Tuesday, September 04, 2007

The perils of translation - Die Risikos der Übersetzung

While we’re in Luxembourg, Blogger and Google are both kindly offering me everything in German. My posts still come up in English on Google, of course, but there are a lot more German results than we’d usually see.
Anyway, in a nonsensical moment, I decided to take advantage of Google’s translation service and translate a post into German - and then translate it back out of German using something called the Free Online Translator. In the end only the first part of the post was translated back and forth, but comparing the original with the new improved translated version is intriguing.
Here’s part of the original post:
Just keep an eye over your shoulder
The other day, in one of those rare egotistical moments I have, I added myself to a site called zoominfo.com. It never crossed my mind to check that I might already be on there – after all, there are six billion people on the planet, and zoominfo mostly focuses on people in the US. But today, when I happened to come across the site again while looking up Brent Stavig (see the previous post), I found I was on there not once, not twice, but four times! Firstly there was the listing I put in myself the other day. Then there was a listing with me as a freelance writer. I hadn’t put this on. It had been picked up because a couple of Internet references caught up my name and collated them together.

Here’s the new English version:

Fair maintenance an eye over your shoulder
The other day, at one of those rare selfish moments, which I, I have added itself to an installation place which was called zoominfo.com. He never crossed my mind to examine whether I could be already switched on there - in the end, there is six milliard people on the planet, and zoominfo mostly concentrates upon people in the US. But today when I happened to bump into the installation place again by chance with the looking see up Brent Stavig (the preceding post), I found me not even was switched on there, not twice, but 4-spot! First there was the listing which I used in myself the other day. Then there was a listing with me as an independent author. I had not put this in. It had been selected up, because a pair of the Internet tips herself on top.

I kind of like the idea of being switched on, and of being an independent author. But I'm really not sure what tips herself on top means at all...

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