Google translation bar....

[alfreda89]

Hummmm....

This may work in some languages, but if you want Japanese translated into English, maybe not. It handled titles of books all right, but when it got into narrative blurbs, let's say that a parody site could not have done better messing things up. I know enough about what I was looking at to say that it bore little to no resemblance to what the books actually were about.

Hope it's not that frustrating for Japanese readers looking up on English sites -- but it probably is. Sigh.

Comments

[paul-carlson.livejournal.com]

I read in The Atlantic about a new Chinese-made verbal translator that is very good. It can handle colloquial speech in real time, and speak the translated output.

[alfreda89.livejournal.com]

Wow.

That could be great. Glad they're working on that sort of thing. Just with so many languages and dialects in China alone, it would be a help.

So much of language has concept and culture behind it. I no longer believe in universal translators -- unless they come with caveats!

[paul-carlson.livejournal.com]

There's a lot of wonderful potential.

The reporter, who is highly respected, went on to wonder if Chinese authorities might now find it all too easy to bug is own apartment, in Beijing. (That's humanity for you . . . )

[alfreda89.livejournal.com]

!!!

The reporter, who is highly respected, went on to wonder if Chinese authorities might now find it all too easy to bug is own apartment, in Beijing. (That's humanity for you . . . )