LL-L "Language proficiency" 2004.05.24 [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 24.May.2004 * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
http://www.lowlands-l.net * sassisch at yahoo.com
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A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian B=Brabantish D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian
L=Limburgish LS=Lowlands Saxon (Low German) N=Northumbrian
S=Scots Sh=Shetlandic V=(West)Flemish Z=Zeelandic (Zeêuws)
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Leslie wrote:
> Regarding the godawful website translation, I believe I've found the
> culprit.  I found a machine translation service, and had it translate
> the original English web page, and Billy the Kid became a young goat
> before my eyes!

Yes, that was very obviously the work of Babelfish or one of its relatives.

For those among you who speak German, here's one of the worst macheine
translations ever, from the website of a group of lawyers in Saudi Arabia. I
let them know years ago just how bad it is, but they didn't react (some
other languages are translated well, but I sincerely hope they didn't pay
the person who gave them the German "translation"). What really boggles the
mind is that they offer translation servives, too!

http://www.saudi-lawyers.com/servicesgerman.html

My favourite sentence is: "Für weitere Anfragen, fühlen Sie sich bitte frei,
um uns bei keinen unserer Büros zu verständigen." Translated back onto
English, this is: "For further requests, please feel yourself free (which is
not an idiom in German and could even mean "undressed") to contact us at
none of our offices."

And then there's the "Board of Grievances", which becomes something like the
"Plank of Dissatisfactions" (Brett der Unzufriedenheiten), and
"Tauschen-Mark und Kopie-richtig" (trademark and copyright)... and of course
they're all "never married men of the law" (Bachelors...).

Gabriele Kahn

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