From: Franklin Wayne Poley (culturex@vcn.bc.ca)
Date: Tue Sep 26 2000 - 17:03:16 MDT
On Tue, 26 Sep 2000, scerir wrote:
> Umberto Eco on perfect languages
> http://www.italianacademy.columbia.edu/dream.htm
>
> [Computer translation is puzzling. If I write down the first
> statement of the italian constitution "L'Italia è una repubblica
> fondata sul lavoro" from the Altavista translator I get "Italy
> is one republic founded on the job". If I write "You must
> remember this: a kiss is just a kiss" I get some italian
> translation and if I try to translate this one, again, in english
> I get "You must ricordarsi of this, a kiss you are right a kiss"]
There is nothing to prevent the computer translation from recognizing
colloquialisms, unique sayings and so on and translating them as complete
units. What is the correct translation of that section from the Italian
Constitution? So the translating program has a special provision that
when it encounters this exact wording it gives the exact translation
specified.
FWP
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