This file is actually about a year old, but heck. Let me explain.
Right after I discovered Babelfish, altavista's translation program, I decided to break it in as many ways as possible. I chose a bunch of totally random sentences (basically, whatever came to mind) and subjected them to being retro-translated: translated into a foreign language and back into English. I even did the first sentence from the first Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser story, just because it's such a wonderful piece of writing in English.
The results were highly variable. Some of them were jaw-droppingly inane, some of them were actually pretty funny... I showed my friends the results, we laughed, and then I saved them and forgot about them.
Until today. I was poking around in my files and I found that one, and, well, I thought I'd share.
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Original phrase: Out of sight, out of mind.
English to French and back: Out of the sight, of the spirit.
English to German and back: From sight from understanding out.
English to Italian and back: From sight, the mind.
English to Portuguese and back: It are of the sight, it are of the mind.
English to Spanish and back: Outside Vista, the mind.
Original phrase: Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country.
English to French and back: Is now the hour for all the good men to come using their country.
English to German and back: Is now the time for all good men to come to the aid of its country.
English to Italian and back: Hour is the moment for all the good men to come to the subsidy of their country.
English to Portuguese and back: It is now the moment for all the men good to come to dae (automatic device of input) of its country. (?)
English to Spanish and back: Now it is the time for all the good men to come to the aid of its country.
Original phrase: Time is of the essence.
English to French and back: Time is gasoline.
English to German and back: Time is from the substantial one.
English to Italian and back: The time is of the essence.
English to Portuguese and back: The time is of the essence.
English to Spanish and back: The time is of the essence.
Original phrase: In a cavern, in a canyon, excavating for a mine, lived a miner, forty-niner, and his daughter, Clementine.
English to French and back: In English: In a cave, in a throat, excavating for a mine, lived a minor, forty-niner, and his daughter, clementine.
English to German and back: Digging in a cave in a Canyon, lived for a pit out, a miner, forty more niner and its daughter, Klementine.
English to Italian and back: In one spelonca, in a canyon, digging for one mine, alive a miner, forty-niner and its daughter, clementina.
English to Portuguese and back: In a cave, in a throat, excavating for one mines, lived a miner, to forty-niner, and its son, clementine.
English to Spanish and back: In a cavern, in a ravine, excavating for a mine, lived a miner, to forty-niner, and his daughter, clementina.
Original phrase: Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet, and so are you.
English to French and back: The pinks are red, the purple ones are blue, sugar is soft, and thus is you.
English to German and back: Roses are red, are blue violet ones, are sugar sweetly and thus are you.
English to Italian and back: The roses are red, the viola are blue, the sugar is sweet and so as to he is you.
English to Portuguese and back: The roses are red, the violet are blue, the sugar is candy, and thus that she is you.
English to Spanish and back: The roses are red, the violet are blue, the sugar is sweet, and so you are.
Original phrase: It happened that while Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser were dallying in a wine shop near the Sidonian Harbor of Tyre, where all wine shops are of doubtful repute, a long-limbed yellow-haired Galatian girl lolling in Fafhrd's lap turned suddenly into a wallopingly large sow.
English to French and back: It occurred that while Fafhrd and gray Mouser dallying in a wine system close to the port of Sidonian of the tire, where all the wine systems are of doubtful reputation, a long-limbed girl yellow-haired of Galatian lolling in the recovery of Fafhrd was transformed suddenly into large sow wallopingly.
English to German and back: It occurred that, while Fafhrd and the grey Mouser in a wine system near the port Sidonian of the tire dallying, in which all wine systems are about the doubtful Repute, long limbed yellow-shark-talk girl Galatian, which is in the lap Fafhrd lolling, suddenly one wallopingly large tap ditch made.
English to Italian and back: It is happened that while Fafhrd and the Mouser gray dallying in a store of the wine close to the port of Sidonian of the tire, in which all the storees of the wine they are of doubtful rinomanza, long-limbed a yellow-haired girl of Galatian that lolling nel.giro.di Fafhrd has been transformed in without warning one scrofa wallopingly large.
English to Portuguese and back: Fafhrd happened that when and the cinereous Mouser dallying in a store of the wine close to the port to Sidonian it tyre, where all the store it wine are of it repute doubtful, a long-limbed yellow-haired girl of Galatian that lolling in the lap of Fafhrd turned suddenly in a great nut wallopingly.
English to Spanish and back: It happened that whereas Fafhrd and the gray Mouser dallying in a department of the wine near the port of Sidonian of the tire, in where all the departments of the wine are of doubtful reputation, a girl long-limbed yellow-haired of Galatian lolling in the lap of Fafhrd suddenly gave to return in a great pig wallopingly.
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Wallopingly! Yes! Man, I wonder if Babelfish has gotten any better?
Replies: add your comment: currently 5 comments
LOL!!!
These are good, Moon! I love odd translations! You should make some more and post those! ^_'
I was just reminded of something...
Huggle de Huggle!! LOL!!
Posted by Wolf @ 10/12/2001 03:06 AM EST
Yeah, I was about to say that it was almost on a par with "Wuv I vous" and "Les Boobs de Nope". I do like "Time is gasoline", though... it sounds like a possible Engrish gas station slogan.
Posted by Kitsu @ 10/12/2001 04:13 AM EST
Well, there's one way to find out. Input the /truth/.
Phrase: Mooncalf rocks Nezumi's world.
English to Spanish and back: Mooncalf oscillates the world of Nezumi.
English to Chinese and back: Mooncalf rocks the Nezumi world.
English to French and back: Mooncalf rocks the world of Nezumi.
English to French to German and back: Mooncalf tilts the world of Nezumi.
English to German and back: Mooncalf swings to world Nezumi.
English to German to French and back: Mooncalf balances the Nezumi world.
English to Italian and back: Mooncalf oscillates the world of Nezumi.
English to /Japanese/ and back: The Mooncalf shakes the world of the Nezumi.
English to Korean and back: The Mooncalf shakes the Nezumi's world.
English to Portugese and back: Mooncalf balances the world of Nezumi.
...strangely, there is a "Russian to English" option, but no "English to Russian. So we can't find out how a Bolshevik Moo can cause the world of Nezumi to sway.
You're right, hon. They do swing anywhere from Zen-like to blatant rip-offs of Soul Coughing lyrics. Truly odd. And for what it's worth, Mooncalf continues to oscillate the world of Nezumi.
Posted by Nezumi @ 10/12/2001 08:59 AM EST
And "In a Cave/In a Throat" sounds almost like Mooncalf yaoi!!!
LOL!!!!!
Sorry about that, Moon! I just thought of that and had to let it out. :3
Posted by Wolf @ 10/12/2001 10:40 PM EST
And now I must go forth and create 'Nezumi World'! Complete with oscillating Mooncalf ride.
Posted by Ed @ 10/13/2001 03:09 PM EST
