I notice that there are folk from all over the world on this board....does everyone speak english on here or you using some sort o "translation" program?

Yes, you hit the nail right on the head: all we not-native-English-speaking members are actually required by the TOS to use a special Babelfish-applet when we want to post here. Although you can read this message in English now, in reality I wrote it in Frisian, which happens to me my second language, but it was then simultaneously translated to Turkish and then again from Turkish to English. Amazing really, isn't it?

I do use a translation site (http://tr.voila.fr) for some words that my english vocabulary is lacking of.

Single words appart, translators like that just can't give you well built entire sentences. So I'd find it hard for someone to speak english completly through such a program.

Rear Ramon, thanks for the reference! I did not know a translator obligation am. From now on babelfish will only use.

- I'm a bit curious if that translated right - I think I'll run it through babelfish backwards and get the German again -

Hinteres Ramon, Dank als Referenz! Ich kannte nicht eine Übersetzerverpflichtung morgens. Ab sofort verwendet babelfish nur.

- Wuh - mayber if I enter that it'll turn out right

Rear Ramon, thanks as reference! I did not know a translator obligation in the morning. Immediately uses babelfish only.

- 1 point of permanent wisdom increase to who brings me my original German sentence.

[ 07-01-2003, 06:08 PM: Message edited by: Faceman ]

All joking aside (read Ramon x 3 [img]smile.gif[/img] ), translation programs just cannot do what the human brain can do. Language is a very high-level founctin of the human brain. In fact, it is one of the critical things that sets us apart from animals.

The subtleties of language are very complex. Take idioms for example, many common expressions are idiomatic in a language and a word for word translation makes no sense. Also, slang does not always translate.

Computer tranlation programs may be useful for looking up a word you but they are a long way from being able to give an acurate translation.

One of the first jobs I had out of college was being the translator of French and German for a company. I NEVER got the point across to them that a translation is not a transliteration. I would translate something and tell them what it said in English. They would count up the words in the French or German and the number of words in my translation and want to know why my translation had more or fewer words than the original. I explained it to them repeatedly, but to no avail. Of course these were the same people that sent form letters in German to Australia and when I pointed out that they spoke German in Austria, they said "but aren't Austria and Australia the same thing?"

I quit after about a year after beating my head repeatedly up against a brick wall. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[ 07-01-2003, 06:57 PM: Message edited by: Reeka ]

No hablo inglese, please help. Sa ma pupli acola [img]smile.gif[/img]

well yes, I had to use a translator to translate what some of Ironworkers type ( especially those very long english sentense ). When I want to post something, I had to use the translator too.

Ni men bu hui sheng qi wo ma? ;)

Wow, and to think that some of the non-english speakers here type better than I do. :D

I wish I knew another language...I boycotted french in junior high cause I was resentufl of having it forced down my throat for 7 years. and I took a year of spanish in high school before it stopped being offered, so basically the extent of my spanish equals that of the taco bell dog. and I really should learn dutch, what being a vandermeulen and all...*sigh* I plead ignorance