Free Online Translation

[k4kyv]

Sometimes those translators don't work out exactly as you would think.  Let's try a little experiment.

1.  Open the following page:

http://translation2.paralink.com/

2.  Choose "English-Russian translation" and paste the following text into the appropriate field:

I think we should use CW and the time for
best propagation would be 1145 GMT.

Press the "Translate" button to get the result.

3. Now copy the Russian translation of  the text.

4. Select "Russian-English translation".  Paste the Russian text into the appropriate field.  Press the "Translate" button to get the result when your translation is converted back into English.

    

[W1RKW]

It's always fun to plug in some 4 letter words and other deragatory phrases in these things.

But my favorite (non-deragotory):
das Bier ist im Kühlschrank. helfen Sie bitte sich

[k4kyv]

You can't always translate from one language to another by simply translating the text word-for-word.

I recall a story several years ago (long before all the homeland security paranoia following 11SE01).  A German tourist was taking a flight out of Chicago to somewhere down south.  A few minutes into the flight,  he jumped up out of his seat and was hurriedly making his way down the aisle of the plane in the direction of the cockpit.  One of the flight attendants directed him to return to his seat, because the "fasten seat belt" sign was still lit up and the plane had not reached full altitude.  He responded, "No I can't.  The roof is about to blow off."

The man was immediately subdued by a sky marshall, and the flight turned round and headed back to O'Hare, where the man was pulled off the plane and arrested.  He was charged with disorderly conduct, interfering with a flight, and making a threat to harm an aircraft.

He maintained his innocence, but remained in custody for something like four months before his lawyer succeeded in locating a German-speaking judge who would listen to his case.

He explained that in German, the expression "the roof is about to blow off" means that one's bladder is about to explode, and that he would wet his pants if he had to wait any longer.  He got out of his seat merely to use the toilet, which happened to be located at the front of the plane near the cockpit door.

[Bacon, WA3WDR]

Language can be very tricky.  Here, someone was trying to say "There's no city like it!" - but it came out "There is no such city!"

(link) There is no such city!"

And, of course, there was the time when I was trying to tell my fellow condo owners not to flush their toilets while the men were repairing the sewer line.  Instead, I wound up telling them not to put on makeup at their dressing tables.  The worst part is that I was reverse checking, but I was short on time, and I missed that sentence.  Oh well.