[Corpora-List] Google's translations

[John F. Sowa]

Following is an article from the New York Times about Google's
translation service:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/09/technology/09translate.html?hpw&pagewanted=all

And following is an excerpt:

> “What you see on Google Translate is state of the art” in computer
> translations that are not limited to a particular subject area,
> said Alon Lavie, an associate research professor in the Language
> Technologies Institute at Carnegie Mellon University.

Following is the Google web page for entering text or the URL of
a document to be translated:

    http://translate.google.com

So I entered one paragraph by Wittgenstein and one by Kant.
See below for the results.

I discovered that the translations were sensitive to line breaks.
For each paragraph, there are two translations:  the first of
a "cut and paste" from text files with line breaks; the second
of the same paragraphs as displayed by Firefox from html files.
The html version eliminated the line breaks in the excerpts
copied to Google.

Does anyone have any comments or observations about the state
of the art?

John
_________________________________________________________________________

 From the Preface to Wittgenstein's Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus:

Dagegen scheint mir die Wahrheit der hier mitgeteilten Gedanken
unantastbar und definitiv.  Ich bin also der Meinung, die Probleme im
Wesentlichen endgültig gelöst zu haben.  Und wenn ich mich hierin nicht
irre, so besteht nun der Wert dieser Arbeit zweitens darin, daß sie
zeigt, wie wenig damit getan ist, daß die Probleme gelöst sind.

First translation from a text file with line breaks:

On the other hand seems to me the truth of the thoughts communicated here
unassailable and definitive. I am therefore of the opinion that the 
problems in
Have solved essentially. And if I'm not in this
mistaken, then, is the value of this work, secondly the fact that they
shows how little has been done that the problems are solved.

Second translation of the same text entered from an html file:

On the other hand seems to me the truth of the thoughts communicated 
here unassailable and definitive. I am therefore of the opinion that the 
problems largely been finally solved. And if I am not mistaken, so now 
is the value of this work, secondly the fact that it shows how little 
has been done that the problems are solved.

 From the preface to Kant's Prolegomena to any Future Metaphysics:

Ist sie Wissenschaft, wie kommt es, daß sie sich nicht, wie andre
Wissenschaften, in allgemeinen und daurenden Beifall setzen kann?
Ist sie keine, wie geht es zu, daß sie doch unter dem Scheine einer
Wissenschaft unaufhörlich groß tut, und den menschlichen Verstand mit
niemals erlöschenden, aber nie erfüllten Hoffnungen hinhält? Man mag
also entweder sein Wissen oder Nichtwissen demonstrieren, so muß doch
einmal über die Natur dieser angemaßten Wissenschaft etwas Sicheres
ausgemacht werden; denn auf demselben Fuße kann es mit ihr unmöglich
länger bleiben. Es scheint beinahe belachenswert, indessen daß jede
andre Wissenschaft unaufhörlich fortrückt, sich in dieser, die doch
die Weisheit selbst sein will, deren Orakel jeder Mensch befrägt,
beständig auf derselben Stelle herumzudrehen, ohne einen Schritt
weiterzukommen. Auch haben sich ihre Anhänger gar sehr verloren, und
man siehet nicht, daß diejenigen, die sich stark genug fühlen, in
andern Wissenschaften zu glänzen, ihren Ruhm in dieser wagen wollen,
wo jedermann, der sonst in allen übrigen Dingen unwissend ist, sich
ein entscheidendes Urteil anmaßt, weil in diesem Lande in der Tat
noch kein sicheres Maß und Gewicht vorhanden ist, um Gründlichkeit
von seichtem Geschwätze zu unterscheiden.

First translation from a text file with line breaks:

If it is science, how is it that they did not, like other
Share sciences in general and may daurenden applause?
If it is not, how is it that they do under the guise of a
Science constantly doing great, and the human mind with
Never dying, but never fulfilled hopes of holding out? One may
show, so either his knowledge or ignorance, it must nevertheless
Once on the nature of science usurped something secure
be identified, because it can not possibly on the same footing with her
stay longer. It almost seems belachenswert, however, that any
Science fortrückt other incessantly, in this, but the
Wisdom wants to be themselves, whose oracles befrägt every man,
flipped upside resistance at the same spot, without a step
ahead. Even their supporters have not lost much, and
things not seen, that those who feel strong enough to
shine the other sciences, to risk their reputation in this wish
where everyone else is ignorant of all the other things that are
presumes a crucial verdict, because in this country, in fact,
no safe level and weight is available to thoroughness
to be distinguished from shallow chatter.

Second translation of the same text entered from an html file:

If it is science, how is it that they do not, you can use like other 
sciences, in general, and daurenden applause? If it is not, how is it 
that they do under the guise of a science constantly doing great, and 
holds out the human mind with never dying, but never fulfilled hopes? 
One may therefore either demonstrate his knowledge or ignorance, yet he 
must again about the nature of science usurped something certain to be 
identified, because on the same footing, it can not possibly stay with 
her longer. It almost seems belachenswert, however, that every other 
science fortrückt incessantly, in this, but the wisdom that wants to be 
themselves, whose oracles befrägt everyone, always on the same spot game 
instead, move forward without a step. Even their supporters have not 
lost much, and no one sees that those who want to feel strong enough to 
shine in other sciences, to risk their glory in this, where everyone 
else is ignorant of all the other things, a presumes decisive verdict, 
because there is in this country, in fact, no safe level and weight in 
order to distinguish detail of shallow chatter about.


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