Tower of Babel
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babeltower.bsky.social
Tower of Babel
@babeltower.bsky.social
Testing Google Translate Machine Translation's "quality"(?) in its 194 supported languages. Not affiliated to Google, just a language learner.
Inspired by: @translatedskeets.bsky.social
Main account: @dagmaral.bsky.social
Pinned
"How translators have fun", a comic strip from December 2012 by Mox the Translator (who has many other comic strips on his website): mox.ingenierotraductor.com/2012/12/how-...
I am so obsolete and old school (I'm 33 👵🏻), I still haven't tested the quality of translation of the AI apps. 🤦🏻‍♀️😶‍🌫️
Sigh... I'm used to using Google Translate on my phone but not the other apps.
August 22, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Google Translate might have generated a mistranslation in the last part of the 3rd sentence "куди я йду" = "jakým směrem se vydám.
But I only have a basic knowledge of Russian and Czech (the source language here), and no knowledge of Ukrainian, so it's hard for me to be 100% sure 🤔
Ukrainian:
«Там багато ненависті», – сказав Трамп. «Але побачимо, що буде. Думаю, через два тижні ми знатимемо, куди я йду», – додав він.
August 22, 2025 at 7:53 PM
Ukrainian:
«Там багато ненависті», – сказав Трамп. «Але побачимо, що буде. Думаю, через два тижні ми знатимемо, куди я йду», – додав він.
August 22, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Reposted by Tower of Babel
#MTSummit2025

Today, I am presenting a study conducted with Nathalie Moulard and Quentin Pacinella:
“MT or not MT? Do translation specialists know a machine-translated text when they see one?”

👉 Full paper available here: hal.science/hal-05124900 or on conference website (mtsummit2025.unige.ch)
June 26, 2025 at 12:39 PM
English:
" A heatwave is coming to France this weekend, and temperatures are likely to reach 40°C in the country by June.
Since the climate skeptics are out, it's time to get out the bingo: bonpote.com/le-bingo-cli... "
Une canicule arrive en fin de semaine en France et il y a des chances qu'on atteigne 40°C dans le pays, au moins de juin.
Comme les climatosceptiques sont de sortie, c'est le moment de sortir le bingo : bonpote.com/le-bingo-cli...
June 17, 2025 at 5:57 PM
English:
"The pen is running out of ink."
+ How to say "pen" in Finnish:
>> kynä: en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/kyn%C3%A4
June 13, 2025 at 7:40 PM
Reposted by Tower of Babel
Tiny part.
June 13, 2025 at 12:27 PM
English:
"Like a marble rolling down the side of a funnel"
👉 l.sciencesetavenir.fr/n2a
"Comme une bille qui roulerait sur la paroi d’un entonnoir"
👉 https://l.sciencesetavenir.fr/n2a
June 12, 2025 at 7:03 PM
"How translators have fun", a comic strip from December 2012 by Mox the Translator (who has many other comic strips on his website): mox.ingenierotraductor.com/2012/12/how-...
June 5, 2025 at 8:58 AM
Dutch:
"Vergeet de schedels niet.

Welterusten 🎨.

Van Gogh.

#kunst #schilderen"
June 4, 2025 at 8:50 PM
Croatian:
"Molitva za spokoj lingvistike

U ime Pāninija, Williama Jonesa i Edwarda Sapira molimo. Amen."
The Linguistics Serenity Prayer

In the name of Pānini, William Jones, and Edward Sapir we pray. Amen.
June 4, 2025 at 8:28 PM
I was interested in the translation of the word "gueux" here. Not so bad 👍🏻 (= "poor" drivers).
On the other hand, the translation of "ZFE" is a failure.
English:
"🚢 On Thursday, @FerracciMarc is inaugurating an XXL LNG-powered cruise ship in St-Nazaire: 13 restaurants, bars, a swimming pool...
Less polluting than fuel oil? ❌False."
🚢 Jeudi, @FerracciMarc inaugure à St-Nazaire un paquebot XXL au GNL : 13 restos, bars, piscine…

Moins polluant que le fuel ? ❌Faux.
Le GNL, c’est du méthane, 80× pire que le CO₂ pour le climat.

Pendant ce temps, les ZFE interdisent aux “gueux” de rouler. 🌍 #Greenwashing
June 4, 2025 at 8:01 PM
English:
"🚢 On Thursday, @FerracciMarc is inaugurating an XXL LNG-powered cruise ship in St-Nazaire: 13 restaurants, bars, a swimming pool...
Less polluting than fuel oil? ❌False."
🚢 Jeudi, @FerracciMarc inaugure à St-Nazaire un paquebot XXL au GNL : 13 restos, bars, piscine…

Moins polluant que le fuel ? ❌Faux.
Le GNL, c’est du méthane, 80× pire que le CO₂ pour le climat.

