[etni] Re: Language Translations
- From: "lev" <lev@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <hqm2011@xxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 2 Jul 2004 15:53:59 +0200
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Henry says,
I have discovered a remarkable site for the translation of many
languages (unfortunately not including Hebrew). The URL is:
babelfish.altavista.com
Dear Henry -
It's sheer luck indeed that Hebrew is missing from the list of Babelfish
languages: you'd be totally confused with the results you'd get.
I've just tried English-into-Russian (my native tongue). Unless you can
read and translate the source fragment on your own, you cannot make head
or tail of what you get as "translation." The engine is totally
context-insensitive. In addition, it ignores inflections, declensions
and suchlike. Even for rough comprehension, this is too much to handle.
I translate professionally (=I get paid to do it :) ). When asked about
whether I felt being threatened by the ability of computers to translate
texts, I used to laugh. At a certain point, when the quality of
computerized translation started to gradually improve (some 6-7 years
ago) - context sensitivity, etc. - I started feeling uneasy: I thought
maybe - go figure! It would soon become so good that we'd all lose our
jobs!
(and believe me, the "sharks" that send me stuff for translation would
kill for a chance to just buy a good expensive translator software - and
stop paying me a shekel for every 4 words I translate...)
For better or for worse, this is yet not the case. Not that it cannot be
done, from the technical point of view - but it would take a bit better
programming taking into account larger databases and a greater number of
language parameters like subcategorizatoinal restrictions, as well as
more powerful processors capable of handling these amounts of data. As
soon as someone learns how to make enough money making computerized
translations this task will perhaps be solved, At the moment, there's
just not enough money to make it happen. Much more funding goes into
building computerized models of nuclear explosion than into computerized
translation. You tell me why. :)
To make a long story short, for the next few years human translators can
sleep well.
Shabbat shalom -
Lev
--------------------------------
Lev Abramov
http://home.schiffman.biz
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