JOST A MON

I have just returned home from work, had dinner, put my little boy to bed, and I am wondering what to do next. At such a quiet time, the idle man's brain turns to Babelfish, that translator of texts from language to language. I would like to see what happens when I translate a text from English to French and back.

Je suis juste retourné à la maison du travail, ai dîné, mets mon petit garçon au lit, et je me demande quoi faire après. À une heure si tranquille, le cerveau de l'homme à vide se tourne vers Babelfish, ce traducteur des textes de la langue à la langue. Je voudrais voir ce qui se produit quand je traduis un texte d'anglais-français et d'arrière.

I am no expert at French, but this seems to be a fairly accurate, if laborious, translation.

Back to English:

I am just turned over to the house of work, dined, mets my little boy with the bed, and I wonder what to make afterwards. At one hour so quiet, the brain of the man with vacuum turns to Babelfish, this translator of the texts of the language to the language. I would like to see what occurs when I translate a text of English-French and of back.

Okay, so that is not execrable: just a small confusion of vocabulary. The grammar, for the most part, is fairly accurately rendered. The reason would be that French and English have pretty similar syntaxes.

What if I were to translate from English to German?

Ich bin gerade nach Hause von der Arbeit, zu Abend aß, setze meinen kleinen Jungen zum Bett zurückgekommen, und ich wundere mich was, zunächst zu tun. Zu einem ruhigen Zeitpunkt wendet das untätigen Gehirn des Mannes an Babelfish, diesen Übersetzer der Texte von Sprache zu Sprache. Ich möchte sehen, was geschieht, wenn ich einen Text von englischem zum Deutschen und zur Rückseite übersetze.

Now, I know no German whatsoever, and I would not be surprised were this text completely cringe-inducing to a Teuton.

Back to English:

I am straight home from the work, to evening ate, set my small boys to the bed returned, and I am surprised which, first to do. To a calm time that turns dormant brain of the man at Babelfish, this translator of the texts from language to language. I would like to see, what happens, if I translate a text from English to the German and to the back.

Worse than with the French. Truly has it been said that the Norman invasion saved English from the guttural (and painfully word-ordered) Saxon tongue. (I just made that up, but you get my drift.) On the plus side, German and English are on the same branch of the Indo-European family, whereas French is on a different branch. Why, then, is the former translation better than the latter? I have no clue.

What if we took two dissimilar Indo-European tongues, say English and Greek?

Επέστρεψα μόλις το σπίτι από την εργασία, είχα το γεύμα, έβαλα το μικρό αγόρι μου στο κρεβάτι, και αναρωτιέμαι τι να κάνει έπειτα. Σε έναν τέτοιο ήρεμο χρόνο, ο μη απασχόλησης ανθρώπινος εγκέφαλος γυρίζει σε Babelfish, εκείνος ο μεταφραστής των κειμένων από τη γλώσσα στη γλώσσα. Θα επιθυμούσα να δω τι συμβαίνει πότε μεταφράζω ένα κείμενο από αγγλικά στα γαλλικά και την πλάτη.

This is all Greek to me, and I doubt that my friend Romina will forgive me for slaughtering her mother tongue quite so brutally.

Back:

I returned as soon as the house from the work, I had the dinner, I put my small boy in the bed, and wonder what it makes then. In a such calm time, not employment human brain turns in Babelfish, that translator of texts from the language in the language. I would wish to see what happens when I translate a text from English in the French and the back.

Not much worse than German, I guess. Let us, then, try two dissimilar languages. English and Japanese?

私はベッドに仕事からちょうど、食事をした、置く私の小さい男の子を家に戻り、何を次にするために疑問に思っている。非常に静かな時に、遊んでいる人の頭脳はBabelfish の言語からの言語へのテキストのその訳者に回る。私は私が英語から日本語及び背部からのテキストを翻訳すると起こるものが見ることを望む。

Don't you just love these fonts?

And back:

The boy where I where I in the bed exactly, did the meal from work, put am small it returns to the house, in order to make what next it thinks in doubt. Turns brain of the person who plays at the very quiet time, to that translator of the text to language from the language of Babelfish. I when I translate the text from Japanese and the back section from English, desire the fact that those which happen see.

Holy Molly!

I dare say that the worsening translation may also be due to somewhat clumsier semantic analysers, and possibly programmers less expert in the languages more distant from English.

But this is fun! So let's try a tour. English -> French -> German -> English.

French:

Je suis juste retourné à la maison du travail, ai dîné, mets mon petit garçon au lit, et je me demande quoi faire après. À une heure si tranquille, le cerveau de l'homme à vide se tourne vers Babelfish, ce traducteur célèbre des textes de la langue à la langue. Je voudrais voir ce qui se produit quand je traduis un texte d'anglais-français à l'Allemand et de nouveau à l'anglais.

German:

Ich werde soeben am Haus der Arbeit umgedreht, habe zu Abend gegessen, stelle meinen kleinen Jungen am Bett, und ich frage mich, der danach zu machen. An einer so ruhigen Stunde dreht sich das Gehirn des Leeremenschen gegen Babelfish, diesen berühmten Übersetzer der Texte der Sprache zur Sprache. Ich möchte sehen, was sich produziert, wenn ich einen Text von englisch-französischen am Deutschen und erneut am Englischen übersetze.

And back:

I am turned at the house of the work, was just eaten to evening, place my small boys at the bed, and I ask myself to make for it. On a so calm hour the brain of the emptiness human being against Babelfish, this famous translator of the texts of the language turns to the language. I would like to see, what produces itself, if I translate a text again of English-French at the German and at the English.

Whew. This is now tedious, so it ends here.