal of the page"

 

 

Ladies & gentlemen, I rest my case!

 

Janet

 

[i only wish Gordon were still here to read this - it would have given him his biggest laugh since seeing The Blair Witch Project (but that's another story...!)]

[Guest Newt]

I wouldn't think anyone would use the machine-based translation for anything other than to get a general sense of the content of a document or a web page.

 

Obviously flawed but lots better than nothing when you just need a quick-and-dirty idea of a page's contents. No good for business use obviously but great when surfing and need an idea of a pages contents.

 

Several months ago, I worked with a man in Brazil to put his thoughts, tactics, and rig detail for Bighead carp into a form that would suffice for posting on the carp.net bbs. His English was fair, my Portuguese nonexistent. Between the two of us and babelfish, we got it done. We also got some laughs since, as you pointed out, much of the translation is so horrible as to be funny.

 

BTW - have you looked at (darn, left the url at work) which has the only UK/US dictionary I've ever seen.

[Guest Elton]

That's right, Newt. AFAIK, web users only use these things to get a rough idea - if the software was out there that could do it 100% accurately, it would cost a fortune!

 

Here's one that some others may like (actually, others may be offended!):

http://www.askjesus.org/

 

Type the url you want to translate into the box.

 

By the way, I'm hoping some of you US guys will spread the word about http://www.go-fishing.co.uk and get some more US webmasters to sign up

 

All the best,

 

Elton

 

------------------

Elton Murphy

Go-Fishing.co.uk

The UK Gateway To Worldwide Fishing

 

 

[This message has been edited by Elton (edited 15 January 2001).]

[Guest Paul Williams]

ELLO ELLO, jist what iz wong wiz ze monner uv zat translution???

 

Seriously though, what a joke!!!

[Guest Newt]

Originally posted by Elton:

Here's one that some others may like (actually, others may be offended!):

http://www.askjesus.org/

 

LOL Elton. If you look at the Computer Help Board at http://www.windows-help.net/cgi-bin/Ultimate.cgi you will notice my signature ends with WWJD? JWRTFM!!! This is sort of a geek joke. What Would Jesus Do? Jesus Would Read The F***ng Manual!!!

 

BTW - a great site to post a computer problem/question if you should need to.