| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Can anyone give me a link to BAD machine translations? Thread poster: A. Deb
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A. Deb 
Spain
Local time: 00:21
Member
Spanish to English
+ ...
Hi everyone
One of my clients in any engineering company for whom I have worked for many years. They have a department which now insists on sending me third-rate, amateur, non-native translations of a highly-technical nature from Spanish to English which I suspect have been run through some awful machine translation tool. I am then supposed to correct these documents, with no source text and a lot of imagination.
I have spoken to the documentation manager who has in... See more Hi everyone
One of my clients in any engineering company for whom I have worked for many years. They have a department which now insists on sending me third-rate, amateur, non-native translations of a highly-technical nature from Spanish to English which I suspect have been run through some awful machine translation tool. I am then supposed to correct these documents, with no source text and a lot of imagination.
I have spoken to the documentation manager who has in turn spoken to the manager of this department but the latter refuses to cooperate (a HUGE ego there too). I am now thinking of sending them a highly-technical document, translated into Spanish through a bad machine translation tool and asking them to try to proofing the text. After all, there's nothing like a bad dose of experience!
I was wondering if any of you have any samples of the kind of example I'm look for to give to my client or links to anything of this nature.
Thanks
Ana ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Why don't you try giving them both the good and the bad translation at the same time? | Jun 14, 2010 |
Take a paragraph, run it through a machine translation, then at the same time, submit your translation of the same paragraph and let them compare which makes sense.
| | | | | Google Babelfish | Jun 14, 2010 |
Here's your first paragraph into Spanish and back to English:
One of my clients in cualquie company of engineering for that has worked during many years. They have a department that now insists on the shipment of me of low category, become fond of, foreign translations of a highly-technical nature of Spanish to the English that I suspect I have worked myself through a little tremendous tool of the automatic translation. Then they suppose to me to correct these documents, without the origin... See more Here's your first paragraph into Spanish and back to English:
One of my clients in cualquie company of engineering for that has worked during many years. They have a department that now insists on the shipment of me of low category, become fond of, foreign translations of a highly-technical nature of Spanish to the English that I suspect I have worked myself through a little tremendous tool of the automatic translation. Then they suppose to me to correct these documents, without the original text and much imagination. ▲ Collapse
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| Just tell them to stop sending you this kind of translations | Jun 14, 2010 |
If I was you I'd just tell them I won't do the job ! As what they are doing isn't pro at all...
| | | | | The most famous one, imho | Jun 14, 2010 |
This image can be of help.
| | | | opolt
Germany
Local time: 00:21
English to German
+ ...
| Instructions | Jun 14, 2010 |
@ Sergei: )) You simply can't beat this one.
But it would seem the following always works:
1. Put brain in mindless automaton mode.
2. Take random chapter from some user's manual.
3. Assemble random words in target language and mark them as a "translation".
4. Add random words from manual's technical field to "translation" in a random way.
5. Mark ... See more @ Sergei:)) You simply can't beat this one.
But it would seem the following always works:
1. Put brain in mindless automaton mode.
2. Take random chapter from some user's manual.
3. Assemble random words in target language and mark them as a "translation".
4. Add random words from manual's technical field to "translation" in a random way.
5. Mark "translation" as "proofread".
6. Profit.
Most of these should be MT errors: http://www.ojohaven.com/fun/translation.funnies.html
[Edited at 2010-06-14 12:28 GMT]
[Edited at 2010-06-14 12:32 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | This sounds like a restaurant I would NOT visit in Copenhagen... | Jun 14, 2010 |
With a knowledge of Danish you understand WHY some of the mistakes occur, but I suspect you can make quite a good case against machine translation whatever you do.
http://thecopenhagenguide.com/665/rasmus-oubæk
And this person must be what we call a glutton for punishment in the north of England...  ... See more With a knowledge of Danish you understand WHY some of the mistakes occur, but I suspect you can make quite a good case against machine translation whatever you do.
http://thecopenhagenguide.com/665/rasmus-oubæk
And this person must be what we call a glutton for punishment in the north of England... 
___________________
I've been a regular guest on Oubæk for several years due to their fantastic boeuf béarnaise. But one day you could not get it more like a big and bad main course .... sniff sniff. They serve still boeuf Béarnaise, but in a smaller and lighter version amputated.
Last time I was there, I walked a great arc around steak and tried other cases on the menu. Everything had to UG and a really good experience. Moreover, by the staff much about wine, which I good like.
Go to the MASH for steaks and Oubæk of delights ...
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Or how about this one?!
