Google advanced search not reading Umlauts correctly Thread poster: Rebecca Holmes
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All of you obviously know how important Google is to us. Since the middle of last week, however, I have been having a problem with the Google advanced search function. Everytime I enter a word with an Umlaut in it, the word is not read correctly by the search engine. It searches for bizarre looking characters instead and the search results are completely worthless. I've never seen anything like it.
I don't think the problem is the language setting on my keyboard - I have checked rep... See more All of you obviously know how important Google is to us. Since the middle of last week, however, I have been having a problem with the Google advanced search function. Everytime I enter a word with an Umlaut in it, the word is not read correctly by the search engine. It searches for bizarre looking characters instead and the search results are completely worthless. I've never seen anything like it.
I don't think the problem is the language setting on my keyboard - I have checked repeatedly and it is set to German. Plus all other applications like Word, PPT and Excel are reading and displaying Umlauts correctly.
Does anyone have any idea what is going on?? Is it a setting on my computer somewhere or has something changed in the Google advanced search?? ▲ Collapse
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Heinrich Pesch 
Finland
Local time: 10:27
Member (2003)
Finnish to German
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| No problems here | Nov 23, 2005 |
I searched for frühling, and all seems correct.
Gruß
Heinrich
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Rebecca Holmes
United States
Local time: 03:27
German to English
TOPIC STARTER | Regular search or advanced search? | Nov 23, 2005 |
Did you use the regular search or the advanced search? I have no problems with the regular search, it is the advanced search function that is not working correctly with umlauts (at least for me anyhow).
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Rebecca Holmes
United States
Local time: 03:27
German to English
TOPIC STARTER | Advanced Search - "mit der genauen Wörtergruppe" | Nov 23, 2005 |
Let me further refine that: it is the advanced search sub-function "mit der genauen Wortgruppe" that doesn't seem to be reading umlauts.
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Balaban Cerit
Türkiye
Local time: 10:27
Member (2004)
English to Turkish
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| I have the same problem | Nov 23, 2005 |
I suppose the sub-function "mit der genauen Wortgruppe" corresponds to the "with the exact phrase" sub-function in the English version of Google under the Advanced Search page.
I am faced with the same problem for that sub-function. I can't use special Turkish characters there in the Google version for Turkish users or in the English Google version either.
I forgot to add, I have no problems in any other application.
[Edited at 2005-11-23 10:27]
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| Google looks like it's on drugs. | Nov 23, 2005 |
Rebecca Holmes-Löffler wrote:
Let me further refine that: it is the advanced search sub-function "mit der genauen Wortgruppe" that doesn't seem to be reading umlauts.
To refine it even further, searching for "über die Brücke" from the exact phrase box in Google advanced search seems to have an "automatic Martian translation" function and gives me "über die Brücke" (which actually has over 800 hits).
But if I enter the phrase inside quotes in the normal search box, the results page comes up as it should (with all 218,000 hits).
Then (and this is the really kinky bit), I tried out what happens if I put "über die Brücke" in the "exact phrase" box and "regelmäßig" in the first box ("all of these words"). Now, Google finds the proper spelling even for "über die Brücke". But if I take "regelmäßig" out of the first box and just leave "über die Brücke" in the exact phrase box, Google again gives me the psychedelic version.
Does this come from too much LSD or what?
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| Tell Google about it | Nov 23, 2005 |
I think the best course of action would be to write an e-mail to Google telling them about the exact problem, as it's probably just a slight oversight on their part. Be sure to include all relevant information about your operating system and internet browser.
I wrote them an e-mail about two years ago (expressing the desire to have a "dumb" Google again, one that wouldn't treat "cast-iron", "castiron" and "cast iron" as identical results.)
I got a personal response, in... See more I think the best course of action would be to write an e-mail to Google telling them about the exact problem, as it's probably just a slight oversight on their part. Be sure to include all relevant information about your operating system and internet browser.
I wrote them an e-mail about two years ago (expressing the desire to have a "dumb" Google again, one that wouldn't treat "cast-iron", "castiron" and "cast iron" as identical results.)
I got a personal response, in German, within a day, so they DO read their e-mail.
Unfortunately, there still isn't an option to "dumb down" Google again, which would re-enable the degree of terminology research that used to be possible with Google before the year 2003... ▲ Collapse
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Rebecca Holmes
United States
Local time: 03:27
German to English
TOPIC STARTER
I guess it is not just me then. I was kind of figuring that I had screwed up a setting on my computer somewhere and that not everyone was experiencing the same thing, but apparently they are.
Ok, I'm off to rant at Google....
Heaven knows, however, that even with all its quirks we would be lost without it!
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| Thanks for trying, but no change | Nov 24, 2005 |
I still get the psychedelic version when I search with the "exact phrase" box
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| Please keep us posted! | Nov 25, 2005 |
Rebecca Holmes-Löffler wrote: Ok, I'm off to rant at Google....
Hi Rebecca,
did you already get an answer from Google? I'm having the same problems with German AND Czech Yes, these are two different encodings, but before everything was working fine and I did not bother about it (changing the encoding, after all, does not change anything now). No matter whether I'm writing the words myself or copying them there are always strange characters which is quite annoying - but I don't have to tell you this, do I?
Charlotte
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Rebecca Holmes
United States
Local time: 03:27
German to English
TOPIC STARTER | Nope, nothing yet | Nov 25, 2005 |
Unfortunately I have not heard anything from them yet and that particular sub-function is still definitely not working with special characters. Will let you know if anything changes.
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