Have you ever wondered what is lost or gained in automated translation services? Have you ever used a web-based language translation tool like Google Translator or BabelFish and gotten a bizarre result?
An amusing site called Blahblah Fish translates your words into the language of your choice and then back out again into english. Hilarity ensues. For fun, I entered some famous lyrics from Lynyrd Skynyrd:
(Original)
Sweet home Alabama
Where the skies are so blue
Sweet Home Alabama
Lord, I’m coming home to you
Translated to Russian and back to English:
Sweet domestic Alabama
where the skies is so blue
sweet domestic Alabama lord,
I’m coming home to you
Translated from Spanish and back to English:
Sweet homemade Alabama
Where the skies are so blue
Sweet homemade Alabama Gentleman,
I’m that returns to house to you
And my very favorite – Translated to Japanese and back to English:
At the point where the Alabama sky of the sweet house is very blue
Alabama main thing and I’m of the sweet house; where it returns to the house in you.
I think the Japanese translation sounds like a beautiful haiku…maybe better than the original lyrics.
Try it out yourself.
Link to Blahblah Fish (via Neat-o-rama)
- Dave