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Last week I was with some friends inside to enjoy a good lunch at Oubæk. We were good aware that surgery with double booking, but the restaurant was far from full, and we got all that time we could dream of to enjoy our food....
We got very good law to share a game of snails for starter (we were 5 persons) who was an excellent appetizer. And we even got a few more than the map had promised. For main course I got even confit de canard. Crispy fried meat which deprived some tenderness but it was still a nice right.
...
For dessert there was a nice sorbet dish, delicious Crème Brûlée assisted by a tart sorbet and not least quite amazing icy profiteroles. In an abundance of warm chocolate sauce. So, classic French bistro, at its best. We went over saturate and happy and then come back again probably at some point.
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And they are still in the surgical mode here!
_____________________
....
After reading other reviews, we were naturally excited about the operation. The two waiters we were served by were friendly and welcoming, although our desire for tap water was heard.
...
_____________________
Quite seriously, I do think it is important to educate clients about machine translation.
It makes proofreading a nightmare, and it does not save time or money if they really need a translation and not a literally mindless jumble of words!
Best of luck!
[Edited at 2010-06-14 16:20 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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Desdemone (X)
Local time: 19:21
French to English
Mohamed Mehenoun wrote:
If I was you I'd just tell them I won't do the job ! As what they are doing isn't pro at all...
And why would you agree to working WITHOUT a source text?
| | | | Paula Borges
United Kingdom
Local time: 23:21
Member (2010)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Gillian Searl wrote:
Here's your first paragraph into Spanish and back to English:
One of my clients in cualquie company of engineering for that has worked during many years. They have a department that now insists on the shipment of me of low category, become fond of, foreign translations of a highly-technical nature of Spanish to the English that I suspect I have worked myself through a little tremendous tool of the automatic translation. Then they suppose to me to correct these documents, without the original text and much imagination.
It puzzles me how some people say we're about to be replaced my machine translation.
| | | | | Not bad, really... | Jun 14, 2010 |
Gillian Searl wrote:
Here's your first paragraph into Spanish and back to English:
One of my clients in cualquie company of engineering for that has worked during many years. They have a department that now insists on the shipment of me of low category, become fond of, foreign translations of a highly-technical nature of Spanish to the English that I suspect I have worked myself through a little tremendous tool of the automatic translation. Then they suppose to me to correct these documents, without the original text and much imagination.
Not bad, really... Maybe it's high time to start learning some other job? With such great progress these machines will soon beat us, human translators...
| | | | Germaine
Canada
Local time: 18:21
English to French
+ ...
| How about "no, thanks" | Jun 14, 2010 |
Anaviva wrote:
One of my clients in any engineering company... now insists on sending me third-rate, amateur, non-native translations of a highly-technical nature... I am then supposed to correct these documents, with no source text and a lot of imagination.
I would try something like "I am very sorry, but I cannot bring myself to risk your reputation on something that makes no sense and can be detrimental to your products."
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J Celeita (X)
Local time: 15:21
Spanish to English
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Hilarious!!!!
I loved the "lighter version amputated"!!!
I was laughing so hard my daughter came over from the other room to see what I was laughing at! lol
[Edited at 2010-06-14 16:11 GMT]
| | | | | Is it fit for purpose? | Jun 14, 2010 |
I know some people can get by with these jumbles of words, but what do insurance companies say about that kind of translation, for instance in user manuals?
Has anyone tried suing a company for product liability? There must be tales like that somewhere. There must be loads of arguments!
One of the errors of machine translation is the failure to recognise and translate negatives... which could be fatal.
For instance, something as trivial as:
The machin... See more I know some people can get by with these jumbles of words, but what do insurance companies say about that kind of translation, for instance in user manuals?
Has anyone tried suing a company for product liability? There must be tales like that somewhere. There must be loads of arguments!
One of the errors of machine translation is the failure to recognise and translate negatives... which could be fatal.
For instance, something as trivial as:
The machine should be repaired with the current switched on ...
HELP! ▲ Collapse
| | | | Paula Borges
United Kingdom
Local time: 23:21
Member (2010)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Alexander Onishko wrote: Gillian Searl wrote:
Here's your first paragraph into Spanish and back to English:
One of my clients in cualquie company of engineering for that has worked during many years. They have a department that now insists on the shipment of me of low category, become fond of, foreign translations of a highly-technical nature of Spanish to the English that I suspect I have worked myself through a little tremendous tool of the automatic translation. Then they suppose to me to correct these documents, without the original text and much imagination. Not bad, really... Maybe it's high time to start learning some other job? With such great progress these machines will soon beat us, human translators...
I imagine what impact that could have on spoken language if more companies start publishing things like that.
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