Pendant ce temps, les ZFE interdisent aux “gueux” de rouler. 🌍 #Greenwashing
June 4, 2025 at 7:54 PM
Persian:
"اوکراین و ایران در دستور کار
گفتگوی جدید ترامپ و پوتین"
("okrain ve iran dar dastor kar goftegoye jadid taramp ve potin")
June 4, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Portuguese (PT-PT):
""O coração humano é como a Terra, metade iluminada pelo sol e metade na sombra. Nem os santos têm luz em todo o lado."
"Onde o Coração Leva", Susanna Tamaro
📷Robert Blomfield"
"El corazón del hombre es como la Tierra, una mitad iluminada por el sol y la otra en la sombra. Ni siquiera los santos tienen luz en todas partes".
"Donde el corazón te lleve", Susanna Tamaro
📷Robert Blomfield
June 4, 2025 at 7:11 PM
Portuguese (PT-BR):
""O coração humano é como a Terra, metade iluminada pelo sol e metade na sombra. Nem mesmo os santos têm luz em todos os lugares."
"Onde o Coração Leva", Susanna Tamaro
📷Robert Blomfield"
"El corazón del hombre es como la Tierra, una mitad iluminada por el sol y la otra en la sombra. Ni siquiera los santos tienen luz en todas partes".
"Donde el corazón te lleve", Susanna Tamaro
📷Robert Blomfield
June 4, 2025 at 7:10 PM
Xhosa:
I-NASA, ndiya kukukhumbuza, <0.5% yebhajethi yase-US. NGAPHANTSI KWESIQINISEKISO SESIHLANU.

Oku kufana nokuzama ukugcina indawo yedisk ngokucima ifayile yokubhaliweyo xa unegigabytes yomculo ongasokuze uwumamele.

Ubungqina obuninzi bokuthi into eyenziwa nguMusk kunye ne-DOGE bubuxoki.
NASA, I will remind you, is <0.5% of the US budget. LESS THAN ZERO POINT FIVE PERCENT.

This is like trying to save disk space by deleting a text file when you've got a gigabytes of music you'll never listen to.

More proof that what Musk and DOGE are doing is a lie.
I'm told that "DOGE is at NASA HQ". I know nothing more, make of that what you will.
February 13, 2025 at 9:44 PM
Polish:
Czy potrafiłbyś nauczyć się wszystkich języków, czy umarłbyś próbując?
youtu.be/dXf2mDd_ZN0?...
February 13, 2025 at 9:14 PM
Italian:
"Penso di non aver mai scelto nulla da sola, che tutto mi è stato dato, che ho interpretato i ruoli che mi sono capitati tra le mani. Quando mi sveglio vado nel panico. Chi sono? Come sono essenzialmente? "Chi è responsabile della mia vita?"
"Balla, balla", Murakami
“Pienso que nunca he elegido nada por mí mismo, que todo me ha venido dado, que he interpretado los papeles que me han caído en las manos. Cuando me despierto me entra pánico. ¿Quién soy? ¿Cómo soy en esencia? ¿Quién lleva las riendas de mi vida?”
"Baila, baila", #Murakami
📷 Dominique Isserman
February 13, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Oh, so the Dutch use "sorry" also but with a different pronunciation. Ok 📝
www.babbel.com/en/magazine/...
February 13, 2025 at 8:40 PM
Dutch:
Sorry dat ik zo somber was. Ik ben in een vervloekte bui en kan het menselijke gezicht niet verdragen.
On this day in 1933.
February 13, 2025 at 8:35 PM
Belarusian:
Цяпер гэта самая вялікая структура ў вядомым Сусвеце. Называецца Кіпу, здаецца, яна распасціраецца больш чым на 1 мільярд светлавых гадоў ад канца да канца. 🧪🔭

Ciapier heta samaja vialikaja struktura ŭ viadomym Susviecie. Nazyvajecca Kipu, zdajecca, jana raspascirajecca...
February 13, 2025 at 8:20 PM
Abkhaz:
@bsky.app аҿы ҳ #ICYMI ҳсериа ацҵарала, NASA/ESA Хаббл ҳәа изышьҭоу ателескоп ала еизгаз иреиҳау афотомозаика шәзааҳгоит.

Ари апанораматә ҭыхымҭоуп ҳгәыла #Андромеда агалактика, 2.5 миллион лашара-шықәсала ҳзыбжьоу.

Аҭалара зегьы 👉 www.esa.int/Science_Expl...
Continuing our #ICYMI series on @bsky.app, we bring you the largest photomosaic ever assembled from NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope observations.

It is a panoramic view of our neighbouring #Andromeda galaxy, located 2.5 million light-years away.

Access full res 👉 www.esa.int/Science_Expl...

🔭🧪
February 13, 2025 at 4:40 PM