> For anyone who still thinks that Google Translate is even remotely worthwhile for > even English<->European languages, consider this: > > I'm currently trying to get a translation of the decision letter that just granted me > a permanent residence permit in Sweden. I've typed up everything verbatim, yet Google > Translate is giving me a translation which is literally the exact opposite of what > the source text states. I'm not good enough at Swedish to know all of the vocabulary, > but I'm good enough to know that "talar mot" means "to speak against", and yet Google > Translate is giving me the exact opposite: > > Partial source text: "om förhållandet framstår som seriöst och inte särskilda skäl > talar mot att tilstånd ges" > Google Translate: "if the relationship appears to be serious and no special reasons > indicate that permission is granted." > Correct translation: "if the relationship appears to be sufficiently serious and > there are no special reasons to indicate that permission is to be denied." > Explanation: "...särskilda skäl talar mot att tilstånd ges", literally translates, > word-for-word, "reasons specific speaking against to permission given". The word > "mot" means "counter to", or "against". This is something that Google Translate > completely misses. > > Then, in a second paragraph using largely the same phrasing, it makes exactly the > same error. I emphasize, the provided translation is literally the inverse of what it > should say. Fuck!
Someone else perhaps rightly pointed out that the specific snippets of text that I posted above are actually translated correctly.
To an extent, that makes it even more unacceptable, that the translation is so catastrophically bad in context. Here's a tweet where I post a full side-by-side translation and correction for the entire four paragraphs that I threw at it: https://twitter.com/TheMogMiner/status/877676929738059776
And as I mention in the follow-up tweet, I like how it translates "utlänningslagen" as simultaneously "Aliens team" and "foreign team", and not the appropriate "foreigner-law", and for that matter, it translates something as simple as "lag", which in context is obviously "law", i.e. "Jantelagen", "The Jante-law", as LAYER!
So, yeah. Don't even begin to come in here telling us all about how great Google Translate is. No. You appear to have ridden your high-horse out, DPG. Stay out of the CPT.
Index 
Flat 
Lest anyone think *I'm* full of shit
Reply
