Tofugu Comments - Latest Comments in Another Reason Not to Use Online Translators

Re: Another Reason Not to Use Online Translators

Tofugu_Erin — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 22:40:55 -0000

Definitely. Unfortunately, online translators aren't great with context or connotation, haha. Ah well, at least they're entertaining.

Re: Another Reason Not to Use Online Translators

Ku — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 21:16:06 -0000

Wouldn't 「ぜったいおこるぞ」be closest to the actual sentiment...?

(Just sayin'.)

Hilarious either way. Fukudome likely has a good laugh every time he looks into the stands.

Re: Another Reason Not to Use Online Translators

Tofugu_Erin — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:00:39 -0000

Just so you know... I wrote this article.

Haha.

At any rate, I've seen that picture before. Pretty funny :D

Re: Another Reason Not to Use Online Translators

Stephen — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 09:51:37 -0000

Not sure if you saw this, Koichi...a little crude, but another example of why one shouldn't use translation tools! http://www.shipmentoffail.com/fails/2008/05/tra...

Re: Another Reason Not to Use Online Translators

Eevee — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:31:33 -0000

Ahhh... If only they did work. We all gotta dream, right?

I'll never forget... halfway through the school year almost my entire French class had used an online translator for their left-to-the-last-minute homework (or more correctly, a few people had and the rest of them copied those people) and it was very apparent to our poor teacher by the time we had marked about half of the assignment. He asked about 5 different people for one sentence and it was all crap. He ended up yelling at us, storming out, and slamming the door behind him. We all sat their in silence for a few minutes and he came back with his tea, sat down, and looked at us. The rest of the period went that way. Never happened again, I gotta hand it to that guy, he knows how to scare high school kids. xD

Re: Another Reason Not to Use Online Translators

Ruka — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 17:12:15 -0000

┌──────┐
　│　　　　 │
　│ .偶然だぞ |　
　│　　　　　 │
　(ﾖ─∧＿∧─E)　
　＼（* ´∀｀）／
　　 Y 　　　 Y

Re: Another Reason Not to Use Online Translators

YoyoKirby — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 00:44:57 -0000

Wow... That's pretty o/pwned.

Re: Another Reason Not to Use Online Translators

John T — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:04:37 -0000

Online translation (or machine translation) almost never works in Japanese. Verb tense is emdedded in the word. So in English "I don't go" it's easy to translate those three words. In Japanese the subject is almost always elminated if it is obvious so "I don't go" would look like "godon't". Most translation machines see the "go" but don't conjugate the rest. So if your friend is telling you she isn't coming to America, your machine translator might make you think she is.

Re: Another Reason Not to Use Online Translators

emiko — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 17:39:35 -0000

My friend uses a translator to chat with people in japan, maybe I should tell her to stop.

Re: Another Reason Not to Use Online Translators

tornadoes28 — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 11:50:26 -0000

Yes, you are late. But good post. Those translators are extremely unreliable.

Re: Another Reason Not to Use Online Translators

Kai — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 00:26:59 -0000

i love cubs fans :)
they mean well.

Re: Another Reason Not to Use Online Translators

Kennin — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 15:01:27 -0000

Hahaha, great!
Reminds me of the good old days in the mid eighties, when I did Aikidō.
There is a technique where one walks on his knees, called "Shikkō".
One day, there was this Japanese sensei who visited the dōjō, and as soon as our teacher said the name of that very technique, the Japanese laughed out loudly.
Apparently we pronounced it wrong, turning it into "peeing". =)

Re: Another Reason Not to Use Online Translators

ch1ka — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 16:09:20 -0000

aaaw the trouble they must've gone to print that stuff on paper just to show their fave baseball player! they must really love the guy... but clearly not enough!
but ye, great article Erin; its true online translators are really not good.
if you try to translate the same thing on different online translators, the outcome is completely different on each site. Really unreliable.
~use a dictionary, or a japanese speaking person lol

Re: Another Reason Not to Use Online Translators

mmnessa — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 15:27:40 -0000

LMAO, it's like reading something a robot would say.

Re: Another Reason Not to Use Online Translators

keikan16 — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 01:04:35 -0000

Well at least they tried I guess......I dont follow baseball really but it seems that there are a few japanese ball players now here in the U.S.

Re: Another Reason Not to Use Online Translators

oo0speed0oo — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 20:14:49 -0000

dam you got me...

Re: Another Reason Not to Use Online Translators

DeeLeigh — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 16:21:46 -0000

Point well taken! I have been there many many times...but at the same time it's let me know if I was at least somewhat on the right track...I've have never taken anything I've gotten from an online translator at face value (except for that one time in Spanish class...), but it has let me know if I was way off kilter...

Re: Another Reason Not to Use Online Translators

Alyssa — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 15:58:29 -0000

GO CHICAGO!

Best City in America ( well, i think Tokyo and Chicago are both amazing )

Re: Another Reason Not to Use Online Translators

Tofugu_Erin — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:51:50 -0000

Indeed.

Re: Another Reason Not to Use Online Translators

koichi — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:49:15 -0000

i dunno, i think a flat frown turned upside down is just another flat frown :|

Re: Another Reason Not to Use Online Translators

oo0speed0oo — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:46:53 -0000

turn that frown upside down! lol

Re: Another Reason Not to Use Online Translators

koichi — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 13:30:35 -0000

oh man, Sai brings back memories. That kid is from my hometown.

Re: Another Reason Not to Use Online Translators

JohtoKen — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 10:01:32 -0000

It turns out that "Engrish" phrases are commonly made translating an English sentence into Japanese and then back.

Re: Another Reason Not to Use Online Translators

Tofugu_Erin — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 06:23:10 -0000

Re: Another Reason Not to Use Online Translators

zattsu-ooru — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 06:08:26 -0000

* and i use worldlingo for that purpose. And as far as dictionaries go, linear is my choise. Rock on.