How accurate is babelfish translation?

[justanotherguy]

Translate something to Russian, then translate back to english.... how well does that service actually work one way?  Anyone fluent in both languages?

[DKMM]

Its rather ok at best, I'd say it does better going from Russian to English than the other way around.  Its easier to understand when you know certain words can be translated in more than one way.

[bjoer751]

Quick answer - it doesn't...

Long answer:
All machine-translation products on the consumer-market today (including all web-based free versions) are built using the following principle:
1) Phrase-book
2) Dictionary
(3) Grammarcheck)
So, first the translator tries to identify and use the phrases it recognizes, and after that it uses its dictionary to translate the rest.
A few tries to use basic grammar rules to check the finished translation, but this is still very hard to make in a reliable way.

Google Translate tries to engage its users, so you can actually correct the translated text if you are aware of a better translation - what you do is add more phrases and synonyms.

My favorites for autotranslation are:
http://translate.google.com/translate_t
http://www.concisefreeware.com/translate.php (Worldlingo)
http://babelfish.altavista.com/?lp=ru_en
http://www.online-translator.com/text.asp?lang=en&direction=re

[wxman]

One quick way to find out the quality of the translation program is to write your letter in your native language, translate it to Russian, then take the Russian translation, and translate it back to your native language. Compare it side by side with your original letter, and you will see just how bad the programs are.

[softy]

wxman said true thing, it's best way to check computer translators.
as for me i can say that i am not fluent in English (Russian is my native language) but i am able to understand and talk English. of couse i used computer translators in my life but i refused from them because of bad translation quality even "in one way". so i use only dictionary now if it's needed.

[steve74]

As posted above the free machine translations can be very bad, it is ok for translating single words but anything more is a real train wreck! So I usually just pay for it if I need more than a word or two. This free translator I have bookmarked is my favorite. 

http://www.translationbooth.com/7.e9/textTranslation/index.html

[Mishenka]

I have used Babylon the most, I think it works the best so far of all I've tried, but, I would like to ask one who is more fluent in Russian to compare them.
Misha

[Misha]

I have used Babylon the most, I think it works the best so far of all I've tried, but, I would like to ask one who is more fluent in Russian to compare them.
Misha

I tested it out by translating a paragraph from a news article that I cut from gazeta.ru. It gives you a vague idea as to what the text is about, but you certainly won't be able to trust the translation or know precisely what is being said.

[2tallbill]

Let's take the following phrase

Hello sweet darling I miss you so much. I hope to see you again soon.

Bill

I translated it to Russian using bablefish

Здравствулте! сладостная милочка я пропускаю вас so much. Я надеюсь видеть вас снова скоро. Счет

Then I translated this to English

To zdravstvulte! sweet darling I let pass you so much. I hope to see you again soon. Calculation

Did it lose something from the original phrase? Yes I think so. If you want to entertain yourself further translate it
back and forth a few more times and it will be gibberish.

Take care,

Bill

[ConnerVT]

Play "Telephone" with Systran.

Lost In Transition web site:

http://tashian.com/multibabel/

Translates the text between 5 languages and back.  See the result.

[DizzyD]

If you want to get a good laugh from a translator take the lyrics from some song you know, translate it into Russian and then back into English... I almost fell off my chair laughing the first time i did this....

pretty cheap entertainment to..

Dizzy

[streklor]

try this:

www.google.com/translate

[HiTech]

Had a fun one with google.

kharkov translated to Sevastopol.

Kharkov translated correctly.

Talk about confusing things in a conversation arranging travel.

I like google more than babelfish.

When using them for online chatting, you learn to use words that do not have multiple meanings.

Dale

[Shadow]

Any translation software is not meant to be used to translate a text it translates back.
And if the people who are reading a software translated text have no knowledge of other languages, it becomes avery dangerous tool.
I have used Babelfish to translate legal text, and got a reasonable English legal text out of it. Not by directly using the translation, but by interpreting it. This is what should be done, take the translated text and re-write it from the words and context in to an understandable version.
Tips for those who are sending out software translated text:
- Use short sentences
- Try not to use difficult words
- Use as little grammar as possible
This circumvents the shortcomings of translation software and makes it understandable in most cases.

To the translation of 'Bill'.... I have a friend called 'Dick'. If he signs a software translated letter, he might directly get posted on Antidate. 

[groovlstk]

Very early in my search I used Babelfish to translate letters from a Ukrainian girl. Her emails didn't translate well, and in each she made constant reference to a "stamp." I remember wondering what was up with all those stamps, until I sheepishly realized it was Babelfish's translation of my name, Mark   

[Christian]

Nuances and shades of meaning are lost in any wooden translation.  The machine lacks the feel for the language.  Language is alive.

Example:

I will be bored, if you are not here.

This simple conditional sentence can be translated into Russian or from Russian indicating either the "condition" is implied as unfulfilled or fulfilled.

The translator will not indicate her thought her, but she herself will if one has a feel for the language.

Christian

[SANDRO43]

Nuances and shades of meaning are lost in any wooden translation. 

Even more basic than that where English is concerned, due to the multiple syntactical roles of its words (e.g. verbs also used as nouns, adjectives, etc.).

The oft-cited example is time flies like an arrow, which a computer might translate in 7 different and formally correct ways, while only 1 makes sense (to us ).

[Serebro]

Why do you write to the girls who don't speak your language at all?!!!

[Christian]

Why do you write to the girls who don't speak your language at all?!!!

 ... ... ... ...

Chritian