Furthering the case for authoritative translation

I found this site called Lost in Translation, which uses Babelfish, one of the popular language translation sites, to translate text to and from a number of languages and then back to English, to check up on how accurate the translation is.

To test it out, I translated a verse of a Farnsey song:

Original English Text:

We have the chance to turn the pages over
We can write what we wanna write
We gotta make ends meet before we get much older.
We’re all someone’s daughter
we’re all someone’s son
How long can we look at each other down the barrel of a gun?

Translated to French:

Nous avons la chance de faire tourner les pages
Nous pouvons écrire ce que nous voulons écrire
Nous avons obtenu de faire des extrémités se réunir avant que nous devenions beaucoup plus âgés.
Nous sommes tout le quelqu’un fille
nous sommes tout le quelqu’un fils
Combien de temps pouvons-nous regarder l’un l’autre en bas du baril d’un pistolet ?

Translated back to English:

We are likely to make turn the pages
We can write what we want to write
We obtained to make ends meet before we became much older.
We all the somebody girl we are all the somebody son
How long are we can look at one the other in bottom of the barrel of a gun?

Translated to German:

Wir sind wahrscheinlich, Drehung die Seiten zu machen, die wir schreiben können, was wir uns schreiben wünschen erreichten, um Enden sich treffen zu lassen, bevor wir viel älter wurden. Wir das ganzes jemand Mädchen wir sind das ganzes jemand Sohn, wie lang wir können das ein andere in der Unterseite des Fasses eines Gewehrs betrachten sind?

Translated back to English:

We are probable to make for turn the pages which we can write, what we are written require achieved, in order to be able to be met to ends, before we became much older. We that whole someone girl we are that whole someone son, how long we can be regarded that another in the lower surface of the barrel of a rifle are?

Translated to Italian:

Siamo probabili da fare per il giro le pagine che possiamo scrivere, che cosa siamo scritti richiediamo raggiunto, per potere essere incontrato all’estremità, prima che siamo diventato molto più vecchi. Noi che intero qualcuno ragazza che siamo quell’intero qualcuno il figlio, quanto tempo noi può essere considerato che un altro nell’intradosso del barilotto di un fucile sono?

Translated back to English:

We are probable to make for the turn the pages that we can write, what we are written we demand reached, for being able to be been popular to the extremity, before we have become very older. We that entire someone girl who we are that entire someone the son, how much time we can be considered that an other in the lower surface of the keg of a gun is?

Translated to Portuguese:

Nós somos prováveis para fazer para a volta as páginas que nós podemos escrever, o que nós somos escrito nós exijimos alcangado, para poder ser sido populares à extremidade, antes que nós nos tornemos muito mais velhos. Nós que inteiros alguém menina quem nós somos que inteiro alguém o filho, quanto hora onde nós podemos ser considerados que uns outro no intradorso do barril de um injetor são?

Translated back to English:

We are probable to make for the return the pages that we can write, what we are written we we exijimos alcangado, to be able to be been popular to the extremity, before we in let us return them much more old. Can we who entire somebody girl who we are that entire somebody the son, how much hour where we be considered that some another one in the intrados of the barrel of an injector are?

Translated to Spanish:

Somos probables hacer para la vuelta las paginaciones que podemos escribir, cuál somos escrito nosotros nosotros alcangado de los exijimos, a poder ser sido populares a la extremidad, antes de que nosotros en nos dejamos de vuelta él mucho más viejo. ¿Podemos que entero alguien la muchacha que somos que entero alguien el hijo, cuánto hora donde nos consideren que alguna otra es en el intrados del barril de un inyector?

Translated back to English:

We are probable to make for the return the paginations that we can write, which we are written we alcangado of we demanded them, to power to be it are popular to the extremity, before we in left of return much more old he. We can that whole somebody the girl that we are that whole somebody the son, how much hour where considers us that some other is in the soffit of the barrel of an injector?

Everyone wants to be able to be popular to the extremity, before they have become very older. :)

Leave a Reply